1
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Wu H, Sun Z, Li X. Selective Peptide Cysteine Manipulation on Demand and Difficult Protein Chemical Synthesis Enabled by Controllable Acidolysis of N,S-Benzylidene Thioacetals. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202403396. [PMID: 38490953 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202403396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Although solid-phase peptide synthesis combining with chemical ligation provides a way to build up customized polypeptides in general, many targets are still presenting challenges for the conventional synthetic process, such as hydrophobic proteins. New methods and strategies are still required to overcome these obstacles. In this study, kinetic studies of Cys/Pen ligation and its acidolysis were performed, from which the fast acidolysis of substituted N,S-benzylidene thioacetals (NBTs) was discovered. The study demonstrates the potential of NBTs as a promising Cys switchable protection, facilitating the chemical synthesis of peptides and proteins by efficiently disrupting peptide aggregation. The compatibility of NBTs with other commonly adopted Cys protecting groups and their applications in sequential disulfide bond formation were also investigated. The first chemical synthesis of the native human programmed death ligand 1 immunoglobulin V-like (PD-L1 IgV) domain was achieved using the NBT strategy, showcasing its potential in difficult protein synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxiang Wu
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, People's Republic of, China
| | - Zhenquan Sun
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, People's Republic of, China
| | - Xuechen Li
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, People's Republic of, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Ocean University China, Qingdao, 266237, People's Republic of China
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2
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Zheng Y, Zhang B, Shi WW, Deng X, Wang TY, Han D, Ren Y, Yang Z, Zhou YK, Kuang J, Wang ZW, Tang S, Zheng JS. An Enzyme-Cleavable Solubilizing-Tag Facilitates the Chemical Synthesis of Mirror-Image Proteins. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202318897. [PMID: 38326236 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202318897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Mirror-image proteins (D-proteins) are useful in biomedical research for purposes such as mirror-image screening for D-peptide drug discovery, but the chemical synthesis of many D-proteins is often low yielding due to the poor solubility or aggregation of their constituent peptide segments. Here, we report a Lys-C protease-cleavable solubilizing tag and its use to synthesize difficult-to-obtain D-proteins. Our tag is easily installed onto multiple amino acids such as DLys, DSer, DThr, and/or the N-terminal amino acid of hydrophobic D-peptides, is impervious to various reaction conditions, such as peptide synthesis, ligation, desulfurization, and transition metal-mediated deprotection, and yet can be completely removed by Lys-C protease under denaturing conditions to give the desired D-protein. The efficacy and practicality of the new method were exemplified in the synthesis of two challenging D-proteins: D-enantiomers of programmed cell death protein 1 IgV domain and SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein, in high yield. This work demonstrates that the enzymatic cleavage of solubilizing tags under denaturing conditions is feasible, thus paving the way for the production of more D-proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yupeng Zheng
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), MOE Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles and Cellular Dynamics, and Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Baochang Zhang
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), MOE Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles and Cellular Dynamics, and Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Wei-Wei Shi
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Xiangyu Deng
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Tong-Yue Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Dongyang Han
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yuxiang Ren
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Ziyi Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yong-Kang Zhou
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Jian Kuang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Zhi-Wen Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Shan Tang
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Ji-Shen Zheng
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), MOE Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles and Cellular Dynamics, and Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
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3
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Callahan AJ, Gandhesiri S, Travaline TL, Reja RM, Lozano Salazar L, Hanna S, Lee YC, Li K, Tokareva OS, Swiecicki JM, Loas A, Verdine GL, McGee JH, Pentelute BL. Mirror-image ligand discovery enabled by single-shot fast-flow synthesis of D-proteins. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1813. [PMID: 38418820 PMCID: PMC10901774 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45634-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Widespread adoption of mirror-image biological systems presents difficulties in accessing the requisite D-protein substrates. In particular, mirror-image phage display has the potential for high-throughput generation of biologically stable macrocyclic D-peptide binders with potentially unique recognition modes but is hindered by the individualized optimization required for D-protein chemical synthesis. We demonstrate a general mirror-image phage display pipeline that utilizes automated flow peptide synthesis to prepare D-proteins in a single run. With this approach, we prepare and characterize 12 D-proteins - almost one third of all reported D-proteins to date. With access to mirror-image protein targets, we describe the successful discovery of six macrocyclic D-peptide binders: three to the oncoprotein MDM2, and three to the E3 ubiquitin ligase CHIP. Reliable production of mirror-image proteins can unlock the full potential of D-peptide drug discovery and streamline the study of mirror-image biology more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex J Callahan
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Satish Gandhesiri
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Tara L Travaline
- FOG Pharmaceuticals Inc., 30 Acorn Park Drive, Cambridge, MA, 02140, USA
| | - Rahi M Reja
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Lia Lozano Salazar
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Stephanie Hanna
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Yen-Chun Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Chemistry, National Cheng Kung University, No.1, University Road, Tainan City, 701, Taiwan
| | - Kunhua Li
- FOG Pharmaceuticals Inc., 30 Acorn Park Drive, Cambridge, MA, 02140, USA
| | - Olena S Tokareva
- FOG Pharmaceuticals Inc., 30 Acorn Park Drive, Cambridge, MA, 02140, USA
| | - Jean-Marie Swiecicki
- FOG Pharmaceuticals Inc., 30 Acorn Park Drive, Cambridge, MA, 02140, USA
- Relay Therapeutics, Inc., 399 Binney Street, 2nd Floor, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Andrei Loas
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Gregory L Verdine
- FOG Pharmaceuticals Inc., 30 Acorn Park Drive, Cambridge, MA, 02140, USA
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, 7 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - John H McGee
- FOG Pharmaceuticals Inc., 30 Acorn Park Drive, Cambridge, MA, 02140, USA.
| | - Bradley L Pentelute
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 500 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
- Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
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4
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Shi W, Wang T, Yang Z, Ren Y, Han D, Zheng Y, Deng X, Tang S, Zheng JS. L-Glycosidase-Cleavable Natural Glycans Facilitate the Chemical Synthesis of Correctly Folded Disulfide-Bonded D-Proteins. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202313640. [PMID: 38193587 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202313640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
D-peptide ligands can be screened for therapeutic potency and enzymatic stability using synthetic mirror-image proteins (D-proteins), but efficient acquisition of these D-proteins can be hampered by the need to accomplish their in vitro folding, which often requires the formation of correctly linked disulfide bonds. Here, we report the finding that temporary installation of natural O-linked-β-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (O-GlcNAc) groups onto selected D-serine or D-threonine residues of the synthetic disulfide-bonded D-proteins can facilitate their folding in vitro, and that the natural glycosyl groups can be completely removed from the folded D-proteins to afford the desired chirally inverted D-protein targets using naturally occurring O-GlcNAcase. This approach enabled the efficient chemical syntheses of several important but difficult-to-fold D-proteins incorporating disulfide bonds including the mirror-image tumor necrosis factor alpha (D-TNFα) homotrimer and the mirror-image receptor-binding domain of the Omicron spike protein (D-RBD). Our work establishes the use of O-GlcNAc to facilitate D-protein synthesis and folding and proves that D-proteins bearing O-GlcNAc can be good substrates for naturally occurring O-GlcNAcase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Shi
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, MOE Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles and Cellular Dynamics, and Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Tongyue Wang
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Ziyi Yang
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yuxiang Ren
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Dongyang Han
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yupeng Zheng
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Xiangyu Deng
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Shan Tang
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, MOE Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles and Cellular Dynamics, and Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
| | - Ji-Shen Zheng
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, MOE Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles and Cellular Dynamics, and Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
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5
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Wu H, Sun Z, Li X. N,O-Benzylidene Acetal Dipeptides (NBDs) Enable the Synthesis of Difficult Peptides via a Kinked Backbone Strategy. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202310624. [PMID: 37694822 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202310624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Proteins with highly hydrophobic regions or aggregation-prone sequences are typically difficult targets for chemical synthesis at the current stage, as obtaining such type of peptides via solid-phase peptide synthesis requires sophisticated operations. Herein, we report N,O-benzylidene acetal dipeptides (NBDs) as robust and effective building blocks to allow the direct synthesis of difficult peptides and proteins via a kinked backbone strategy. The effectiveness and easy accessibility of NBDs have been well demonstrated in our chemical syntheses of various challenging peptides and proteins, including chemokine, therapeutic hormones, histone, and glycosylated erythropoietin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxiang Wu
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China
| | - Zhenquan Sun
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China
| | - Xuechen Li
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, P. R. China
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6
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Ma W, Liu H, Li X. Chemical Synthesis of Peptides and Proteins Bearing Base-Labile Post-Translational Modifications: Evolution of the Methods in Four Decades. Chembiochem 2023; 24:e202300348. [PMID: 37380612 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
The S-palmitoylation on Cys residue and O-acetylation on Ser/Thr residues are two types of base-labile post-translational modifications (PTMs) in cells. The lability of these PTMs to bases and nucleophiles makes the peptides/proteins bearing S-palmitoyl or O-acetyl groups challenging synthetic targets, which cannot be prepared via the standard Fmoc-SPPS and native chemical ligation. In this review, we summarized the efforts towards their preparation in the past 40 years, with the focus on the evolution of synthetic methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjie Ma
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Han Liu
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xuechen Li
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China
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7
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Zhang B, Zheng Y, Chu G, Deng X, Wang T, Shi W, Zhou Y, Tang S, Zheng JS, Liu L. Backbone-Installed Split Intein-Assisted Ligation for the Chemical Synthesis of Mirror-Image Proteins. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202306270. [PMID: 37357888 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202306270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
Membrane-associated D-proteins are an important class of synthetic molecules needed for D-peptide drug discovery, but their chemical synthesis using canonical ligation methods such as native chemical ligation is often hampered by the poor solubility of their constituent peptide segments. Here, we describe a Backbone-Installed Split Intein-Assisted Ligation (BISIAL) method for the synthesis of these proteins, wherein the native L-forms of the N- and C-intein fragments of the unique consensus-fast (Cfa) (i.e. L-CfaN and L-CfaC ) are separately installed onto the two D-peptide segments to be ligated via a removable backbone modification. The ligation proceeds smoothly at micromolar (μM) concentrations under strongly chaotropic conditions (8.0 M urea), and the subsequent removal of the backbone modification groups affords the desired D-proteins without leaving any "ligation scar" on the products. The effectiveness and practicality of the BISIAL method are exemplified by the synthesis of the D-enantiomers of the extracellular domains of T cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT) and tropomyosin receptor kinase C (TrkC). The BISIAL method further expands the chemical protein synthesis ligation toolkit and provides practical access to challenging D-protein targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baochang Zhang
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yupeng Zheng
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Guochao Chu
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Xiangyu Deng
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Tongyue Wang
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Weiwei Shi
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yongkang Zhou
- The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, MOE Key Laboratory of Cellular Dynamics, and Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
| | - Shan Tang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, MOE Key Laboratory of Cellular Dynamics, and Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
| | - Ji-Shen Zheng
- The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, MOE Key Laboratory of Cellular Dynamics, and Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
| | - Lei Liu
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
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8
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Lin S, Mo Z, Wang P, He C. Oxidation and Phenolysis of Peptide/Protein C-Terminal Hydrazides Afford Salicylaldehyde Ester Surrogates for Chemical Protein Synthesis. J Am Chem Soc 2023. [PMID: 37470345 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c05190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
With the growing popularity of serine/threonine ligation (STL) and cysteine/penicillamine ligation (CPL) in chemical protein synthesis, facile and general approaches for the preparation of peptide salicylaldehyde (SAL) esters are urgently needed, especially those viable for obtaining expressed protein SAL esters. Herein, we report the access of SAL ester surrogates from peptide hydrazides (obtained either synthetically or recombinantly) via nitrite oxidation and phenolysis by 3-(1,3-dithian-2-yl)-4-hydroxybenzoic acid (SAL(-COOH)PDT). The resulting peptide SAL(-COOH)PDT esters can be activated to afford the reactive peptide SAL(-COOH) esters for subsequent STL/CPL. While being operationally simple for both synthetic peptides and expressed proteins, the current strategy facilitates convergent protein synthesis and combined application of STL with NCL. The generality of the strategy is showcased by the N-terminal ubiquitination of the growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible protein (Gadd45a), the efficient synthesis of ubiquitin-like protein 5 (UBL-5) via a combined N-to-C NCL-STL strategy, and the C-to-N semisynthesis of a myoglobin (Mb) variant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaomin Lin
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Zeyuan Mo
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Peng Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Chunmao He
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
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9
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Xie XL, Qi JZ, Wan XC, Zhang SD, Zhang YN, Fang GM. Chemical Synthesis of Proteins Using an o-Nitrobenzyl Group as a Robust Temporary Protective Group for N-Terminal Cysteine Protection. Org Lett 2023; 25:3435-3439. [PMID: 37144961 DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.3c00998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
We report here a robust and practical strategy for chemical protein synthesis using an o-nitrobenzyl group as a temporary protective group for an N-terminal cysteine residue of intermediate hydrazide fragments. By reinvestigating the photoremoval of an o-nitrobenzyl group, we establish a robust and reliable strategy for its quantitative photodeprotection. The o-nitrobenzyl group is completely stable to oxidative NaNO2 treatment and has been applied to the convergent chemical synthesis of programmed death ligand 1 fragment, providing a practical avenue for hydrazide-based native chemical ligation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Lei Xie
- School of Life Science, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Institute of Health Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, P.R. China
| | - Jing-Ze Qi
- School of Life Science, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Institute of Health Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, P.R. China
| | - Xiao-Cui Wan
- School of Life Science, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Institute of Health Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, P.R. China
| | - Suo-De Zhang
- Hefei KS-V Peptide Biological Technology Co., Ltd., Hefei 230031, P.R. China
| | - Yan-Ni Zhang
- School of Life Science, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Institute of Health Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, P.R. China
| | - Ge-Min Fang
- School of Life Science, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Institute of Health Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, P.R. China
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10
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Wu H, Tan Y, Ngai WL, Li X. Total synthesis of interleukin-2 via a tunable backbone modification strategy. Chem Sci 2023; 14:1582-1589. [PMID: 36794182 PMCID: PMC9906654 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc05660g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical synthesis of hydrophobic proteins presents a formidable task as they are often difficultly achieved via peptide synthesis, purification, and peptide ligation. Thus, peptide solubilizing strategies are needed to integrate with peptide ligation to achieve protein total synthesis. Herein, we report a tunable backbone modification strategy, taking advantage of the tunable stability of the Cys/Pen ligation intermediate, which allows for readily introducing a solubilizing tag for both peptide purification and ligation processes. The effectiveness of this strategy was demonstrated by the chemical synthesis of interleukin-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxiang Wu
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR P. R. China
| | - Yi Tan
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR P. R. China
| | - Wai Lok Ngai
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR P. R. China
| | - Xuechen Li
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR P. R. China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology Qingdao 266237 P. R. China
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11
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Ma W, Wu H, Liu S, Wei T, Li XD, Liu H, Li X. Chemical Synthesis of Proteins with Base-Labile Posttranslational Modifications Enabled by a Boc-SPPS Based General Strategy Towards Peptide C-Terminal Salicylaldehyde Esters. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202214053. [PMID: 36344442 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202214053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Chemical synthesis of proteins bearing base-labile post-translational modifications (PTMs) is a challenging task. For instance, O-acetylation and S-palmitoylation PTMs cannot survive Fmoc removal conditions during Fmoc-solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). In this work, we developed a new Boc-SPPS-based strategy for the synthesis of peptide C-terminal salicylaldehyde (SAL) esters, which are the key reaction partner in Ser/Thr ligation and Cys/Pen ligation. The strategy utilized the semicarbazone-modified aminomethyl (AM) resin, which could support the Boc-SPPS and release the peptide SAL ester upon treatment with TFA/H2 O and pyruvic acid. The non-oxidative aldehyde regeneration was fully compatible with all the canonical amino acids. Armed with this strategy, we finished the syntheses of the O-acetylated protein histone H3(S10ac, T22ac) and the hydrophobic S-palmitoylated peptide derived from caveolin-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjie Ma
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam road, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China
| | - Hongxiang Wu
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam road, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China
| | - Sha Liu
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam road, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China
| | - Tongyao Wei
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam road, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China
| | - Xiang David Li
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam road, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China
| | - Han Liu
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam road, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China
| | - Xuechen Li
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam road, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China
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