Discovery of Fluoromethylketone-Based Peptidomimetics as Covalent ATG4B (Autophagin-1) Inhibitors
ATG4B or autophagin-1 is a cysteine protease that cleaves ATG8 family proteins. ATG4B plays essential roles in the autophagosome formation and the autophagy pathway. Herein we disclose the design and structural modifications of a series of fluoromethylketone (FMK)-based peptidomimetics as highly potent ATG4B inhibitors. Their structure-activity relationship (SAR) and protease selectivity are also discussed.
Superiority of the carbamoylmethyl ester as an acyl donor for the kinetically controlled amide-bond formation mediated by α-chymotrypsin
The superiority of the carbamoylmethyl ester as an acyl donor for the α-chymotrypsin-catalysed kinetically controlled peptide-bond formation is demonstrated in the couplings of an inherently poor amino acid substrate, Ala, with various amino acid residues as amino components and in the couplings of non-protein amino acids such as halogenophenylalanines as carboxylic components. Furthermore, this approach is applied to the amide-bond formation between an amino acid residue and a chiral amine, which is highly diastereoselective.
α-chymotrypsin-catalysed peptide synthesis via the kinetically controlled approach using activated esters as acyl donors in organic solvents with low water content: Incorporation of non-protein amino acids into peptides
The α-chymotrypsin-catalyzed peptide synthesis via the kinetically controlled approach using activated esters as acyl donors in orgnanic solvents with low water content was presented. The methyl esters of N-Z derivatives of racemic non-protein amino acids were chosen as carboxy components. They allowed the peptide-bond formation and optical resolution simultaneously to yield homochiral peptides. This method is useful for the incorporation of non-protein amino acids into peptides.