Synthesis of a Thymosin β₄-Like Peptide, Deacetyl-thymosin β^Xen₄, and Its Restorative Effect on Depressed Lymphocyte Blastogenic Response to Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) in Uremic Patients

Abstract

An analog of thymosin β^Xen₄ isolated from ooxytes of Xenopus laevis, deacetyl-thymosin β^Xen₄, was synthesized by assembling 6 peptide fragments, followed by deprotection with 1 M trifluoromethanesulfonic acid-thioanisole (molar ratio, 1 : 1) in trifluoroacetic acid in the presence of dimethylselenium. Finally, the deprotected peptide was incubated with dithiothreitol to reduce sulfoxide on the methionine side chain. The synthetic tritetracontapeptide was found to have a restoring effect on the impaired blastogenic response of T-lymphocytes isolated from uremic patients.