title: Design and synthesis of alpha-helical peptides and mimetics.
abstract: The alpha-helix is the most abundant secondary structural element in proteins and is an important structural domain for mediating protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interactions. Strategies for the rational design and synthesis of alpha-helix mimetics have not matured as well as other secondary structure mimetics such as strands and turns. This perspective will focus on developments in the design, synthesis and applications of alpha-helices and mimetics, particularly in the last 5 years. Examples where synthetic compounds have delivered promising biological results will be highlighted as well as opportunities for the design of mimetics of the type I alpha-helical antifreeze proteins.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garner
authors.forename: Margaret M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Harding
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids; D021301:Antifreeze Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D015195:Drug Design; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry; D008027:Light; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000737:chemistry; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D021301:Antifreeze Proteins; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D010455:Peptides; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic