On-Resin Ugi Reaction for C-Terminally Modified and Head-to-Tail Cyclized Antibacterial Peptides

Org Lett. 2021 Nov 5;23(21):8277-8281. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.1c03014. Epub 2021 Oct 8.

Abstract

Here we report a method to synthesize C-terminally modified peptides on resin. A four-component Ugi reaction of isocyanide resin, an Fmoc-protected amino acid, an amine, and a 6-nitroveratrylaldehyde gives C-terminal photocaged peptide amides, which can be photolyzed to generate C-terminal peptide amides. Changing the amine component in the Ugi reaction gives peptides with different C-terminal modifications including substituted anilides, alkyne, and azide. By installing an N-terminal azide and C-terminal alkyne, we synthesized a head-to-tail cyclized antibacterial peptide through copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). The cyclized peptide exhibited higher proteolytic stability and antibacterial activity than the linear peptide.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cycloaddition Reaction*