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Biomedical subjects

R B Merrifield

Publications and source records attributed to R B Merrifield.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Mechanisms and prevention of trifluoroacetylation in solid-phase peptide synthesis.

A novel mechanism for trifluoroacetylation in solid-phase peptide synthesis, independent of the coupling step, has been elucidated. It involves the presence of trifluoroacetoxymethyl groups on the resin support, which react with resin-bound amines by an intersite nucleophilic reaction. The trifluoroacetoxymethyl groups are generated from preexisting hydroxymethyl sites during treatment with trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane or by acidolysis of the benzyl ester bond between the peptide and the resin. The transfer of trifluoroacetyl from hydroxyl to amine occurs during the subsequent neutralization with tertiary amine. The mechanism was first elucidated by model studies with aminomethyl-resins. Then the expected transfer of trifluoroacetyl groups from trifluoroacetoxymethyl-resin to the alpha-amino group of N(epsilon)-benzyloxycarbonyllysine benzyl ester in solution was demonstrated; k(2), 6 x 10(-4) M(-1). Lysine-resins were used to examine the extent of trifluoroacetylation under the conditions of solid-phase peptide synthesis. After a series of acid/base cycles simulating synthetic conditions but without coupling, the poorly nucleophilic alpha-amino group was approximately 1-2% trifluoroacetylated per cycle when attached to resins already containing hydroxymethyl groups. Standard benzyl ester resins without preexisting hydroxymethyl groups gave comparable levels of trifluoroacetylation after the first few synthetic cycles because of gradual acid cleavage of the ester and accumulation of trifluoroacetoxymethyl sites. Peptide chain termination resulting from trifluoroacetylation by this mechanism could be prevented (<0.02% per cycle) by the use of the aminoacyl-4-(oxymethyl)-phenylacetamidomethyl-resin support, which can be synthesized free from extraneous functionalities and which is stable to trifluoroacetic acid under the conditions of solid-phase peptide synthesis.

Acetylation↗
PubMed1979

Solid phase synthesis of the protected 27--42 hexadecapeptide of the heavy chain from myeloma immunoglobulin M603. Elimination of side reactions associated with glycyl-2-oxypropionyl-resin.

A fully protected 27--42 hexadecapeptide of the variable region of myeloma immunoglobulin M603 was synthesized on a 2-bromopropionyl-resin by the solid phase method. Side reactions due to cyclization of glycyl-2-oxypropionyl-resin were studied under different reaction conditions. The loss of peptide chains at the dipeptide and tripeptide stages due to diketopeperazine formation was also examined. These side reactions were circumvented by using a combination of fragment and stepwise coupling methods. The synthesized protected peptide was removed from the resin in 85% yield by photolysis, and purified by crystallization and by chromatography on a Sephadex LH-60 column.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1977

Studies on the mechanism of phosphorylation of synthetic polypeptides by a calf thymus cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase.

Synthetic polypeptides were employed as substrates in kinetic analyses of the reaction mechanism for the catalytic subunit of a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (ATP:protein phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.37) from calf thymus. This enzyme preparation was shown to catalyze the transfer of phosphate from ATP to histone H1 from calf thymus, as well as to two synthetic polypeptides, Arg-Lys-Ala-Ser-Gly-Pro (H1-6) and Arg-Arg-Lys-Ala-Ser-Gly-Pro (H1-7), corresponding to the amino acid sequence about serine-38 in calf H1. A related, basic heptapeptide corresponding to a sequence from pig liver pyruvate kinase, Leu-Arg-Arg-Ala-Ser-Leu-Gly (K), was also a substrate. The stoichiometry of peptide phosphorylation was established in each case as the transfer of 1 mol of phosphate from the gamma position of MgATP to the serine hydroxyl of 1 mol of the peptide. Steady-state, initial-velocity, kinetic parameters were determined for each substrate, using various concentrations of ATP. Under the conditions used, all synthetic peptides reacted with greater maximum velocities than whole histone H1. Nevertheless, the K(m) for H1, 54 muM, was lower than the K(m) values of the synthetic substrates. The most efficient substrate was peptide K, which had a V(max) of 50.6 mumol/min per mg of kinase and a K(m) of 63 muM. In the absence of peptide substrate no ATPase activity was detectable at a sensitivity of 0.05% of the rate of peptide phosphorylation, suggesting that ATP is not cleaved to form an unstable phosphoenzyme complex. The data are consistent with a sequential reaction mechanism involving a ternary complex between enzyme, polypeptide substrate, and ATP.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Concept of internal structural controls for evaluation of inactive synthetic peptide analogs: synthesis of [Orn13,14]apamin and its guanidination to an apamin derivative with full neurotoxic activity.

The importance of arginine residues 13 and 14 in the bee venom neurotoxin, apamin, was teste by the synthesis of replacement analogs. [13,14-di-Ndelta-trifluoroacetylornithine]Apamin was synthesized by the solid phase method on a benzhydrylamine resin. It was deprotected to [13,14-diornithine]apamin, which was then guanidinated to produce the 4-homoarginine-13,14-diarginine analog, [Har4]apamin. Neither the trifluoroacetylornithine analog nor the ornithine analog produced any detectable symptoms when injected intravenously into mice. However, the synthetic [Har4]apamin exhibited the full neurotoxic activity of native apamin and of [Har4]apamin derived from the natural toxin. This provided an internal structural control for the correctness of the primary structure of the inactive synthetic analogs and strengthened the conclusion that one, or both, of the arginine residues plays an important role in the action of apamin.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Affinity purification of synthetic peptides.

A general strategy and a specific tactic for affinity purification of polypeptides synthesized on solid supports are desbribed and demonstrated. The desired peptide chains were distinguished from terminated peptide chains before removal from the support by attachment of an affinity reagnet (cysteinyl-methionine) bearing an affinity group (thiol) and a binding group (carboxylic acid). After cleavage from the synthetic support, the affinity-labeled peptides (Cys-Met-peptides) were bound to an affinity receptor (organomercurial-agarose) and thus separated from terminated peptides and all other peptides lacking the affinity group. The desired synthetic peptide was obtained by separation of the affinity reagent (loss of Cys-Met by cyanogen bromide cleavage). This general affinity purification strategy is independent of the length or amino acid sequence of the desired peptide. After assembly of ribonuclease-(111-124)-tetradecapeptide, using radiolabeled acetic anhudride for termination of uncoupled in termediates, essentially all (greater than 98.5%) of the acetylated delection peptides were removed by employing the organomercurial Cys-Met tactic. Similarly, the purity of crude synthetic histone H4-(1-37)-heptatriacontapeptide was increased six-fold by using this tactic to remove terminated peptides. A related dimeric Cys-Met tactic is outlined for affinity purification of peptides containing internal cysteine and methionine residues.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1975

The role of serine-123 in the activity and specificity of ribonuclease. Reactivation of ribonuclease 1-118 by the synthetic COOH-terminal tetradecapeptide, ribonuclease 111-124, and its O-methylserine and alanine analogs.

The COOH-terminal tetradecapeptide of ribonuclease A, Glu-Gly-Asn-Pro-Tyr-Val-Pro-Val-His-Phe-Asp-Ala-Ser-Val, and two analogs, [Ser(Me)-123]-RNase 111-124 and [Ala-123]-RNase 111-124, were synthesized by the solid phase method and were purified to chromatographic and electrophoretic homogeneity. Methods are described for the hydrolysis and quantitative amino acid analysis of peptides containing O-methylserine. The peptides were combined noncovalently with RNase 1-118 and examined for ability to regenerate enzymatic activity in the presence of the substrates C greater than p, U greater than p, poly(C) poly(U), and poly(AF). The dissociation constants of the peptide-protein complexes, and the Michaelis constants for C greater than p and U greater than p with the reconstituted enzymes were determined. The data were used to test hypotheses, drawn from x-ray crystallographic and other studies, for the role of serine-123 in the binding of substrates by ribonuclease. It was found that Ser-123- and Ala-123-containing peptides were equally active for the hydrolysis step when measured with C greater than p as substrate and for the transphosphorylation step as measured in the assays with poly(C). The serine and alanine analogs were also equally active for the transphosphorylation step when poly AF was the substrate. With U greater than p as substrate the alanine analog was 4 times less active than the serine derivative and with poly U it was 2 times less active. The semisynthetic enzyme composed of RNase 1-118 and [Ala-123]-RNase 111-124, therefore, shows appreciable selectivity for substrates containing cytosine. It was concluded that a hydrogen bond between the hydroxyl of serine-123 and the C4 amino group of cytidine or the C-7 amino group of formycin is not important for substrate binding and catalytic activity. In contrast, the hydrogen bond between the hydroxyl of serine 123 and the C-4 carbonyl oxygen of uridine contributes significantly to substrate binding and catalytic activity. The data with serine-O-methyl ether at position 123 in the tetradecapeptide were less clear because it was difficult to separate steric effects from the contributions of hydrogen bonding. Substrate binding to ribonuclease was rationalized in terms of a binding energy equivalent to a total of two hydrogen bonds per pyrimidine.

Alanine↗
PubMed1975

Synthetic position 5 analogs of adrenocorticotropin fragments and their in vitro lipolytic activity.

Twenty-three analogs of the ACTH-(4-10)-heptapeptide sequence, which forms the "active core" of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and related hormones, have been synthesized by the solid-phase method. These analogs all contain structural modifications at or near the 5-glutamic acid residue of ACTH. The peptides were purified to electrophoretic and chromatographic homogeneity. The peptides were assayed for lipolytic activity in an isolated cell system derived from rabbit adipose tissue. In this system, it was determined that residue 5 plays a very important "spacer" role in the peptide, but that this spacer function is not very dependent on the nature of the side chain of the position 5 amino acid. It was found, however, that a number of analogs containing basic residues (arginine or lysine) in position 3 and/or position 5 of ACTH-(3-10) and ACTH-(4-10) fragments have 5 to 10 times the activity of the respective parent peptides. The presence of a latent anionic locus in the rabbit fat-cell receptor for ACTH is suggested by this study.

Adipose Tissue↗