Chemical synthesis and applications of phosphopeptides

Synthesis and immunogenic properties of phosphopeptides related to the human insulin receptor

Two phosphoserine tetradecapeptides corresponding to sequences 987-1000 (peptide pSer994) and 1017-1030 (peptide pSer1023/1025) from the human insulin receptor involved in the regulation of its activity were successfully synthesized using Fmoc-based chemistry. Phosphorylation was performed by post-assembly phosphitylation followed by oxidation. The selective phosphorylation of Ser residues was achieved incorporating into the peptide chain the Ser (Trt) derivative and t-Bu blocking groups at sites other than those intended to be phosphorylated. The Trt group was selectively removed with dichloroacetic acid while under this condition t-Bu protecting groups remained unaltered. Following conjugation to keyhole limpet hemocyanin phosphopeptides were used as immunogens to generate sequence-specific phosphoserine antibodies. Peptide pSer994 induced antibodies in New Zealand white rabbits which discriminated between the phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated forms of the peptide, thus representing promising candidates to recognize signaling pathways associated to the regulation of the human insulin receptor.

The synthesis of phosphopeptides

Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation are key events in protein expression and regulation and in signal transduction. Phosphopeptides are very useful reagents for the study of these processes, and have been used to great advantage in the study of phosphatase substrate specificity, SH2 domain ligand specificity, and protein-protein interactions. Furthermore, the advent of cell-permeable peptide carriers, such as those from the antennapedia homeodomain and the HIV TAT transcription factor, has allowed the study of intracellular events, thus underscoring the utility of these reagents. In this paper we review methods for the synthesis of phosphopeptides with the emphasis on the preparation of phosphoamino acid building blocks.

Chemical synthesis of phosphorylated peptides of the carboxy-terminal domain of human p53 by a segment condensation method

A segment condensation method was developed for the chemical synthesis of large (> 90 amino acid) phosphopeptides and was used to produce phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated derivatives of the C-terminal tetramerization and regulatory domains of human p53 (residues 303-393). Efficient condensation synthesis of the 91 residue p53 domain was achieved in two steps. The non-phosphorylated N-terminal segment p53(303-334) (1) and its derivative phosphorylated at serine 315 (1P315), and the non-phosphorylated middle segment p53(335-360) (2), were synthesized as partially protected peptide thioesters in the solid phase using Boc chemistry. The C-terminal segment p53(361-393) (3) and its derivative phosphorylated at serine 392 (3P392) were synthesized as partially protected peptides in the solid phase using Fmoc chemistry. Phosphoamino acid was incorporated into the N-terminal segment (1P315) at the residue corresponding to p53 serine 315 as Boc-Ser(PO3(Bzl)2)-OH during synthesis. Serine 392 in the C-terminal segment was selectively phosphorylated after synthesis by phosphitylation followed by oxidation. A derivative phosphorylated at serine 378 was synthesized in a one-step condensation of the unphosphorylated N-terminal segment (1) and the phosphorylated long C-terminal segment p53(335-393) (2-3P378). Yields of the ligated peptides after removal of the protecting groups and HPLC purification averaged 60% for the first condensation and 35% for the second condensation. All five p53 peptides exhibited monomer-tetramer association as determined by analytical ultracentrifugation. Circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that phosphorylation at Ser315 increased the alpha-helical content, which was abolished when Ser392 also was phosphorylated, suggesting an interaction between N-terminal and C-terminal residues of the C-terminal domain of p53.