A silyl ether-protected building block for O-GlcNAcylated peptide synthesis to enable one-pot acidic deprotection

In this report, we introduce a novel building block for Fmoc/tBu solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) of β-linked O-GlcNAcylated peptides. This building block carries acid labile silyl ether protecting groups, which are fully removed under TFA-mediated peptide cleavage conditions from the resin, thus requiring fewer synthetic steps and no intermediate purification as compared to other acid or base labile protecting group strategies.

Advanced Chemical Methods for Stereoselective Sialylation and Their Applications in Sialoglycan Syntheses

Sialic acid is an important component of cell surface glycans, which are responsible for many vital body functions and should therefore be thoroughly studied to understand their biological roles and association with disorders. The difficulty of isolating large quantities of homogenous-state sialoglycans from natural sources has inspired the development of the corresponding chemical synthesis methods affording acceptable purities, yields, and amounts. However, the related syntheses are challenging because of the difficulties in α-glycosylation of sialic acid, which arises from its certain structural features such as the absence of a stereodirecting group at the C3 position and presence of carboxyl group at the anomeric position. Moreover, the structural complexities of sialoglycans with diverse numbers and locations of sialic acid on the glycan chains pose additional barriers. Thus, efficient α-stereoselective routes to sialosides remain highly sought after, although various types of sialyl donors/acceptors have been developed for the straightforward synthesis of α-sialosides. Herein, we review the latest progress in the α-stereoselective synthesis of sialosides and their applications in the preparation of gangliosides and other sialoglycans.

Analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry: An update for 2013-2014

This review is the eighth update of the original article published in 1999 on the application of Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI) mass spectrometry to the analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates and brings coverage of the literature to the end of 2014. Topics covered in the first part of the review include general aspects such as theory of the MALDI process, matrices, derivatization, MALDI imaging, fragmentation, and arrays. The second part of the review is devoted to applications to various structural types such as oligo- and poly- saccharides, glycoproteins, glycolipids, glycosides, and biopharmaceuticals. Much of this material is presented in tabular form. The third part of the review covers medical and industrial applications of the technique, studies of enzyme reactions, and applications to chemical synthesis. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev 37:353-491, 2018.

One-Pot Four-Segment Ligation Using Seleno- and Thioesters: Synthesis of Superoxide Dismutase

The synthesis of a peptide selenoester was efficiently carried out by the 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) method using N-alkylcysteine, at the C-terminus of the peptide, as the N-to-S acyl shift device. The selenoester selectively reacted with the terminal amino group of the peptide aryl thioester in the presence of N,N-diisopropylethylamine and dipyridyldisulfide, thus leaving the aryl thioester intact. Combined with silver-ion-promoted and silver-ion-free thioester activation methods, a one-pot four-segment ligation was realized. The method was successfully used to assemble the entire sequence of superoxide dismutase (SOD), which is composed of 153 amino-acid residues, in one pot. After the folding reaction, the fully active SOD was obtained.

One-pot native chemical ligation by combination of two orthogonal thioester precursors

We developed a one-pot peptide ligation method using two orthogonal thioester precursors and a protecting group for the ligation reaction between Asp and Cys.

The road to the synthesis of "difficult peptides"

The last decade has witnessed a renaissance of peptides as drugs. This progress, together with advances in the structural behavior of peptides, has attracted the interest of the pharmaceutical industry in these molecules as potential APIs. In the past, major peptide-based drugs were inspired by sequences extracted from natural structures of low molecular weight. In contrast, nowadays, the peptides being studied by academic and industrial groups comprise more sophisticated sequences. For instance, they consist of long amino acid chains and show a high tendency to form aggregates. Some researchers have claimed that preparing medium-sized proteins is now feasible with chemical ligation techniques, in contrast to medium-sized peptide syntheses. The complexity associated with the synthesis of certain peptides is exemplified by the so-called "difficult peptides", a concept introduced in the 80's. This refers to sequences that show inter- or intra-molecular β-sheet interactions significant enough to form aggregates during peptide synthesis. These structural associations are stabilized and mediated by non-covalent hydrogen bonds that arise on the backbone of the peptide and-depending on the sequence-are favored. The tendency of peptide chains to aggregate is translated into a list of common behavioral features attributed to "difficult peptides" which hinder their synthesis. In this regard, this manuscript summarizes the strategies used to overcome the inherent difficulties associated with the synthesis of known "difficult peptides". Here we evaluate several external factors, as well as methods to incorporate chemical modifications into sequences, in order to describe the strategies that are effective for the synthesis of "difficult peptides". These approaches have been classified and ordered to provide an extensive guide for achieving the synthesis of peptides with the aforementioned features.

Facile preparation of the N-acetyl-glucosaminylated asparagine derivative with TFA-sensitive protecting groups useful for solid-phase glycopeptide synthesis

In this study, a novel N-acetyl-glucosaminylated asparagine derivative was developed. This derivative carried TFA-sensitive protecting groups and was derived from commercially available compounds only in three steps. It was applicable to the ordinary 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-based solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) method, and the protecting groups on the carbohydrate moiety could be removed by a single step of TFA cocktail treatment generally used for the final deprotection step in Fmoc-SPPS.

The total chemical synthesis of the monoglycosylated GM2 ganglioside activator using a novel cysteine surrogate

We describe a novel peptide ligation/desulfurization strategy using a β-mercapto-N-glycosylated asparagine derivative. The strategy is successfully applied to the total chemical synthesis of GM2 ganglioside activator protein.