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Updated: Oct 18, 2025

Targeting Cysteine Thiols for in Vitro Site-specific Glycosylation of Recombinant Proteins
Published on: October 4, 2017
Cysteine protecting groups: applications in peptide and protein science
Richard J Spears1, Clíona McMahon1, Vijay Chudasama1
1Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, UK. r.spears@ucl.ac.uk.
Abstract:
Protecting group chemistry for the cysteine thiol group has enabled a vast array of peptide and protein chemistry over the last several decades. Increasingly sophisticated strategies for the protection, and subsequent deprotection, of cysteine have been developed, facilitating synthesis of complex disulfide-rich peptides, semisynthesis of proteins, and peptide/protein labelling in vitro and in vivo. In this review, we analyse and discuss the 60+ individual protecting groups reported for cysteine, highlighting their applications in peptide synthesis and protein science.
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