Discovery of a Highly Selective and Efficient Reagent for Formation of Intramolecular Disulfide Bonds in Peptides

Abstract

We have discovered that trans-[Pt(en)2Cl2]2+ (en = ethylenediamine) is a highly selective and efficient reagent for the quantitative formation of intramolecular disulfide bonds in peptides. A series of 14 dithiol peptides which form disulfide-containing rings ranging in size from 14 to 53 atoms were used to characterize the reagent. The dithiol peptides are cleanly and rapidly converted to their disulfide forms by a slight excess of the platinum complex under mild reaction conditions (slightly acidic and neutral media). For all the dithiol peptides studied, including a penicillamine-derived peptide, the oxidation yields range from 97% to 100%. No side reactions were observed, including no oxidation of the methionine side chain. The reaction kinetics for oxidation of reduced pressinoic acid were found to be second order overall: rate = k‘[Pt(IV)][dithiol peptide], where k‘ is a pH-dependent second-order rate constant. Values of 0.60 ± 0.01, 3.5 ± 0.2, and 22 ± 1 M-1 s-1 were determined for k‘ at pH 3.0, 4...