Polypeptide dendrimers

H. Baigude, K. Katsuraya, K. Okuyama, S. Tokunaga, and T. Uryu, Synthesis of sphere-type monodispersed oligosaccharide-polypeptide dendrimers, Macromolecules, 36 (2003) 7100-7106. 

This volume focuses on extensions of peptide chemistry into the novel areas of template-conjugated peptides, helical arrays of polypeptides, dendrimers, and C-terminally modified peptides. The volume concludes with an overview of the classic syntheses of representative peptide natural products. 

Even though some polyamide dendrimers, including polypeptide dendrimers, are reported [51-53], not many aliphatic polyamides have been investigated yet. 

Baars MWPL, Meijer EW (2000) Host-Guest Chemistry of Dendritic Molecules. 210 131-182 Balczewski P, see Mikoloajczyk M (2003) 223 161-214 Ballauff M (2001) Structure of Dendrimers in Dilute Solution. 212 177-194 Baltzer L (1999) Functionalization and Properties of Designed Folded Polypeptides. 202 39-76 Balzani V, Ceroni P, Maestri M, Saudan C, Vicinelli V (2003) Luminescent Dendrimers. Recent Advances. 228 159-191 Barre L, see Lasne M-C (2002) 222 201-258 Bartlett RJ, see Sun J-Q (1999) 203 121-145... 

Balczewski P, see Mikoloajczyk M (2003) 223 161-214 Ballauff M (2001) Structure of Dendrimers in Dilute Solution. 212 177-194 Baltzer L (1999) Functionalization and Properties of Designed Folded Polypeptides. 202 39-76... 

As described in Sect. 7.1, novel hybrid block copolymers comprising on one hand a classical synthetic polymer and on the other hand a metal-containing polymer, a synthetic or natural (proteine, enzyme, etc.) polypeptide have recently been synthesized. Other hybrid block copolymers containing inorganic blocks, dendrimers, etc. will certainly be prepared and thoroughly investigated in the next few years. 

Even newer generations of nanomaterials are based on carbon nanotubes using the bottom-up approach. The materials are still very expensive, but the technology is evolving rapidly. Another type of nanotube has been prepared based on self-assembly of specific molecules such as chitosan-based nanoparticles of polypeptides, DNA or synthetic polymers. Phospholipids or dendrimer-coated particles are suitable for the entrapment of actives in very small vesicles. The current materials are still lacking in selectivity and yield (costs). 

In contrast with the porphyrin dendrimers in Fig. 13.23, porphyrin oligomers with a polypeptidic backbone in Fig. 13.25 are flexible enough to accommodate... 

Tam has pioneered the use of dendrimers as templates for simultaneous growth of identical polypeptides [145]. Tam et al. were also the first to use the Merrifield approach to the synthesis of dendrimers [145-148]. Starting from phenylaceta-... 

In recent work Tam and Rao have attached unprotected peptides directly to a third generation poly(a, -L-lysine) dendrimer [149]. As shown in Scheme 20b, the dendrimer is modified to contain eight aldehyde groups. These are then reacted with a cysteine terminated polypeptide with formation of a thiazolidine ring. The addition of the first five polypeptides occurs within 2 h at 18 °C but addition of subsequent peptide chains becomes progressively slower. After 67 h a... 

Rao and Tam[19 reported the connection of a 24-residue peptide to a small, lysine-based dendrimer (Scheme 7.3). The peptide connection was effected via treatment of the octameric, glyoxylyl-terminated dendrimer 15 with the 1,2-aminothiol polypeptide 16 to afford the thiazolidinyl peptide dendrimer 17. The thiazolidine linkage also introduces a new asymmetric center. 

Nature is able to do the same thing through biochemical mechanisms. The way, in which oligo- and polypeptides are built by microorganisms with the help of coenzymes, does not differ principally from that which we use for the synthesis of dendrimers. It also is a circle of returning reaction steps with the intention of building proteins resulting in biopolymers. 

---