Efficient Microwave-Assisted One Shot Synthesis of Peptaibols Using Inexpensive Coupling Reagents

Bergofungin D, a peptaibol template for the introduction of chemical modifications, synthesis of analogs and comparative studies of their structures

Bergofungin D is a helical peptide of the peptaibol family consisting of 14 amino acids, six of which are the helix inducer aminoisobutyric acid (Aib). In the second third of the sequence, a hydroxyproline causes a bending of the helix and a disruption of the hydrogen bond network, and Aib7 is the only amino acid in this region involved in the hydrogen bond network. Therefore, modification of this residue can serve as a probe to monitor the effect of introducing amino acid substitutions on this more fragile helical turn. To validate this approach, we simplified the original bergofungin D by reducing the number of non-classical amino acids, replacing the (R)-isovaleric acid by its enantiomer or an Aib and the hydroxyproline with a proline, respectively, without affecting its secondary structure. Within the modified structure, we replaced Aib7-Aib8 by its 1,2,3-triazolodipeptide equivalent or Aib7 by a serine or a dehydrobutyrine. We have reported and analyzed five crystal structures, three of which are new, demonstrating the usefulness of the modified bergofungin D as a probe for monitoring the introduction of amino acid substitutions within a helical structure.

Peptaibiotics: Harnessing the potential of microbial secondary metabolites for mitigation of plant pathogens

Agricultural systems are in need of low-cost, safe antibiotics to protect crops from pests and diseases. Peptaibiotics, a family of linear, membrane-active, amphipathic polypeptides, have been shown to exhibit antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activity, and to be inducers of plant resistance against a wide range of phytopathogens. Peptaibiotics belong to the new generation of alternatives to agrochemicals, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the One Health approach toward ensuring global food security and safety. Despite that, these fungi-derived, non-ribosomal peptides remain surprisingly understudied, especially in agriculture, where only a small number has been tested against a reduced number of phytopathogens. This lack of adoption stems from peptaibiotics' poor water solubility and the difficulty to synthesize and purify them in vitro, which compromises their delivery and inclusion in formulations. In this review, we offer a comprehensive analysis of peptaibiotics' classification, biosynthesis, relevance to plant protection, and mode of action against phytopathogens, along with the techniques enabling researchers to extract, purify, and elucidate their structure, and the databases holding such valuable data. It is also discussed how chemical synthesis and ionic liquids could increase their solubility, how genetic engineering and epigenetics could boost in vitro production, and how omics can reduce screenings' workload through in silico selection of the best candidates. These strategies could turn peptaibiotics into effective, ultra-specific, biodegradable tools for phytopathogen control.

Pentadecaibins I-V: 15-Residue Peptaibols Produced by a Marine-Derived Trichoderma sp. of the Harzianum Clade

In the course of investigations on peptaibol chemodiversity from marine-derived Trichoderma spp., five new 15-residue peptaibols named pentadecaibins I-V (1-5) were isolated from the solid culture of the strain Trichoderma sp. MMS1255 belonging to the T. harzianum species complex. Phylogenetic analyses allowed precise positioning of the strain close to T. lentiforme lineage inside the Harzianum clade. Peptaibol sequences were elucidated on the basis of their MS/MS fragmentation and extensive 2D NMR experiments. Amino acid configurations were determined by Marfey's analyses. The pentadecaibins are based on the sequences Ac-Aib¹-Gly²-Ala³-Leu⁴-Aib/Iva⁵-Gln⁶-Aib/Iva⁷-Val/Leu⁸-Aib⁹-Ala¹⁰-Aib¹¹-Aib¹²-Aib¹³-Gln¹⁴-Pheol¹⁵. Characteristic of the pentadecaibin sequences is the lack of the Aib-Pro motif commonly present in peptaibols produced by Trichoderma spp. Genome sequencing of Trichoderma sp. MMS1255 allowed the detection of a 15-module NRPS-encoding gene closely associated with pentadecaibin biosynthesis. Pentadecaibins were assessed for their potential antiproliferative and antimicrobial activities.

OxymaPure Coupling Reagents: Beyond Solid-Phase Peptide Synthesis

OxymaPure [ethyl 2-cyano-2-(hydroxyimino)acetate] is an exceptional reagent with which to suppress racemization and enhance coupling efficiency during amide bond formation. The tremendous popularity of OxymaPure has led to the development of several Oxyma-based reagents. OxymaPure and its derived reagents are widely used in solid- and solution-phase peptide chemistry. This review summarizes the recent developments and applications of OxymaPure and Oxyma-based reagents in peptide chemistry, in particular in solution-phase chemistry. Moreover, the side reaction associated with OxymaPure is also discussed.

1 Introduction

2 Oxyma-Based Coupling Reagents

2.1 Aminium/Uronium Salts of OxymaPure

2.2 Phosphonium Salts of OxymaPure

2.3 Oxyma-Based Phosphates

2.4 Sulfonate Esters of OxymaPure

2.5 Benzoate Esters of OxymaPure

2.6 Carbonates of OxymaPure Derivatives

3 OxymaPure Derivatives

4 Other Oxime-Based Additives and Coupling Reagents

5 Side Reactions Using OxymaPure Derivatives

6 Conclusion

7 List of Abbreviations

Automated solid-phase concatenation of Aib residues to form long, water-soluble, helical peptides

Iterative coupling of 2-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) has been achieved rapidly and efficiently using automated solid-phase peptide synthesis, employing diisopropylcarbodiimide (DIC) in the presence of ethyl cyanohydroxyiminoacetate (Oxyma). This method has allowed the first total synthesis of the fungal antibiotic Cephaibol D, and enabled the synthesis of water-soluble oligomers of Aib containing up to an unprecedented sequence of 17 consecutive Aib residues. Conformational analysis of the Aib oligomers in aqueous solution shows a length dependence in their CD spectra, with oligomers of more than 14 Aib residues apparently adopting structured helical conformations.

How are 1,2,3-triazoles accommodated in helical secondary structures?

1,4-Disubstituted-1,2,3-triazole (Tz) is widely used in peptides as a trans-amide bond mimic, despite having hazardous effects on the native peptide activity. The impact of amide bond substitution by Tz on peptide secondary structures is scarcely documented. We performed a Tz scan, by systematically replacing peptide bonds following the Aib residues with Tz on two model peptaibols: alamethicin F50/5 and bergofungin D, which adopt stable α- and 310 helices, respectively. We observed that the Tz insertion, whatever its position in the peptide sequences, abolished their antimicrobial activity. The structural consequences of this insertion were further investigated using CD, NMR and X-ray diffraction. Importantly, five crystal structures that were incorporated with Tz were solved, showing various degrees of alteration of the helical structures, from minor structural perturbation of the helix to partial disorder. Together, these results showed that Tz insertions impair helical secondary structures.

Amphiphilic polypeptides with prolonged enzymatic stability for the preparation of self-assembled nanobiomaterials

Aib residue distribution in Lys/Aib polymers influences the morphology of forming nanoparticles and the rate of their enzymatic degradation.

Biosynthesis of Fluorinated Peptaibols Using a Site-Directed Building Block Incorporation Approach

Synthetic biological approaches, such as site-directed biosynthesis, have contributed to the expansion of the chemical space of natural products, making possible the biosynthesis of unnatural metabolites that otherwise would be difficult to access. Such methods may allow the incorporation of fluorine, an atom rarely found in nature, into complex secondary metabolites. Organofluorine compounds and secondary metabolites have both played pivotal roles in the development of drugs; however, their discovery and development are often via nonintersecting tracks. In this context, we used the biosynthetic machinery of Trichoderma arundinaceum (strain MSX70741) to incorporate a fluorine atom into peptaibol-type molecules in a site-selective manner. Thus, fermentation of strain MSX70741 in media containing ortho- and meta-F-phenylalanine resulted in the biosynthesis of two new fluorine-containing alamethicin F50 derivatives. The fluorinated products were characterized using spectroscopic (1D and 2D NMR, including ¹⁹F) and spectrometric (HRESIMS/MSⁿ) methods, and their absolute configurations were established by Marfey's analysis. Fluorine-containing alamethicin F50 derivatives exhibited potency analogous to the nonfluorinated parent when evaluated against a panel of human cancer cell lines. Importantly, the biosynthesis of fluorinated alamethicin F50 derivatives by strain MSX70741 was monitored in situ using a droplet-liquid microjunction-surface sampling probe coupled to a hyphenated system.

Straightforward strategy to substitute amide bonds by 1,2,3-triazoles in peptaibols analogs using Aibψ[Tz]-Xaa dipeptides

Structured peptides gained more attention over a decade because of their biological properties, biocompatibility and ability to act as modulators of protein/protein interactions, antibiotics, analgesics, immunosuppressants or as imaging agents to cite a few relevant applications. However, their poor bioavalability due in part to the susceptibility of the peptide bond to proteolytic cleavages often impaired their development and considerably limited their therapeutic use. To circumvent these problems, many efforts are undertaken to discover stable amide bond mimics resistant to proteolytic degradation. Among them the 1,2,3-triazole emerged as a highly stable analogue of the trans-peptide bond to generate bioactive peptides. Here we report a convenient approach to readily substitute amide bonds by triazole rings in Aib-containing peptides using Aibψ[Tz]-Xaa dipeptide-like units. We defined their application in solid phase synthesis and generated short model peptide sequences to study the impact of the triazole incorporation on their conformations in solution by circular dichroism and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies.

Isolation and Synthesis of Laxaphycin B-Type Peptides: A Case Study and Clues to Their Biosynthesis

The laxaphyci’s B family constitutes a group of five related cyclic lipopeptides isolated from diverse cyanobacteria from all around the world. This group shares a typical structure of 12 amino acids from the l and d series, some of them hydroxylated at the beta position, and all containing a rare beta-amino decanoic acid. Nevertheless, they can be differentiated due to slight variations in the composition of their amino acids, but the configuration of their alpha carbon remains conserved. Here, we provide the synthesis and characterization of new laxaphycin B-type peptides. In doing so we discuss how the synthesis of laxaphycin B and analogues was developed. We also isolate minor acyclic laxaphycins B, which are considered clues to their biosynthesis.