Abstract

Numerous backbone constraints can be used to develop pseudopeptides or pseudomimetics of biologically active peptides. Among those, N- and Cα-methyl amino acids that can be incorporated by solidphase peptide synthesis in a bioactive sequence represent important tools to restrictφ and ψ angles of peptide backbone. This review will focus on the chemical syntheses of N- and Cα-methyl amino acids, their effects on peptide conformation and structure, and their role on the peptide stability towards enzymatic degradation and on the biological activities of the resulting analogues.

Keywords: amino acid, n-methylation, methylation, organic synthesis, structure, backbone constraint, peptide, biological activity