Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Oligo(L-cysteine) for Use as a Thermostable Bio-Based Material.

Yinan Ma, Ryota Sato, Zhibo Li, Keiji Numata

Index: Macromol. Biosci. 16 , 151-9, (2016)

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Abstract

Oligomerization of thiol-unprotected L-cysteine ethyl ester (Cys-OEt) catalyzed by proteinase K in aqueous solution has been used to synthesize oligo(L-cysteine) (OligoCys) with a well-defined chemical structure and relatively large degree of polymerization (DP) up to 16-17 (average 8.8). By using a high concentration of Cys-OEt, 78.0% free thiol content was achieved. The thermal properties of OligoCys are stable, with no glass transition until 200 °C, and the decomposition temperature could be increased by oxidation. Chemoenzymatically synthesized OligoCys has great potential for use as a thermostable bio-based material with resistance to oxidation.© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.