Semisynthetic analogs of cytochrome c reconstructed from natural and synthetic peptides

A biologically active semisynthetic hybrid of horse heart cytochrome c has been prepared by combining the heme peptide 1 through 65 (HP 1-65), prepared by CNBr cleavage of natural cytochrome c, with a semisynthetic peptide corresponding to positions 66 through 104. A fully protected synthetic peptide 66--79 was prepared by a modified solid phase peptide synthesis procedure and was converted to its N-hydroxysuccinimide ester. A peptide corresponding to residues 81--104 of cytochrome c was also isolated from the CNBr cleavage mixture and its epsilon-amino groups and tyrosyl hydroxyl group were protected selectively with the t-butyloxycarbonyl group. This partially protected peptide was reacted with t-butyloxycarbonyl methionine N-hydroxysuccinimide ester to give a derivative having methionine at position 80. This product was deprotected, purified and then t-butyloxycarbonyl groups were again introduced specifically on the epsilon-amino groups to give the peptide, Boc(Lys,Tyr)80--104. A semisynthetic peptide corresponding to residues 66 through 104 of cytochrome c was prepared by condensing the synthetic peptide 66--79 N-hydroxysuccinimide ester with t-butyloxycarbonyl (Lys,Tyr)80--104. The semisynthetic product was deprotected, purified and combined under anaerobic conditions with a heme peptide, HP 1-65, that was isolated from the products of CNBr cleavage of native cytochrome c. The reconstituted semisynthetic cytochrome c was purified by ion exchange chromatography and was shown to have the same oxygen uptake as native cytochrome c when assayed in the succinate oxidase system.