Peptide synthesis

Peptide Synthesis is a process used in biochemistry to create peptides, which are organic compounds made up of multiple amino acids linked by peptide bonds. The process involves the formation of a carboxyl group (COOH) of one amino acid and the amino group (NH2) of another.

History

The history of peptide synthesis can be traced back to the work of early 20th-century chemists. The first peptide synthesis was achieved by Ernst Fischer and Ulf von Euler in 1901. They used a process known as dehydration synthesis, which involves the removal of a water molecule.

Methods

There are two main methods of peptide synthesis: solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) and liquid-phase peptide synthesis (LPPS).

Solid-Phase Peptide Synthesis

SPPS, developed by Robert Bruce Merrifield, is the most commonly used method in peptide synthesis today. It involves the amino acid being attached to a solid support, usually a resin, which aids in the isolation of the peptide from the reaction mixture.

Liquid-Phase Peptide Synthesis

LPPS is an older method of peptide synthesis. It involves the amino acid being dissolved in a solvent, and the peptide being isolated from the reaction mixture by precipitation or extraction.

Applications

Peptide synthesis is used in a variety of applications, including the production of therapeutic peptides and the study of protein structure and function.

See Also

• Protein biosynthesis
• Amino acid synthesis
• Chemical synthesis