Peptides syntheses

CF3CO2H. Colourless liquid, b.p. 72-5 C, fumes in air. Trifluoroacetic acid is the most important halogen-substituted acetic acid. It is a very strong acid (pK = o y) and used extensively for acid catalysed reactions, especially ester cleavage in peptide synthesis. 

Primary and secondary amines are susceptible to oxidation and replacement reactions involving the N—H bonds. Within the development of peptide synthesis numerous protective groups for N—H bonds have been found (M, Bodanszky, 1976 L.A. Carpino, 1973), and we shall discuss five of the more general methods used involving the reversible formation of... 

The /-butoxycarbonyl group (Boc, "t-box ) has been eMens vely used in peptide synthesis, and Boc derivatives of many amino acids are commercially available. The customary reagent for the preparation from the amine is t-butyl azidoformate in water, dioxane/water, DMSO, or DMF. The cleavage by acids of medium strength proceeds with concomitant loss of isobutene and carbon dioxide (L.A. Carpino, 1957, 1973 see section 4.1.2.2). 

A major trend in organic synthesis, however, is the move towards complex systems. It may happen that one needs to combine a steroid and a sugar molecule, a porphyrin and a carotenoid, a penicillin and a peptide. Also the specialists in a field have developed reactions and concepts that may, with or without modifications, be applied in other fields. If one needs to protect an amino group in a steroid, it is advisable not only to search the steroid literature but also to look into publications on peptide synthesis. In the synthesis of corrin chromophores with chiral centres, special knowledge of steroid, porphyrin, and alkaloid chemistry has been very helpful (R.B. Woodward, 1967 A. Eschenmoser, 1970). 

The phenolic hydroxyl group of tyrosine, the imidazole moiety of histidine, and the amide groups of asparagine and glutamine are often not protected in peptide synthesis, since it is usually unnecessary. The protection of the hydroxyl group in serine and threonine (O-acetylation or O-benzylation) is not needed in the azide condensation procedure but may become important when other activation methods are used. 

With the dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCQ reagent racemization is more pronounced in polar solvents such as DMF than in CHjCl2, for example. An efficient method for reduction of racemization in coupling with DCC is to use additives such as N-hydroxysuccinimide or l-hydroxybenzotriazole. A possible explanation for this effect of nucleophilic additives is that they compete with the amino component for the acyl group to form active esters, which in turn reaa without racemization. There are some other condensation agents (e.g. 2-ethyl-7-hydroxybenz[d]isoxazolium and l-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-l,2-dihydroquinoline) that have been found not to lead to significant racemization. They have, however, not been widely tested in peptide synthesis. 

We now turn from the general problems of peptide synthesis to specific problems connected with three currently important procedures, namely ... 

To illustrate the specific operations involved, the scheme below shows the first steps and the final detachment reaction of a peptide synthesis starting from the carboxyl terminal. N-Boc-glycine is attached to chloromethylated styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer resin. This polymer swells in organic solvents but is completely insoluble. ) Treatment with HCl in acetic acid removes the fert-butoxycarbonyl (Boc) group as isobutene and carbon dioxide. The resulting amine hydrochloride is neutralized with triethylamine in DMF. 

In each step of the usual C-to-N peptide synthesis the N-protecting group of the newly coupled amino acid must be selectively removed under conditions that leave all side-chain pro-teaing groups of the peptide intact. The most common protecting groups of side-chains (p. 229) are all stable towards 50% trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane, and this reagent is most commonly used for N -deprotection. Only /ert-butyl esters and carbamates ( = Boc) are solvolyzed in this mixture. 

We shall now exemplify the solid-phase peptide synthesis approach by c )c/o-[-L-Val-[)-Pro-D-Val-L-Pro-]], which was prepared by Merrifield himself, the inventor of the method (B.F. Gisin, 1972). 

Solution ( = Liquid-Phase) Methods for Peptide Synthesis... 

The major disadvantage of solid-phase peptide synthesis is the fact that ail the by-products attached to the resin can only be removed at the final stages of synthesis. Another problem is the relatively low local concentration of peptide which can be obtained on the polymer, and this limits the turnover of all other educts. Preparation of large quantities (> 1 g) is therefore difficult. Thirdly, the racemization-safe methods for acid activation, e.g. with azides, are too mild (= slow) for solid-phase synthesis. For these reasons the convenient Menifield procedures are quite generally used for syntheses of small peptides, whereas for larger polypeptides many research groups adhere to classic solution methods and purification after each condensation step (F.M. Finn, 1976). 

This reaction sequence is much less prone to difficulties with isomerizations since the pyridine-like carbons of dipyrromethenes do not add protons. Yields are often low, however, since the intermediates do not survive the high temperatures. The more reactive, faster but less reliable system is certainly provided by the dipyrromethanes, in which the reactivity of the pyrrole units is comparable to activated benzene derivatives such as phenol or aniline. The situation is comparable with that found in peptide synthesis where the slow azide method gives cleaner products than the fast DCC-promoted condensations (see p. 234). 

Other than the biochemical methods typified by the synthesis of insulin there are two major approaches to peptide synthesis... 

Sections 27 15 through 27 17 describe the chemistry associated with the protection and deprotection of ammo and carboxyl functions along with methods for peptide bond formation The focus m those sections is on solution phase peptide synthesis Section 27 18 shows how these methods are adapted to solid phase synthesis... 

Several of the ammo acids listed m Table 27 1 bear side chain functional groups which must also be protected during peptide synthesis In most cases protecting groups are available that can be removed by hydrogenolysis... 

Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis The Mernfield Method... 

SOLID-PHASE PEPTIDE SYNTHESIS THE MERRIFIELD METHOD... 

The actual process of solid phase peptide synthesis outlined m Figure 27 15 begins with the attachment of the C terminal ammo acid to the chloromethylated polymer m step 1 Nucleophilic substitution by the carboxylate anion of an N Boc protected C terminal... 

FIGURE 27 14 A section of polystyrene showing one of the benzene rings modified by chloromethylation Indi vidual polystyrene chains in the resin used in solid phase peptide synthesis are con nected to one another at various points (cross linked) by adding a small amount of p divinylbenzene to the styrene monomer The chloromethylation step is carried out under conditions such that only about 10% of the benzene rings bear —CH2CI groups... 

Memfield successfully automated all the steps m solid phase peptide synthesis and computer controlled equipment is now commercially available to perform this synthesis Using an early version of his peptide synthesizer m collaboration with coworker Bemd Gutte Memfield reported the synthesis of the enzyme ribonuclease m 1969 It took them only SIX weeks to perform the 369 reactions and 11 391 steps necessary to assemble the sequence of 124 ammo acids of ribonuclease... 

Solid phase peptide synthesis does not solve all purification problems however Even if every coupling step m the ribonuclease synthesis proceeded in 99% yield the product would be contaminated with many different peptides containing 123 ammo acids 122 ammo acids and so on Thus Memfield and Gutte s six weeks of synthesis was fol lowed by four months spent m purifying the final product The technique has since been refined to the point that yields at the 99% level and greater are achieved with current instrumentation and thousands of peptides and peptide analogs have been prepared by the solid phase method... 

Memfield s concept of a solid phase method for peptide synthesis and his devel opment of methods for carrying it out set the stage for an entirely new way to do chem ical reactions Solid phase synthesis has been extended to include numerous other classes of compounds and has helped spawn a whole new field called combinatorial chemistry Combinatorial synthesis allows a chemist using solid phase techniques to prepare hun dreds of related compounds (called libraries) at a time It is one of the most active areas of organic synthesis especially m the pharmaceutical industry... 

FIGURE 27 15 Peptide synthesis by the solid phase method Ammo acid residues are attached sequentially beginning at the C terminus... 

Merrifield method See solid phase peptide synthesis Meso stereoisomer (Section 7 11) An achiral molecule that has chirality centers The most common kind of meso com pound IS a molecule with two chirality centers and a plane of symmetry... 

Solid phase peptide synthesis (Section 27 18) Method for peptide synthesis m which the C terminal ammo acid is co valently attached to an inert solid support and successive ammo acids are attached via peptide bond formation At the completion of the synthesis the polypeptide is removed from the support... 

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