A strategy for last-step (18)F fluorination of bioconjugated peptides is reported that exploits an "Achilles heel" in the substrate specificity of the fluorinase enzyme. An acetylene functionality at the C-2 position of the adenosine substrate projects from the active site into the solvent. The fluorinase catalyzes a transhalogenation of 5'-chlorodeoxy-2-ethynyladenosine (ClDEA) to 5'-fluorodeoxy-2-ethynyladenosine (FDEA). Extending a polyethylene glycol linker from the terminus of the acetylene allows the presentation of bioconjugation cargo to the enzyme for (18)F labelling. The method uses an aqueous solution (H2(18)O) of [(18)F]fluoride generated by the cyclotron and has the capacity to isotopically label peptides of choice for positron emission tomography (PET).
Keywords: bioconjugated peptides; enzyme catalysis; fluorinase; fluorine-18; positron emission tomography.
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