Synthesis of nucleopeptides by employing an enzyme-labile urethane protecting group.

Nucleoproteins are naturally occurring biopolymers in which the hydroxy group of a serine, a threonine, or a tyrosine moiety is linked through a phosphodiester group to the 3'- or 5'-end of a nucleic acid. For the study of the biological phenomena in which nucleo-proteins are involved, for example, viral replication, nucleopeptides embodying the characteristic linkage between the peptide chain and the oligonucleotide may serve as powerful tools. However, as a result of the multifunctionality and the pronounced acid and base lability of nucleopeptides, their synthesis requires the application of a variety of orthogonally stable blocking groups, which can be removed under the mildest conditions. We have developed a new mild enzymatic deprotection method, that is, the penicillin G acylase-catalyzed hydrolysis of the N-phenylacetoxybenzyloxycarbony (PhAcOZ) group, for the synthesis of nucleopeptides. We demonstrate the wide applicability of this method by coupling the N-terminally deprotected nucleopeptides 31 a-c with PhAcOZ-protected amino acids and subsequent removal of the N-PhAcOZ group from fully protected nucleotetrapeptides 32a,b with penicillin G acylase. The reaction conditions are very mild (pH 6.8) so that no undesired side reaction such as cleavage of the nucleotide bond or beta-elimination of the nucleotide was observed.