Peptides: Biology and Chemistry(Chinese Peptide Symposia)

The third Chinese Peptide Symposium, held in Beijing, China on June 13-17, 1994, attracted 156 delegates representing 11 countries. Nobel Laureate Professor Bruce R. Merrifield was among the 51 international participants, which included many other eminent peptide scientists. Our goal for CPS-94 was to provide a forum for the exchange of knowledge, cooperation and friendship between the international and Chinese scientific communities, and I believe this goal was met. The program consisted of 10 sessions, with 43 oral and 42 poster presentations. Topics included synthetic methods, molecular diversity and peptide library, design of neuroactive and other active peptides, conformation and protein modeling, peptide immunology and challenging problems in peptides. There were 75 articles selected for publication in these proceedings. CPS-94 was hosted by the Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Beijing Medical University. Professor James Tam, Professor Meng-shen Cai and I were honored to serve as Vice-chairmen and Chairperson, respectively, as recommended by the Program Committee of the CPS-92. The enthusiastic cooperation and excellent contributions were gratifying, and the active response of the invited speakers guaranteed the success of the symposium. The presentations were of excellent caliber and represented the most current and significant aspects of peptide science.

Table of Contents:
Session I: Synthetic methods.- Retro and retroenantio analogs of cecropin-melittin hybrids.- Approach to enzymatic synthesis of lantibiotics.- Self-assembly of N-phosphoamino acids.- Hemolytic and antibacterial activity of synthetic deletion peptides of melittin.- Synthesis of a fully active HIV-1 protease analogue by a chemical ligation approach.- Studies on the synthesis and DNA-binding activity of zinc finger motif.- New methods in solid phase peptide synthesis.- Characterization of a synthetic antagonist and agonists of memory-enhancing peptide.- Thymosin ?1, thymosin ?4 and analogs.- Selective formation of three disulfide bridges in EGF-like peptides.- Study on racemization in thioester condensation by using RP-HPLC.- Synthesis of phosphonotripeptides as ACE inhibitors.- The study on TMSBr/thioanisole/TFA deprotection for the arginine-rich peptides.- Synthesis and ion binding properties of cyclo-[Lys(Z)-Pro-Gly-Lys(Z)-Gly]2 and cyclo-[Phe-Lys(Z)-Pro-Gly-Lys(Z)-Gly]2.- A new approach to chemical synthesis of peptide T analogue.- Dichlorodimethylsilane — a useful reagent for the cleavage of peptidyl Wang resin.- Application of a new type of coupling agent, containing phosphorous, in liquid-phase synthesis of polypeptide.- Application of DEPBT for synthesis of linear and cyclic heptapeptide from a Caryophyllaceae plant.- Session II: Biomedical peptides.- Biologically active peptides.- Synthesis of pegylated growth hormone-releasing factor: Effect of site of pegylation on biological activity.- Design of a potent thrombin receptor radioligand.- Membrane partitioning and helix formation studied with designed hydrophobic peptides.- Structural investigation of cysteine-rich chelating peptides by 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy.- Design and synthesis of alpha-helix peptide and DNA-binding domain.- Protein unfolding studied by FTIR spectroscopy.- The glucagon signaling system: The ligand’s view of the receptor.- Synthesis of the DNA-binding domain of human thyroid hormone receptor segments.- Crystal structure of an acidic neurotoxin from East Asia scorpion Buthus martensii Karsch.- Synthesis and studies on properties of water soluble Chinese rape pollen dodecapeptide.- Studies on synthesis and bioassay of hF-GRP analogs.- Study on local angiotensin in the pericardium.- Synthesis of some new analogs and segments of papaver somniferum pollen peptides.- Microcomputer modeling structures of HIV-1 protease with inhibitors in the binding sites.- Preparation and analysis of lactosyl poly(L-lysine) as ligand for the hepatic galactose receptor.- Session III: Neuropeptides.- Opioid peptide analogs as pharmacological tools and as potential drugs.- Development of potent opioid ? antagonists and mixed agonist/? antagonists.- Topographical design of message domain pharmacophores of ? opioid agonists provide insights into the stereochemical requirements for recognizing ? opioid receptor subtypes.- Design and preparation of cyclopeptides mimicking the active sites of serine proteases.- The effect of synthesized oligopeptides on corpus luteum function and their mechanism of action.- Stability study on LHRH antagonists (TX44 and TX 53) toward heating and enzyme degradation.- The influence of GLP-1(7-36) on blood glucose and some hormones concerned.- Synthesis of N?-Ac-Arg-Gly-Asp-NHCH2CH2C6H5 as an antiaggregatory agent.- Studies on intra-A chain disulfide bond (A6-11) of insulin.- The study on S(T)PKK motif peptides.- Homology modeling of the human brain and human serum cholinesterases.- Research of synthesis and biological activity of analogs of two kinins.- Actions of GWamides and WGTamides on identified central neurones of Helix aspersa.- Protective effect of KA8 peptide on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal erosion in rat.- Memory-enhancing peptide NLPR increases NGF gene expression in memory-impaired rat brain.- The chemical semisynthesis of [B1,2-Ala, Ala, B3-Lys]-insulin.- The importance of C terminal peptide (KA8) of oxyntomodulin (OM) on OM bioactivities.- Session IV: Endocrinological peptides.- Structure activity relationships (SAR) of corticotropin releasing factor.- Preparation and antinociceptive effect of enkephalin — poly(ethylene glycol) hybrids.- BST refolding: The formation of dimers and aggregates.- Purification of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone-like peptide in human early placenta.- Expression of inhibin/activin subunit mRNAs in corpus luteum during the human menstrual cycle.- Prediction of the three dimensional structure of activin.- Gonadotropin releasing hormone antagonists with acyl substitutions of 4-aminophenylalanine at positions 5 and 6.- Study on molecular cloning of a G-protein coupled receptor candidate from rat hippocampus.- The effects of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide on guinea pig gallbladder in vitro.- Regulation of methionine-enkephalin on expression of interleukin-2 receptor a chain gene.- Session V: Peptide immunology.- A peptide mimetic as antigen and immunogen.- An efficient method for preparing small synthetic peptide immunogens.- Synthesis and conformation-activity relationships of MDP analogs.- Studies on synthesis of HCV vaccine. I. Design, chemical synthesis and antigenicity of peptide fragments of HCV.- Synthesis of antigenic peptides for another 26 kDa glutathione S-transferase of Schistosoma mansoni.- Studies on synthesis of HCV vaccine. II. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) immune selection.- Study on antigenic determinants of trichosanthin using peptide synthesis method.- Study on analogs of the epitope peptides P141 of the Schistosoma mansoni P28 antigen.- Synthesis of antigenic peptides for 26 kDa glutathione S-transferase of Schistosoma japonicum.- Immunochemical studies on pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide in guinea pig tissues.- Diagnosis of hepatitis C virus infection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using synthetic peptide antigens.- Session VI: Peptide libraries.- Library of libraries: A novel approach in synthetic combinatorial libraries.- Peptide library screening based on the one-bead one-peptide concept.- Drug lead discovery and systematic analoging using the multipin technique.- Author index.