In preliminary work the PI and his undergraduate coworkers have discovered a small molecule that binds to CD26 at a site separate from the active site; binding of the small molecule alters the protease activity. This small molecule is a constrained dipeptide containing proline where the proline amide is constrained to the cis conformation. It is suggested that a cis-proline is a recognition element for a ligand binding site on CD26. Structural relatives of the constrained cis-proline dipeptide will be synthesized; then their interaction with CD26 will be examined using an enzyme assay.
| Curran, T P; Marcaurelle, L A; O'Sullivan, K M (1999) A short synthesis of bicyclic dipeptides corresponding to Xxx-L-Pro Xxx-D-Pro having constrained trans-proline amides. Org Lett 1:1225-8 |
