N-terminal protein-macrocycles enabled by conjugate addition/ring expansion cascade reactions

Abstract

The development of methods for chemical modification of proteins has enabled transformative advancements in the fields of chemical biology, cell biology and biomedicine. Herein we demonstrate that simple, easy-to-prepare acryloyl imides can be used as reagents for N-terminal protein bioconjugation that exploit conjugate addition/ring expansion (CARE) cascade reactions to afford novel protein-macrocycle conjugates. The CARE approach advantageously proceeds with high N-terminal selectivity, affords the formation of stable bioconjugates driven by irreversible ring expansion, and facilitates access to modified proteins appended with complex, functionalized medium sized rings. The utility of this late stage protein macrocycle diversification is showcased in nanobody-based imaging of cancer tissue and modulation of a chemokine–receptor interaction, uniquely decoupling GPCR endocytosis from phosphorylation. As such the CARE bioconjugation represents a powerful and versatile platform with broad potential application in the construction of tools for dissecting biological mechanisms, and biologics with new therapeutic modalities.