Synfacts 2021; 17(02): 0225
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1706109
Peptide Chemistry

Cysteine-Catalyzed Peptide Synthesis in Neutral Water

Contributor(s):
Hisashi Yamamoto
,
An Wu
Foden CS, Islam S, Fernández-García C, Maugeri L, Sheppard TD, Powner MW. * University College London, UK
Prebiotic Synthesis of Cysteine Peptides that Catalyze Peptide Ligation in Neutral Water.

Science 2020;
370: 865-869
DOI: 10.1126/science.abd5680.
 

Significance

Cysteine is very attractive due to its high reactivity as a nucleophile. The authors found that acylated cysteine can be synthesized in a prebiotic approach and used as a catalyst in the catalytic peptide ligation pathway to prepare oligopeptides.


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Comment

With the cysteine as a catalyst, various dipeptides can be synthesized in neutral water. When 3-mercaptopropionic acid was used instead of cysteine, oligopeptides could also be prepared in a similar thiol-catalyzed peptide-ligation manner. The yields of the target peptides are moderate to good.


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Publication History

Article published online:
20 January 2021

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