Optimization of peptides for therapeutic purposes often includes chemical conjugation or modification with substituents that serve to broaden pharmacology or improve pharmacokinetics. We report a convenient and rapid procedure for one-pot, site-specific conjugation of two cysteine-containing peptides that utilizes a bivalent linker comprising maleimide and iodoacetyl functional groups. Following maleimide-mediated peptide conjugation the linker was converted from an unstable thiosuccinimide to a stable thioether bond suitable for biological study by mild aqueous hydrolysis. The procedure is exemplified by peptide-peptide, peptide-small molecule, and peptide-fatty acid conjugations. The method provides a facile approach to search for enhanced biological outcomes through additive and sustained peptide pharmacology unencumbered by the prospect of chemical rearrangement in the course of biological study.
Keywords: GLP-1; conjugation; cysteine; glucagon; maleimide; peptide; thioether.
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