Peptide synthesis

Peptide synthesis forms peptides by joining amino acid residues through peptide bonds. It can occur through chemical methods or biological machinery such as ribosomes.

Peptide bond: An amide bond linking the carboxyl group of one amino acid to the amino group of another. This is the bond formed at each residue-joining step.
Amino acid: An organic molecule containing amino and carboxyl groups; protein-building amino acids also have a variable side chain. Amino acids supply the residues joined during peptide formation.
Peptide drug: A therapeutic molecule composed of a chain of amino acid residues. Chemical synthesis enables precise production and modification of many peptide medicines.
Protein biosynthesis: The cellular production of proteins through gene expression, including transcription and translation. It is the broader biological process that includes ribosomal peptide-chain formation.
Solid-phase peptide synthesis: A chemical method that builds a peptide stepwise on an insoluble support. Its repeated coupling and washing cycles illustrate controlled chemical assembly.
Amino acid residue: The portion of an amino acid incorporated into a peptide after bond formation removes components of water. Peptide sequences are specified as ordered residues rather than free amino acids.
Insulin: A peptide hormone that regulates blood glucose by promoting uptake and storage of nutrients. Insulin exemplifies how peptide production supports an essential therapeutic class.
Chemical ligation: A set of reactions that joins peptide segments through chemoselective covalent bond formation. Ligation assembles long targets from prepared fragments instead of adding every residue individually.
Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis: A solid-phase peptide synthesis strategy that uses a base-labile fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl protecting group. Temporary Fmoc protection allows amino acids to be added in a chosen sequence.
Peptide sequence: The linear order of amino acid residues in a peptide or protein. Sequence determines which amino acids synthesis must join and in what order.

Linked from 7 pages