Synfacts 2019; 15(10): 1201
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1690638
Peptide Chemistry
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Sulfide-Mediated Peptide Ligation in Water

Contributor(s):
Hisashi Yamamoto
,
An Wu
Canavelli P, Islam S, Powner MW. * University College London, UK
Peptide Ligation by Chemoselective Aminonitrile Coupling in Water.

Nature 2019;
571: 546-549
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
17 September 2019 (online)

 

Significance

This work provides a method for achieving α-peptide ligation in water that tolerates all 20 proteinogenic amino acids. This is extremely important, especially in biochemistry and the life sciences.


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Comment

The authors have developed a method for chemoselective α-aminonitrile ligation in water that uses prebiotically plausible molecules such as hydrogen sulfide, thioacetate, and ferricyanide. The α-peptides are obtained in good to high yields. The model suggests that short N-acyl peptides might have served as plausible substrates during the early evolution of life.


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