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Biomedical subjects

Eric Biron

Publications and source records attributed to Eric Biron.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Solid-phase synthesis of 1,3-azole-based peptides and peptidomimetics.

[reaction: see text] We report highly efficient two-step procedures for the synthesis of 1,3-oxazole-, thiazole-, and imidazole-containing peptides on solid phase from dipeptides composed of C-terminal threonine, serine, cysteine, or diaminopropionic acid by using different cyclodehydration procedures followed or preceded by oxidation. The methods are compatible with Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis conditions and with N-Fmoc, N-Boc, N-Cbz, and N-Alloc protecting groups.

Amino Acids↗

Optimized selective N-methylation of peptides on solid support.

Peptides containing N(alpha)-methylamino acids exhibit interesting therapeutic profiles and are increasingly recognized as potentially useful therapeutics. Unfortunately, their synthesis is hampered by the high price and nonavailability of many N(alpha)-methylamino acids. An efficient and practical three-step procedure for selective N-methylation of peptides on solid support is described. The procedure was based on the well known solid-phase N-methylation of N(alpha)-arylsulfonyl peptides, which was improved by using dimethylsulfate and the less expensive DBU as base. Every step of the procedure, amine activation by an o-nitrobenzenesulfonyl group, selective N-methylation and removal of the sulfonamide group, was optimized in respect of time and economy. The described optimized three-step procedure is performed in 35 min without solvent changes, instead of 3 h. Tripeptides (Fmoc-Phe-MeXaa-Leu-OH) containing N-methylated common amino acids were also prepared using the optimized procedure to demonstrate its compatibility with these amino acids. The described procedure allows an efficient synthesis of N(alpha)-methylamino acid containing peptides in a very short time using Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis.

Amino Acids↗

Synthesis of cationic porphyrin modified amino acids.

Derivatives of amino acids bearing a porphyrin moiety on a side chain were synthesized by coupling a porphyrin to a glutamic acid side chain; the utility of these compounds was demonstrated by their use in solid-phase synthesis of a peptide bearing a cationic porphyrin and by studying its DNA-binding properties.

Amino Acids↗

Convenient synthesis of N-methylamino acids compatible with Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis.

N(alpha)-Methylamino acid containing peptides exhibit interesting therapeutic profiles and are increasingly recognized as potentially useful therapeutics. Unfortunately, their synthesis is hampered by the high price and unavaibility of many N(alpha)-methylamino acids. An efficient and practical preparation of N(alpha)-methyl-N(alpha)-(o-nitrobenzenesulfonyl)-alpha-amino acids without extensive purification is described. The procedure is based on the well-known N-alkylation of N(alpha)-arylsulfonylamino esters which was improved by using dimethyl sulfate and DBU as base. Ester cleavage is efficiently achieved by using an S(N)2-type saponification with lithium iodide, avoiding racemization observed with lithium hydroxide hydrolysis. Compatibility of the synthesized N(alpha)-methylamino acids with Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis is demonstrated by using normal coupling conditions to efficiently prepare N-methyl dipeptides. The described procedure allows the preparation of N(alpha)-methylamino acids in a very short period of time and a rapid synthesis of N-methyl peptides using Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis.

Amino Acids↗

Structure-activity relationship studies optimizing the antiproliferative activity of novel cyclic somatostatin analogues containing a restrained cyclic beta-amino acid.

The cyclic somatostatin analogue cyclo[Pro(1)-Phe(2)-D-Trp(3)-Lys(4)-Thr(5)-Phe(6)] (L-363,301) displays high biological activity in inhibiting the release of growth hormone, insulin, and glucagon. According to the sequence of L-363,301, we synthesized a number of cyclic hexa- and pentapeptides containing nonnatural alpha- and beta-amino acids. The N- fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl protected cyclic beta-amino acid [1S, 2S, 5R]-2-amino-3,5-dimethyl-2-cyclohex-3-enecarboxylic acid (cbetaAA), for the replacement of the Phe(6)-Pro(1) moiety of L-363,301, was synthesized in two steps by an enantioselective multicomponent reaction using (-)-8-phenylmenthol as a chiral auxiliary. The resulting peptide cyclo[cbetaAA(1)-Tyr(2)-D-Trp(3)-Nle(4)-Thr(Trt)(5)] (Trt = triphenylmethyl) shows high antiproliferative effects in an in vitro assay with A431 cancer cells. The same peptide without the Trt group does not reveal any biological activity, whereas L-363,301 and closely related hexapeptides show only minor activity. By comparison of the solution structure of cyclo[cbetaAA(1)-Tyr(2)-D-Trp(3)-Nle(4)-Thr(Trt)(5)] with the structure of l-363,301, a nearly perfect match of the betaII'-turn region with d-Trp in the i + 1 position was observed. The cyclic beta-amino acid cbetaAA is likely needed for the bioactive conformation of the peptide.

Amino Acids, Cyclic↗

Design, synthesis, and characterization of peptide nanostructures having ion channel activity.

We report the synthesis and the functional studies of multiple crown alpha-helical peptides designed to form artificial ion channels. The approach combines the versatility of solid phase peptide synthesis, the conformational predictability of peptidic molecules, and the solution synthesis of crown ethers with engineerable ion-binding abilities. Several biophysical methods were employed to characterize the activity and the mode of action of these crown peptide nanostructures. The 21 residue peptides bearing six 21-EC-7 turned out to facilitate the translocation of ions in a similar fashion to natural ion channels.

Breast Neoplasms↗