A hybrid foldamer with unique architecture from conformationally constrained aliphatic–aromatic amino acid conjugate

Structural and morphological diversity of self-assembled synthetic γ-amino acid containing peptides

We report the synthesis of constrained amino acid building block gabapentin (Gpn) based hybrid peptides and their structural and morphological diversity in different conditions.

Conformationally Constrained Aliphatic−Aromatic Amino-Acid-Conjugated Hybrid Foldamers with Periodic β-Turn Motifs

In this note, we describe the design, synthesis, and structural studies of novel hybrid foldamers derived from Aib-Pro-Adb building blocks that display repeat beta-turn structure motif. The foldamer having a conformationally constrained aliphatic-aromatic amino acid conjugate adopts a well-defined, compact, three-dimensional structure, governed by a combined conformational restriction imposed by the individual amino acids with which it is made of. Conformational investigations by single-crystal X-ray and solution-state NMR studies were undertaken to investigate the conformational preference of these foldamers with a hetero-backbone. Our findings suggest that constrained aliphatic-aromatic amino acid conjugates would offer new avenues for the de novo design of hybrid foldamers with distinctive structural architectures.

BINOL-Based FoldamersAccess to Oligomers with Diverse Structural Architectures

In this article, we report on the synthesis and conformation of a new family of aromatic oligoamide foldamers based on binaphthol (BINOL) monomers. A series of oligomers with differing chirality of the individual BINOL building blocks and mixed sequences of alternate BINOL and pyridyl building blocks has been synthesized and structurally characterized. NMR and quantum chemical calculations on the basis of ab initio MO theory were performed to obtain insight into the conformational features of these oligomers. It is shown that the combination of these inherently chiral aromatic building blocks provides a novel access to a wide variety of conformationally ordered synthetic oligomers with diverse and dazzling structural architectures distinct from those classically observed.

Foldamers as versatile frameworks for the design and evolution of function

Foldamers are sequence-specific oligomers akin to peptides, proteins and oligonucleotides that fold into well-defined three-dimensional structures. They offer the chemical biologist a broad pallet of building blocks for the construction of molecules that test and extend our understanding of protein folding and function. Foldamers also provide templates for presenting complex arrays of functional groups in virtually unlimited geometrical patterns, thereby presenting attractive opportunities for the design of molecules that bind in a sequence- and structure-specific manner to oligosaccharides, nucleic acids, membranes and proteins. We summarize recent advances and highlight the future applications and challenges of this rapidly expanding field.