Peptides and Covid-19

Save 20% on the COVID-19 Research Products Listed Below through July 19. Click on the links to go directly to the products:

 

Fmoc-NH-PEG4-Propionic Acid [557756-85-1]

Boc-NH-PEG6-COOH (30 atoms) [600141-83-1]

Boc-NH-PEG3-Propionic Acid [1347750-75-7]

Boc-NH-PEG5-Propionic Acid

Boc-AEEA DCHA [560088-79-1]

(S)-N-Fmoc-2-(2′-propynyl)alanine [1198791-58-0]

(S)-N-Fmoc-2-(4′-azidobutyl)alanine [1050501-64-8]

(S)-N-Fmoc-2-(5′-azidopentyl)alanine [1191429-12-5]

(S)-N-Fmoc-2-(6′-azidohexyl)alanine [1191429-14-7]

(R)-N-Fmoc-2-(2′-propynyl)alanine [1198791-65-9]

Fmoc-Pra-OH [198561-07-8]

Fmoc-D-Pra-OH [220497-98-3]

Fmoc-Abu(N3)-OH, Fmoc-Dab(N3)-OH [942518-20-9]

Fmoc-D-Abu(N3)-OH, Fmoc-D-Dab(N3)-OH [1263047-53-5]

Fmoc-Ser(HPO3Bzl)-OH [158171-14-3]

Fmoc-Thr(HPO3Bzl)-OH [175291-56-2]

Fmoc-Tyr(HPO3Bzl)-OH [191348-16-0]

Fmoc-Tyr(PO3H2)-OH [147762-53-6]

Isoacyl Dipeptides

Pseudoproline Dipeptides

The Covid-19 pandemic is driving research on the SARS-CoV-2 virus to find vaccines and treatments.  Synthetic peptides are playing a big role in developing vaccines.  C. Hyun-Jung Lee and H. Koohy at the University of Oxford have used in silico methods to identify 63 peptides as potential vaccine targets.  They selected peptides that had a high degree of similarity to immunogenic peptides from SARS-CoV or to other immunogenic peptides in the Immune Epitope Database.  These peptides provide a quick starting point in the search for a vaccine.  A group at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have used recombinant proteins delivered into the skin by a unique microneedle array.  When tested in mice, the vaccine produces antibodies specific to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in quantities believed to be sufficient to neutralize the virus.

In addition to vaccines, peptides are also being investigated as therapeutics to treat or prevent infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.  Following the outbreaks of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, researchers in Shanghai have previously developed EK1, a pan-coronavirus fusion inhibiting peptide.  EK1 is an optimized form of a peptide derived from the heptad repeat 2 domain of human CoV-OC43 strain and exhibits broad fusion inhibitory activity against many human corona viruses (HCoVs).  Intranasal application of this peptide protected mice from HCoV-OC43 or MERS-CoV infection, which suggested that it could also have prophylactic and therapeutic applications with SARS-CoV-2.  Subsequent studies verified that EK1 could significantly inhibit infection in ACE2 espressing 293T cells.

The Shanghai group has recently reported that linking cholesterol through a PEG4 linker to the C-terminal of EK1 produced a product (EK1C4) with potent inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2.  The cholestrol-linked EK1 has 149-fold stronger activity than the original peptide.  Mice receiving EK1C4 by intranasal application are protected from infection up to 12 hours.  Results of post-infection treatment suggest that EK1C4 may have good therapeutic effect.

Researchers at MIT are also investigating SARS-CoV-2 fusion inhibiting peptides.  Observing that the ACE2 peptidase domain α1 helix is important for binding SARS-CoV-2, they synthesized a 23 amino acid segment and a shorter truncated sequence.  They report that the larger peptide has binding affinity comparable to full length ACE2 while the smaller peptide does not associate with receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2.  The MIT team is studying the antiviral activity of the 23-aa peptide in mammalian cell cultures and are investigating potential optimizations.