Semisynthetic des-(B27-B30)-insulins with modified B26-tyrosine

Semisynthetic des-(B27-B30)-insulins containing modified B26-tyrosine residues were prepared to refine the understanding of the importance of position B26 with regard to biological and structural properties of the hormone. The following shortened insulin analogues were synthesized by trypsin-catalysed peptide-bond formation between the C-terminal amino acid ArgB22 of des-(B23-B30)-insulin and synthetic tetrapeptides as amino components: des-(B27-B30)-insulin, des-(B27-B30)-insulin-B26-methyl ester, -B26-carboxamide with varying C-terminal hydrophobicity of the B-chain, and Tyr(NH2)B26]-, Tyr(NO2)B26]-, Tyr(I2)B26]-, D-TyrB26]des-(B27-B30)-insulin-B26-carboxamide containing non-proteinogenic amino acids in position B26. Starting from insulin and an excess of synthetic Gly-Phe-Phe-Tyr-OMe as nucleophile, des-(B27-B30)-insulin-B26-methyl ester--the formal transpeptidation product at ArgB22--was formed in one step. Biological in vitro properties (binding to cultured human IM-9 lymphocytes, relative lipogenic potency in isolated rat adipocytes) of all semisynthetic analogues are reported, ranging from slightly decreased to two-fold receptor affinity and nearly three-fold biopotency relative to insulin. If the C-terminal tetrapeptide B27-B30 is removed, full relative insulin activity is still preserved, while the shortening results in the loss of ability to associate in solution. Only after carboxamidation or methyl esterification of TyrB26 the self-association typical of native insulin can be observed, and the CD-spectral effects in the near UV spectrum related to association and hexamerization of the native hormone are qualitatively reestablished. The results of this investigation underline the importance of position B26 to the modulation of hormonal properties and solution structure of the shortened insulins.