Native chemical ligation,thiol-ene click: a methodology for the synthesis of functionalized peptides

The sequential combination of native chemical ligation and thiol-ene radical chemistry (NCL-TEC) on the resulting cysteine thiol has been investigated as a methodology for rapidly accessing functionalized peptides. Three sequential cycles of native chemical ligation and subsequent thiyl radical reactions (including a free-radical-mediated desulfurization reaction) were carried out on a peptide backbone demonstrating the iterative nature of this process. The versatility of the thiyl radical reaction at cysteine was demonstrated through the introduction of a number of different side chains including an amino acid derivative, a carbohydrate group, and an alkyl azide. Conditions were developed that allowed the sequential NCL-TEC process to proceed in high yield.