Amino Acids and Peptides. XXVII. : Synthesis of Phytochelatin-Related Peptides and Examination of Their Heavy Metal-Binding Properties

Abstract

Phytochelatin (PC)-related peptides were prepared by a conventional solution method and their heavy metal-binding properties were examined. Different from the Cu²⁺ and Cu⁺-binding properties of metallothionein (MT)-related peptides, the Cu²⁺ and Cu⁺-binding properties of PC-related peptides were fairly dependent on structure. It is of interest that γ-Glu-Cys-Gly (glutathione) exhibited quite different Cu²⁺ and Cu⁺-binding properties from those of other PC-related peptides and its binding abilities were comparable to those of MT-related peptides. The Cd ²⁺-binding properties of glutathione were similar to those of Cys, and the Cd²⁺-binding abilities of PC-related peptides increased in proportion to the increase of γ-Glu-Cys peptide unit.