Stapled Helical Peptides Bearing Different Anchoring Residues

A large proportion of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) occur between a short peptide and a globular protein domain; the peptides involved in surface interactions play important roles, and there is great promise for using peptide motifs to interfere with protein interactions. Peptide inhibitors show more promise in blocking large surface protein interactions compared to small molecule inhibitors. However, peptides have drawbacks including poor stability against circulating proteolytic enzymes and an intrinsic inability to penetrate cell membranes. Stapled helical peptides, by adopting a preformed, stable α-helical conformation, exhibit improved proteolytic stability and membrane permeability compared to linear bioactive peptides. In this review, we summarize the broad aspects of peptide stapling for chemistry, biophysics, and biological applications and specifically highlight the methodology by providing an inventory of different anchoring residues categorized into two natural amino acids, two nonnatural amino acids, or a combination of natural and nonnatural amino acids. Additional advantages of specific peptide stapling techniques, including but not limited to reversibility, bio-orthogonal reactivity, and photoisomerization, are also discussed individually. This review is expected to provide a broad reference for the rational design of druggable stapled peptides targeting therapeutic proteins, particularly those involved in PPIs, by considering the impact of anchoring residues, functional cross-linkers, physical staple length, staple components, and the staple motif on the biophysical properties of the peptides.