Automated synthesis and use of N-chloroacetyl-modified peptides for the preparation of synthetic peptide polymers and peptide-protein immunogens.

A method to incorporate N-chloroacetyl moieties at the amino termini of synthetic peptides using a standard program with an automated peptide synthesizer has been developed. The N-chloroacetyl-modified peptides react well with sulfhydryl containing proteins such as 4-mercaptobutyrimide-modified bovine serum albumin to form stable protein-peptide conjugates. By incorporating cysteine into the synthetic peptide, autopolymerization or cyclization of the synthetic peptide occurs by reaction of the free sulfhydryl with the chloroacetyl group. N-Chloroacetyl-derivatized peptides may be useful as reagents for potential peptide immunogens and vaccines.