P-B Desulfurization: An Enabling Method for Protein Chemical Synthesis and Site-Specific Deuteration

Cysteine-mediated native chemical ligation is a powerful method for protein chemical synthesis. Herein, we report an unprecedentedly mild system (TCEP/NaBH₄ or TCEP/LiBEt₃ H; TCEP=tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine) for chemoselective peptide desulfurization to achieve effective protein synthesis via the native chemical ligation-desulfurization approach. This method, termed P-B desulfurization, features usage of common reagents, simplicity of operation, robustness, high yields, clean conversion, and versatile functionality compatibility with complex peptides/proteins. In addition, this method can be used for incorporating deuterium into the peptides after cysteine desulfurization by running the reaction in D₂ O buffer. Moreover, this method enables the clean desulfurization of peptides carrying post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation and crotonylation. The effectiveness of this method has been demonstrated by the synthesis of the cyclic peptides dichotomin C and E and synthetic proteins, including ubiquitin, γ-synuclein, and histone H2A.