Peptídeos cíclicos de biomassa vegetal: características, diversidade, biossíntese e atividades biológicas

• Main Author: Picchi, Douglas Gatte [UNESP]
• Publication Date: 2009
• Other Authors: Altei, Wanessa Fernanda [UNESP], Saito, Mônica Sue [UNESP], Bolzani, Vanderlan da Silva [UNESP], Cilli, Eduardo Maffud [UNESP]
• Format: Article
• Language: por
• Source: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Download full: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-40422009000500033; http://hdl.handle.net/11449/25250
• topic: cyclic peptides; eucyclopeptides; cyclotides

Natural peptides are outstanding as the most promising macromolecules in the search for new drugs, especially those of cyclic nature. The higher plants revealed a very peculiar composition of their cyclic peptides, which distinguish themselves by a head-to-tail cyclization. It is possible to define two groups of cyclic peptides from plant biomass. Those called in this review as Eucyclopeptides formed by 2-12 amino acid, and Cyclotides considered as circular polypeptides, composed of 29-37 amino acid that retain three disulfides bridges in an arrangement known as cyclic cystine knot. Searching for plant peptides should form into a subject for scientific research in the forefront of great importance for bioprospecting natural products macromolecular.