Peptide Synthesis

Overview

The Peptide Synthesis Laboratory provides peptides and peptide arrays to research scientists at the London Research Institute (LRI). We work with most LRI groups, providing peptides, which range from alpha factor to highly modified and long peptides (> 60 amino acids) for protein interaction and structural studies.

Custom Peptides

We can make peptides of many lengths and modifications including biotin addition, dye labels, phosphorylation, methylation acetylation, hydroxylation, and branched peptides cyclic peptides, peptides linked by disulphide bridges. We can aid in design of peptides and conjugation and immunisation strategies of peptides for antibody generation. All peptides are analysed by high-pressure liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy. Peptides are purified where appropriate using a range of reverse phase chromatographic methods.

Peptide Arrays

Many protein-protein interactions can be studied using a synthetic peptide as one of the partners. We make peptide arrays on cellulose membranes, which can be probed by an interacting protein to allow the study of molecular recognition events at the cellular level. Typical experiments include scanning a protein across its length by making 16-25mers shifted by one amino acid, then looking for the site of interaction with its protein partner. Once a sequence is identified then amino acids can be switched to every other common amino acid in a mutagenesis experiment.

Stock peptides

We hold stocks of peptides, which are commonly used to synchronise yeast cells, elute proteins from affinity matrices and for immunological studies. Peptides are generally supplied same day or next day depending on location of researcher. Amount is as required by the experimenter.

Project Peptides

We synthesise more unusual peptide based reagents that require significant solution phase or manual synthesis. We have made for example, cysteine farnesylated peptides, peptides that are modified with ATP analogues, peptides which crosslink for mass spectroscopy based structural studies and peptides that contain a hydrocarbon bridge to constrain structure