Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.
ERATO, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2021 Jan 7;85(1):53-60. doi: 10.1093/bbb/zbaa026.
N-Acyl imidazoles are unique electrophiles that exhibit moderate reactivity, relatively long-half life, and high solubility in water. Thanks to their tunable reactivity and chemical selectivity, the application of N-acyl imidazole derivatives has launched to a number of chemical biology researches, which include chemical synthesis of peptide/protein, chemical labeling of native proteins of interest (POIs), and structural analysis and functional manipulation of RNAs. Since proteins and RNAs play pivotal roles in numerous biological events in all living organisms, the methods that enable the chemical modification of endogenously existing POIs and RNAs in live cells may offer a variety of opportunities not only for fundamental scientific study but also for biotechnology and drug development. In this review, we discuss the recent progress of N-acyl imidazole chemistry that contributes to the chemical labeling and functional control of endogenous proteins and RNAs under multimolecularly crowded biological conditions of live cells.
N-酰基咪唑是一类独特的亲电试剂，具有中等反应活性、较长半衰期和较高的水中溶解度。由于其可调的反应性和化学选择性，N-酰基咪唑衍生物的应用已经推动了许多化学生物学研究，包括肽/蛋白质的化学合成、感兴趣的天然蛋白质的化学标记，以及 RNA 的结构分析和功能操作。由于蛋白质和 RNA 在所有生物体的许多生物事件中发挥着关键作用，因此能够在活细胞中对内源性存在的 POI 和 RNA 进行化学修饰的方法不仅为基础科学研究，也为生物技术和药物开发提供了各种机会。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了 N-酰基咪唑化学的最新进展，这些进展有助于在活细胞的多分子拥挤的生物条件下对内源性蛋白质和 RNA 进行化学标记和功能控制。
