Chemical pyrophosphorylation of functionally diverse peptides

Pentaphosphorylation via the Anhydride of Dihydrogen Pentametaphosphate: Access to Nucleoside Hexa- and Heptaphosphates and Study of Their Interaction with Ribonuclease A

Pentametaphosphate is the little studied cyclic pentamer of the metaphosphate ion, [PO3]5 5-. We show that the doubly protonated form of this pentamer can be selectively dehydrated to provide the anhydride [P5O14]3- (1). This trianion is the well-defined condensed phosphate component of a novel reagent for attachment of a pentaphosphate chain to biomolecules all in one go. Here, we demonstrate by extending adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and uridine monophosphate (UMP) to their corresponding nucleoside hexaphosphates, while adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and uridine diphosphate (UDP) are phosphate chain-extended to the corresponding nucleoside heptaphosphates. Such constructs are of interest for their potential biological function with respect to RNA-processing enzymes. Thus, we go on to investigate in detail the interaction of the polyanionic constructs with ribonuclease A, a model protein containing a polycationic active site and for which X-ray crystal structures are relatively straightforward to obtain. This work presents a combined experimental and quantum chemical approach to understanding the interactions of RNase A with the new nucleoside hexa- and heptaphosphate constructs.

An Uncommon Phosphorylation Mode Regulates the Activity and Protein Interactions of N-Acetylglucosamine Kinase

While the function of protein phosphorylation in eukaryotic cell signaling is well established, the role of a closely related modification, protein pyrophosphorylation, is just starting to surface. A recent study has identified several targets of endogenous protein pyrophosphorylation in mammalian cell lines, including N-acetylglucosamine kinase (NAGK). Here, a detailed functional analysis of NAGK phosphorylation and pyrophosphorylation on serine 76 (S76) has been conducted. This analysis was enabled by using amber codon suppression to obtain phosphorylated pS76-NAGK, which was subsequently converted to site-specifically pyrophosphorylated NAGK (ppS76-NAGK) with a phosphorimidazolide reagent. A significant reduction in GlcNAc kinase activity was observed upon phosphorylation and near-complete inactivation upon pyrophosphorylation. The formation of ppS76-NAGK proceeded via an ATP-dependent autocatalytic process, and once formed, ppS76-NAGK displayed notable stability toward dephosphorylation in mammalian cell lysates. Proteomic examination unveiled a distinct set of protein-protein interactions for ppS76-NAGK, suggesting an alternative function, independent of its kinase activity. Overall, a significant regulatory role of pyrophosphorylation on NAGK activity was uncovered, providing a strong incentive to investigate the influence of this unusual phosphorylation mode on other kinases.

Protein pyrophosphorylation by inositol phosphates: a novel post-translational modification in plants?

Inositol pyrophosphates (PP-InsPs) are energy-rich molecules harboring one or more diphosphate moieties. PP-InsPs are found in all eukaryotes evaluated and their functional versatility is reflected in the various cellular events in which they take part. These include, among others, insulin signaling and intracellular trafficking in mammals, as well as innate immunity and hormone and phosphate signaling in plants. The molecular mechanisms by which PP-InsPs exert such functions are proposed to rely on the allosteric regulation via direct binding to proteins, by competing with other ligands, or by protein pyrophosphorylation. The latter is the focus of this review, where we outline a historical perspective surrounding the first findings, almost 20 years ago, that certain proteins can be phosphorylated by PP-InsPs in vitro. Strikingly, in vitro phosphorylation occurs by an apparent enzyme-independent but Mg2+-dependent transfer of the β-phosphoryl group of an inositol pyrophosphate to an already phosphorylated serine residue at Glu/Asp-rich protein regions. Ribosome biogenesis, vesicle trafficking and transcription are among the cellular events suggested to be modulated by protein pyrophosphorylation in yeast and mammals. Here we discuss the latest efforts in identifying targets of protein pyrophosphorylation, pointing out the methodological challenges that have hindered the full understanding of this unique post-translational modification, and focusing on the latest advances in mass spectrometry that finally provided convincing evidence that PP-InsP-mediated pyrophosphorylation also occurs in vivo. We also speculate about the relevance of this post-translational modification in plants in a discussion centered around the protein kinase CK2, whose activity is critical for pyrophosphorylation of animal and yeast proteins. This enzyme is widely present in plant species and several of its functions overlap with those of PP-InsPs. Until now, there is virtually no data on pyrophosphorylation of plant proteins, which is an exciting field that remains to be explored.

Chemoselective Labeling and Immobilization of Phosphopeptides with Phosphorimidazolide Reagents

Protein phosphorylation is one of the most ubiquitous post-translational modifications, regulating numerous essential processes in cells. Accordingly, the large-scale annotation of phosphorylation sites continues to provide central insight into the regulation of signaling networks. The global analysis of the phosphoproteome typically relies on mass spectrometry analysis of phosphopeptides, with an enrichment step necessary due to the sub-stoichiometric nature of phosphorylation. Several affinity-based methods and chemical modification strategies have been developed to date, but the choice of enrichment method can have a considerable impact on the results. Here, we show that a biotinylated, photo-cleavable phosphorimidazolide reagent permits the immobilization and subsequent cleavage of phosphopeptides. The method is capable of the capture and release of phosphopeptides of varying characteristics, and this mild and selective strategy expands the current repertoire for phosphopeptide chemical modification with the potential to enrich and identify new phosphorylation sites in the future.

One-pot chemical pyro- and tri-phosphorylation of peptides by using diamidophosphate in water

Protein (pyro)phosphorylation is emerging as a post-translational modification (PTM) in signalling pathways involved in many cellular processes. However, access to synthetic pyrophosphopeptides that can serve as tools for understanding protein pyrophosphorylation is quite limited. Herein, we report a chemical phosphorylation method that enables the synthesis of pyrophosphopeptides in aqueous medium without the need for protecting groups. The strategy employs diamidophosphate (DAP) in a one-pot sequential phosphorylation-hydrolysis of mono-phosphorylated peptide precursors. This operationally simple method exploits the intrinsic nucleophilicity of a phosphate moiety installed on serine, threonine or tyrosine residues in complex peptides with excellent chemoselectivity and good yields under mild conditions. We demonstrate the installation of the pyrophosphate group within a wide range of model peptides and showcase the potential of this methodology by selectively pyrophosphorylating the highly functionalized Nopp140 peptide fragment. The potential to produce higher (poly)phosphorylated peptides was demonstrated as a proof-of-principle experiment where we synthesized the triphosphorylated peptides using this one-pot strategy.

Quantitation of phosphohistidine in proteins in a mammalian cell line by 31P NMR

There is growing evidence to suggest that phosphohistidines are present at significant levels in mammalian cells and play a part in regulating cellular activity, in particular signaling pathways related to cancer. Because of the chemical instability of phosphohistidine at neutral or acid pH, it remains unclear how much phosphohistidine is present in cells. Here we describe a protocol for extracting proteins from mammalian cells in a way that avoids loss of covalent phosphates from proteins, and use it to measure phosphohistidine concentrations in human bronchial epithelial cell (16HBE14o-) lysate using ³¹P NMR spectroscopic analysis. Phosphohistidine is determined on average to be approximately one third as abundant as phosphoserine and phosphothreonine combined (and thus roughly 15 times more abundant than phosphotyrosine). The amount of phosphohistidine, and phosphoserine/phosphothreonine per gram of protein from a cell lysate was determined to be 23 μmol/g and 68 μmol/g respectively. The amount of phosphohistidine, and phosphoserine/phosphothreonine per cell was determined to be 1.8 fmol/cell, and 5.8 fmol/cell respectively. Phosphorylation is largely at the N3 (tele) position. Typical tryptic digest conditions result in loss of most of the phosphohistidine present, which may explain why the amounts reported here are greater than is generally seen using mass spectroscopy assays. The results further strengthen the case for a functional role of phosphohistidine in eukaryotic cells.

Dissecting the role of protein phosphorylation: a chemical biology toolbox

Protein phosphorylation is a crucial regulator of protein and cellular function, yet, despite identifying an enormous number of phosphorylation sites, the role of most is still unclear. Each phosphoform, the particular combination of phosphorylations, of a protein has distinct and diverse biological consequences. Aberrant phosphorylation is implicated in the development of many diseases. To investigate their function, access to defined protein phosphoforms is essential. Materials obtained from cells often are complex mixtures. Recombinant methods can provide access to defined phosphoforms if site-specifically acting kinases are known, but the methods fail to provide homogenous material when several amino acid side chains compete for phosphorylation. Chemical and chemoenzymatic synthesis has provided an invaluable toolbox to enable access to previously unreachable phosphoforms of proteins. In this review, we selected important tools that enable access to homogeneously phosphorylated protein and discuss examples that demonstrate how they can be applied. Firstly, we discuss the synthesis of phosphopeptides and proteins through chemical and enzymatic means and their advantages and limitations. Secondly, we showcase illustrative examples that applied these tools to answer biological questions pertaining to proteins involved in signal transduction, control of transcription, neurodegenerative diseases and aggregation, apoptosis and autophagy, and transmembrane proteins. We discuss the opportunities and challenges in the field.

Beyond Triphosphates: Reagents and Methods for Chemical Oligophosphorylation

Oligophosphates play essential roles in biochemistry, and considerable research has been directed toward the synthesis of both naturally occurring oligophosphates and their synthetic analogues. Greater attention has been given to mono-, di-, and triphosphates, as these are present in higher concentrations biologically and easier to synthesize. However, extended oligophosphates have potent biochemical roles, ranging from blood coagulation to HIV drug resistance. Sporadic reports have slowly built a niche body of literature related to the synthesis and study of extended oligophosphates, but newfound interests and developments have the potential to rapidly expand this field. Here we report on current methods to synthesize oligophosphates longer than triphosphates and comment on the most important future directions for this area of research. The state of the art has provided fairly robust methods for synthesizing nucleoside 5'-tetra- and pentaphosphates as well as dinucleoside 5',5'-oligophosphates. Future research should endeavor to push such syntheses to longer oligophosphates while developing synthetic methodologies for rarer morphologies such as 3'-nucleoside oligophosphates, polyphosphates, and phosphonate/thiophosphate analogues of these species.

A high energy phosphate jump - From pyrophospho-inositol to pyrophospho-serine

Inositol pyrophosphates (PP-IPs) are a class of energy rich metabolites present in all eukaryotic cells. The hydroxyl groups on these water soluble derivatives of inositol are substituted with diphosphate and monophosphate moieties. Since the discovery of PP-IPs in the early 1990s, enormous progress has been made in uncovering pleiotropic roles for these small molecules in cellular physiology. PP-IPs exert their effect on proteins in two ways - allosteric regulation by direct binding, or post-translational regulation by serine pyrophosphorylation, a modification unique to PP-IPs. Serine pyrophosphorylation is achieved by Mg²⁺-dependent, but enzyme independent transfer of a β-phosphate from a PP-IP to a pre-phosphorylated serine residue located in an acidic motif, within an intrinsically disordered protein sequence. This distinctive post-translational modification has been shown to regulate diverse cellular processes, including rRNA synthesis, glycolysis, and vesicle transport. However, our understanding of the molecular details of this phosphotransfer from pyrophospho-inositol to generate pyrophospho-serine, is still nascent. This review discusses our current knowledge of protein pyrophosphorylation, and recent advances in understanding the mechanism of this important yet overlooked post-translational modification.

Nucleoside Tetra- and Pentaphosphates Prepared Using a Tetraphosphorylation Reagent Are Potent Inhibitors of Ribonuclease A

Adenosine and uridine 5'-tetra- and 5'-pentaphosphates were synthesized from an activated tetrametaphosphate ([PPN]₂[P₄O₁₁], [PPN]₂[1], PPN = bis(triphenylphosphine)iminium) and subsequently tested for inhibition of the enzymatic activity of ribonuclease A (RNase A). Reagent [PPN]₂[1] reacts with unprotected uridine and adenosine in the presence of a base under anhydrous conditions to give nucleoside tetrametaphosphates. Ring opening of these intermediates with tetrabutylammonium hydroxide ([TBA][OH]) yields adenosine and uridine tetraphosphates (p₄A, p₄U) in 92% and 85% yields, respectively, from the starting nucleoside. Treatment of ([PPN]₂[1]) with AMP or UMP yields nucleoside-monophosphate tetrametaphosphates (cp₄pA, cp₄pU) having limited aqueous stability. Ring opening of these ultraphosphates with [TBA][OH] yields p₅A and p₅U in 58% and 70% yield from AMP and UMP, respectively. We characterized inorganic and nucleoside-conjugated linear and cyclic oligophosphates as competitive inhibitors of RNase A. Increasing the chain length in both linear and cyclic inorganic oligophosphates resulted in improved binding affinity. Increasing the length of oligophosphates on the 5' position of adenosine beyond three had a deleterious effect on binding. Conversely, uridine nucleotides bearing 5' oligophosphates saw progressive increases in binding with chain length. We solved X-ray cocrystal structures of the highest affinity binders from several classes. The terminal phosphate of p₅A binds in the P₁ enzymic subsite and forces the oligophosphate to adopt a convoluted conformation, while the oligophosphate of p₅U binds in several extended conformations, targeting multiple cationic regions of the active-site cleft.

Electron Transfer/Higher Energy Collisional Dissociation of Doubly Charged Peptide Ions: Identification of Labile Protein Phosphorylations

In recent years, labile phosphorylation sites on arginine, histidine, cysteine, and lysine as well as pyrophosphorylation of serine and threonine have gained more attention in phosphoproteomic studies. However, the analysis of these delicate posttranslational modifications via tandem mass spectrometry remains a challenge. Common fragmentation techniques such as collision-induced dissociation (CID) and higher energy collisional dissociation (HCD) are limited due to extensive phosphate-related neutral loss. Electron transfer dissociation (ETD) has shown to preserve labile modifications, but is restricted to higher charge states, missing the most prevalent doubly charged peptides. Here, we report the ability of electron transfer/higher energy collisional dissociation (EThcD) to fragment doubly charged phosphorylated peptides without losing the labile modifications. Using synthetic peptides that contain phosphorylated arginine, histidine, cysteine, and lysine as well as pyrophosphorylated serine residues, we evaluated the optimal fragmentation conditions, demonstrating that EThcD is the method of choice for unambiguous assignment of tryptic, labile phosphorylated peptides. Graphical Abstract.

Pyrophosphorylation via selective phosphoprotein derivatization

An important step in elucidating the function of protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) is gaining access to site-specifically modified, homogeneous samples for biochemical characterization. Protein pyrophosphorylation is a poorly characterized PTM, and here a chemical approach to obtain pyrophosphoproteins is reported. Photo-labile phosphorimidazolide reagents were developed for selective pyrophosphorylation, affinity-capture, and release of pyrophosphoproteins. Kinetic analysis of the reaction revealed rate constants between 9.2 × 10-3 to 0.58 M-1 s-1, as well as a striking proclivity of the phosphorimidazolides to preferentially react with phosphate monoesters over other nucleophilic side chains. Besides enabling the characterization of pyrophosphorylation on protein function, this work highlights the utility of phosphoryl groups as handles for selective protein modification for a variety of applications, such as phosphoprotein bioconjugation and enrichment.

Chemical tools for interrogating inositol pyrophosphate structure and function

The inositol pyrophosphates (PP-InsPs) are a unique group of intracellular messengers that represent some of the most highly phosphorylated molecules in nature. Genetic perturbation of the PP-InsP biosynthetic network indicates a central role for these metabolites in maintaining cellular energy homeostasis and in controlling signal transduction networks. However, despite their discovery over two decades ago, elucidating their physiologically relevant isomers, the biochemical pathways connecting these molecules to their associated phenotypes, and their modes of signal transduction has often been stymied by technical challenges. Many of the advances in understanding these molecules to date have been facilitated by the total synthesis of the various PP-InsP isomers and by the development of new methods that are capable of identifying their downstream signalling partners. Chemical tools have also been developed to distinguish between the proposed PP-InsP signal transduction mechanisms: protein binding, and a covalent modification of proteins termed protein pyrophosphorylation. In this article, we review these recent developments, discuss how they have helped to illuminate PP-InsP structure and function, and highlight opportunities for future discovery.

Chemical Approaches to Investigate Labile Peptide and Protein Phosphorylation

Protein phosphorylation is by far the most abundant and most studied post-translational modification (PTM). For a long time, phosphate monoesters of serine (pSer), threonine (pThr), and tyrosine (pTyr) have been considered as the only relevant forms of phosphorylation in organisms. Recently, several research groups have dedicated their efforts to the investigation of other, less characterized phosphoamino acids as naturally occurring PTMs. Such apparent peculiar phosphorylations include the phosphoramidates of histidine (pHis), arginine (pArg), and lysine (pLys), the phosphorothioate of cysteine (pCys), and the anhydrides of pyrophosphorylated serine (ppSer) and threonine (ppThr). Almost all of these phosphorylated amino acids show higher lability under physiological conditions than those of phosphate monoesters. Furthermore, they are prone to hydrolysis under acidic and sometimes basic conditions as well as at elevated temperatures, which renders their synthetic accessibility and proteomic analysis particularly challenging. In this Account, we illustrate recent chemical approaches to probe the occurrence and function of these labile phosphorylation events. Within these endeavors, the synthesis of site-selectively phosphorylated peptides, in particular in combination with chemoselective phosphorylation strategies, was crucial. With these well-defined standards in hand, the appropriate proteomic mass spectrometry-based analysis protocols for the characterization of labile phosphosites in biological samples could be developed. Another successful approach in this research field includes the design and synthesis of stable analogues of these labile PTMs, which were used for the generation of pHis- and pArg-specific antibodies for the detection and enrichment of endogenous phosphorylated samples. Finally, other selective enrichment techniques are described, which rely for instance on the unique chemical environment of a pyrophosphate or the selective interaction between a phosphoamino acid and its phosphatase. It is worth noting that many of those studies are still in their early stages, which is also reflected in the small number of identified phosphosites compared to that of phosphate monoesters. Thus, many challenges need to be mastered to fully understand the biological role of these poorly characterized and rather uncommon phosphorylations. Taken together, this overview exemplifies recent efforts in a flourishing field of functional proteomic analysis and furthermore manifests the power of modern peptide synthesis to address unmet questions in the life sciences.

Inositol Pyrophosphates: Energetic, Omnipresent and Versatile Signalling Molecules

Inositol pyrophosphates (PP-IPs) are a class of energy-rich signalling molecules found in all eukaryotic cells. These are derivatives of inositol that contain one or more diphosphate (or pyrophosphate) groups in addition to monophosphates. The more abundant and best studied PP-IPs are diphosphoinositol pentakisphosphate (IP₇) and bis-diphosphoinositol tetrakisphosphate (IP₈). These molecules can influence protein function by two mechanisms: binding and pyrophosphorylation. The former involves the specific interaction of a particular inositol pyrophosphate with a binding site on a protein, while the latter is a unique attribute of inositol pyrophosphates, wherein the β-phosphate moiety is transferred from a PP-IP to a pre-phosphorylated serine residue in a protein to generate pyrophosphoserine. Both these events can result in changes in the target protein’s activity, localisation or its interaction with other partners. As a consequence of their ubiquitous presence in all eukaryotic organisms and all cell types examined till date, and their ability to modify protein function, PP-IPs have been found to participate in a wide range of metabolic, developmental, and signalling pathways. This review highlights many of the known functions of PP-IPs in the context of their temporal and spatial distribution in eukaryotic cells.

Towards pharmacological intervention in inositol pyrophosphate signalling

To help define the molecular basis of cellular signalling cascades, and their biological functions, there is considerable value in utilizing a high-quality chemical 'probe' that has a well-defined interaction with a specific cellular protein. Such reagents include inhibitors of protein kinases and small molecule kinases, as well as mimics or antagonists of intracellular signals. The purpose of this review is to consider recent progress and promising future directions for the development of novel molecules that can interrogate and manipulate the cellular actions of inositol pyrophosphates (PP-IPs)--a specialized, 'energetic' group of cell-signalling molecules in which multiple phosphate and diphosphate groups are crammed around a cyclohexane polyol scaffold.

A Stable Pyrophosphoserine Analog for Incorporation into Peptides and Proteins

Protein pyrophosphorylation is a covalent modification of proteins, mediated by the inositol pyrophosphate messengers. Although the inositol pyrophosphates have been linked to a range of cellular processes, the role of protein pyrophosphorylation remains minimally characterized in vivo. The inherent instability of the phosphoanhydride bond has hampered the development of useful bioanalytical techniques to interrogate this novel signaling mechanism. Here, we describe the preparation of a pyrophosphoserine analog containing a stable methylene-bisphosphonate group that is compatible with solid-phase peptide synthesis. The resulting peptides demonstrate enhanced stability in Eukaryotic cell lysates and mammalian plasma and display resistance toward chemical degradation, when compared to the corresponding pyrophosphopeptides. In addition, the peptides containing the stable pyrophosphoserine analog are highly compatible with common ligation methods, such as native chemical ligation, maleimide conjugation, and glutaraldehyde ligation. The bisphosphonate-containing peptides will, therefore, be well-suited for future pyrophosphoserine antibody generation and affinity capture of pyrophosphoprotein binding partners and provide a key entry point to study the regulatory role of protein pyrophosphorylation.

Triazolophostins: a library of novel and potent agonists of IP3 receptors

IP₃R initiate most cellular Ca²⁺ signaling. AdA is the most potent agonist of IP₃R. The structural complexity of AdA makes synthesis of its analogs cumbersome. We report an easy method for generating a library of potent triazole-based analogs of AdA, triazolophostins, which are the most potent AdA analogs devoid of a nucleobase.

IP₃ receptors are channels that mediate the release of Ca²⁺ from the intracellular stores of cells stimulated by hormones or neurotransmitters. Adenophostin A (AdA) is the most potent agonist of IP₃ receptors, with the β-anomeric adenine contributing to the increased potency. The potency of AdA and its stability towards the enzymes that degrade IP₃ have aroused interest in AdA analogs for biological studies. The complex structure of AdA poses problems that have necessitated optimization of synthetic conditions for each analog. Such lengthy one-at-a-time syntheses limit access to AdA analogs. We have addressed this problem by synthesizing a library of triazole-based AdA analogs, triazolophostins, by employing click chemistry. An advanced intermediate having all the necessary phosphates and a β-azide at the anomeric position was reacted with various alkynes under Cu(i) catalysis to yield triazoles, which upon deprotection gave triazolophostins. All eleven triazolophostins synthesized are more potent than IP₃ and some are equipotent with AdA in functional analyses of IP₃ receptors. We show that a triazole ring can replace adenine without compromising the potency of AdA and provide facile routes to novel AdA analogs.

A Modular Synthesis of Modified Phosphoanhydrides

Phosphoanhydrides (P-anhydrides) are ubiquitously occurring modifications in nature. Nucleotides and their conjugates, for example, are among the most important building blocks and signaling molecules in cell biology. To study and manipulate their biological functions, a diverse range of analogues have been developed. Phosphate-modified analogues have been successfully applied to study proteins that depend on these abundant cellular building blocks, but very often both the preparation and purification of these molecules are challenging. This study discloses a general access to P-anhydrides, including different nucleotide probes, that greatly facilitates their preparation and isolation. The convenient and scalable synthesis of, for example, (18) O labeled nucleoside triphosphates holds promise for future applications in phosphoproteomics.

An affinity reagent for the recognition of pyrophosphorylated peptides

A resin-bound dinuclear zinc(II) complex for the selective capture of pyrophosphopeptides is reported. The metal complex binds diphosphate esters over other anionic groups, such as monophosphate esters, sulfate esters, and carboxylic acids, with high specificity. Immobilization of the compound provided a reagent capable of binding and retaining nanomolar quantities of pyrophosphopeptide in the presence of cell lysate. The high affinity and specificity of the reagent makes it an attractive tool for the study of in vivo pyrophosphorylation.

Four-component α-bromo-β-phosphoalkoxylation of aromatic α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds

Novel α-bromo-β-phosphoalkoxylated carbonyl compounds were produced in moderate to excellent yields via highly selective four-component reaction involving NBS, a cyclic ether, an organic phosphate and an aromatic α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compound.

Site-specifically phosphorylated lysine peptides

Protein phosphorylation controls major processes in cells. Although phosphorylation of serine, threonine, and tyrosine and also recently histidine and arginine are well-established, the extent and biological significance of lysine phosphorylation has remained elusive. Research in this area has been particularly limited by the inaccessibility of peptides and proteins that are phosphorylated at specific lysine residues, which are incompatible with solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) due to the intrinsic acid lability of the P(═O)-N phosphoramidate bond. To address this issue, we have developed a new synthetic route for the synthesis of site-specifically phospholysine (pLys)-containing peptides by employing the chemoselectivity of the Staudinger-phosphite reaction. Our synthetic approach relies on the SPPS of unprotected ε-azido lysine-containing peptides and their subsequent reaction to phosphoramidates with phosphite esters before they are converted into the natural modification via UV irradiation or basic deprotection. With these peptides in hand, we demonstrate that electron-transfer dissociation tandem mass spectrometry can be used for unambiguous assignment of phosphorylated-lysine residues within histone peptides and that these peptides can be detected in cell lysates using a bottom-up proteomic approach. This new tagging method is expected to be an essential tool for evaluating the biological relevance of lysine phosphorylation.

Phosphate esters and anhydrides--recent strategies targeting nature's favoured modifications

Esters and anhydrides of phosphoric acid are essential in biology. It is very difficult to identify processes in life that do not involve these modifications and their transformation at some point. Consequently, phosphorylation chemistry is an essential methodology with significant impact on the biological sciences. This perspective gives an overview of some very recent achievements in synthetic phosphorylation chemistry and aims at identifying challenges that lie ahead.