Lipidation of Peptides and Proteins

Abstract

In this chapter, an overview is given and details are provided for the synthesis of lipidated peptides and proteins. The different approaches for the synthesis of specific lipidated peptides are discussed, including both solution- and solid-phase synthesis methods. Also the different synthetic tools for the incorporation of the lipid functionalities in the peptides and proteins are discussed. Lipidated peptides feature various different functionalities with specific synthesis requirements. This limits the establishment of a general lipidated peptide synthesis strategy, but the different synthesis approaches described in this chapter offer entries into their generation. Furthermore, the methods for the generation of the lipidated proteins via chemical biology approaches are discussed. These protein synthesis methods significantly influence the design and synthesis of the lipidated peptides, as the final ligation of the peptides to the proteins additionally imposes specific design requirements on the peptides. The hydrophobic characteristics of the lipidated peptides again, result in specific synthesis and purification approaches for the entire lipidated proteins. Overall, the access to lipidated peptides and proteins has enabled resolving biological questions concerning this class of biomolecules.