amino acids synthesis

Unnatural amino acids (UAAs), also referred to as non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) or non-proteinogenic amino acids, are a class of amino acids that are distinct from the 20 standard natural amino acids. They can be obtained through chemical synthesis, biosynthesis, and other approaches, with structural diversity far exceeding that of natural amino acids. UAAs are mainly including naturally occurring non-canonical amino acids, chemically synthesized amino acids, and biosynthetic amino acids, which provide a molecular basis for protein function design.

UAAs exhibit significant value in multiple fields. They can optimize the pharmacokinetic properties of peptide drugs and peptidomimetics, modify enzyme functions and endow them with new biological activities, thereby overcoming the limitations of traditional peptide drugs and expanding the chemical space . Meanwhile, UAAs can serve as molecular probes to analyze protein-protein interactions and investigate the regulatory mechanisms of protein functions.

MCE has compiled a UAAs Fragment Library comprising nearly a thousand unnatural amino acid fragments with extensive coverage of chemical space and enhanced structural diversity. This compound library can be widely applied in peptide synthesis, drug design, and protein engineering.

Amino acids are indispensable building blocks for life activities and are widely involved in key biological processes such as cell signal transduction, energy metabolism, gene expression regulation, and neurotransmitter synthesis. As components of proteins, 20 kinds of amino acids make up over one million kinds of proteins in the human body. These amino acids can be classified into nine types of "essential amino acids" that the human body cannot synthesize on its own and must obtain from food, as well as eleven types of "non-essential amino acids" that the human body can synthesize on its own.

MCE offers 20 kinds of amino acids provided which can be applied in research fields such as the study of amino acid metabolic processes, metabolite identification, food/cosmetic ingredient research, and the development of nutritional supplements.

Amino acids, as one of the most fundamental organic compounds in living organisms, serve not only as the basic building blocks of proteins but also but also undertake the functions of energy supply, neurotransmitter synthesis, and maintenance of internal environment stability.Amino acid metabolic enzymes are a class of enzymes involved in the metabolic processes of amino acids, catalyzing their synthesis, breakdown, transformation, and interactions with other metabolic pathways. Abnormalities in amino acid metabolic enzymes can lead to various metabolic diseases, such as phenylketonuria and hyperammonemia, etc. Therefore, actively exploring and regulating the processes of amino acid metabolism is crucial for the development of drugs related to these diseases.

MCE designs a unique collection of 338 small molecules target amino acid metabolizing enzymes, which is an important tool for studying studying amino acid metabolism processes or metabolism-related drug development.

Amino acids are the fundamental components that sustain life activities, playing roles in ATP generation, promoting nucleotide synthesis, and maintaining cellular redox balance. Moreover, dysregulation of amino acid consumption is a significant potential regulatory mechanism leading to impaired anti-tumor immunity in immune cells. The normal functioning of immune cells relies on amino acid metabolic pathways to obtain energy and materials, and upon activation, they reprogram their metabolism to support growth, proliferation, and effector functions. Additionally, metabolic disorders of specific amino acids (such as branched-chain amino acids, glutamine, and arginine) can exacerbate mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, thereby promoting myocardial fibrosis and cardiac cell damage. Therefore, conducting research related to amino acid metabolism holds promise for discovering potential drugs for diseases related to cancer, immunity, and metabolism.

MCE can provide 200 kinds of metabolites of amino acid metabolic pathways, which can be used for drug screening in various diseases such as cancer, immune disorders, metabolic diseases, mitochondrial-targeted diseases

Glutamine is an important metabolic fuel that helps rapidly proliferating cells meet the increased demand for ATP, biosynthetic precursors, and reducing agents. Glutamine Metabolism pathway involves the initial deamination of glutamine by glutaminase(GLS), yielding glutamate and ammonia. Glutamate is converted to the TCA cycle intermediate α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) by either glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) or by the alanine or aspartate transaminases (TAs), to produce both ATP and anabolic carbons for the synthesis of amino acids, nucleotides and lipids. During periods of hypoxia or mitochondrial dysfunction, α-KG can be converted to citrate in a reductive carboxylation reaction catalyzed by IDH2. The newly formed citrate exits the mitochondria where it is used to synthesize fatty acids and amino acids and produce the reducing agent, NADPH.

Cancer cells display an altered metabolic circuitry that is directly regulated by oncogenic mutations and loss of tumor suppressors. Mounting evidence indicates that altered glutamine metabolism in cancer cells has critical roles in supporting macromolecule biosynthesis, regulating signaling pathways, and maintaining redox homeostasis, all of which contribute to cancer cell proliferation and survival. Thus, intervention in glutamine metabolic processes could provide novel approaches to improve cancer treatment.

MCE owns a unique collection of 1,730 compounds targeting the mainly proteins and enzymes involved in glutamine metabolism pathway. Glutamine Metabolism compound library is a useful tool for intervention in glutamine metabolic processes.

Cyclic peptide library have advantages such as high affinity, high selectivity, and suitability for targeting protein–protein interactions. Through DEL synthesis technology, the library size can achieve hundreds of millions. DEL cyclic peptide library have advantages like low cost andhigh screeing efficiency, making them valuable for discovering lead compounds against challenging drug targets.

This cyclic peptide library is constructed with unnatural amino acids as building block, synthesized through DNA-compatible chemical reactions. Each cyclic peptide consist of six amino acids and constrained conformations such as side-chain cross-linking, disulfide bonds, and macrocyclization. These cyclic peptides exhibit significantly improved stability and druggability compared with linear peptides, filling the gap between small molecules and macromolecular biologics. Each cyclic peptide is uniquely conjugated to a DNA barcode sequence for molecular identification and sequencing decoding.

MCE’s cyclic peptide library has8 independent sub-libraries, with a total molecular diversity of 1.2 billion. It is constructed via multi-round combinatorial assembly of building blocks and diverse cyclization strategies, facilitating the discovery of cyclic peptide leads for undruggable targets.

L-glutamine is an important amino acid supplement commonly added to mammalian cell culture media. L-glutamine serves as an auxiliary energy source, especially when cells are rapidly dividing. L-glutamine is also important in the production of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides, amino sugars, glutathione, L-glutamate, other amino acids, and plays a role in protein synthesis and glucose production.