The synthesis of peptides containing purine and pyrimidine derivatives of DL-alanine

Abstract

The incorporation of the “base-bearing amino acids”, DL - β - (uracil - 1 - yl)alanine 1 (Uala), DL - β - (thymin - 1 - yl)alanine 2 (Tala), DL - β - (cytosin - 1 - yl)alanine 3 (Cala) and DL - β - (adenin - 9 - yl 4 (Aala) into peptides has been studied. The carboxyl group of each of these compounds was protected by the formation of the ethyl ester. The t - butoxycarbonyl (t-BOC) group was suitable for the protection of the α-amino group of 1 but not that of 2, 3 and 4 because of the formation of ring substituted compounds. Peptides containing the amino acids 1–4 and L-serine were synthesised, however, by the mixed anhydride method; uracil, thymine and adenine residues needed no protection, neither did the cytosine residue provided that it was not present in the intermediate which was treated with ethyl chloroformate to produce the mixed anhydride. In this case reaction with the cytosine residue occurred. By these procedures, four protected dipeptides, namely α - N - t - BOC - L - seryl derivatives of 1–4 and three protected tetrapeptides, namely α - N - t - BOC - L - seryl - DL - β - (thymin - 1 - yl)alanyl - L - ethyl ester (t - BOC - Ser - Tala - Ser - Tala - OEt), t - BOC - Ser - Aala - Ser - Aala - OEt and t - BOC - Ser - Uala - Ser - Uala - OEt were obtained. For the protection of the α-amino group of 2 or 3 the formyl group was found to be satisfactory.