Supervisor’s Foreword
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, chemical biologists have already begun
to use chemical modification methods to introduce a cross-linker into a peptide
to obtain a stapled peptide with a regular helical conformation. Therefore, the use
of chemically modified stabilized peptides has become a research focal point, and
related applications involve a series of important biological research fields such as
protein-protein interactions. However, for many years, the mechanism of how the
helical structure affects the properties of a peptide has been difficult to be clearly
explained. In his thesis, Dr. Kuan Hu keenly discovered that when a chiral center was
introduced into the cross-linker of a stapled peptide, the configuration of the chiral
center largely determines the helical content of a peptide. In other words, by adjusting
the spatial configuration of the chiral center in cross-linker, we can produce peptides
with helical or non-helical structures while possesses the same chemical compositions. This discovery not only establishes a new methodology for constructing stapled
peptides but also provides a possible explanation for the mechanism of peptide helical
structure generation.
Focusing on this important discovery and its biological application, Dr. Kuan
Hu completed a series of related researches and published a series of articles in
many decent journals. These works span many fields such as chemical methodology,
cell biology, computational chemistry, and cancer biology, and constitute the main
content of this thesis.
During the five years as a Ph.D. candidate in my group, Dr. Kuan Hu, with his
consistent steadfastness and diligence, left me with a deep impression. For his future
career, the doctorate is just a starting point, and he will confront many difficulties
and challenges afterward. Here, I wish that he will be able to overcome obstacles
and make achievements in his future scientific research road.
Shenzhen, China
Prof. Zigang Li
v
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, chemical biologists have already begun
to use chemical modification methods to introduce a cross-linker into a peptide
to obtain a stapled peptide with a regular helical conformation. Therefore, the use
of chemically modified stabilized peptides has become a research focal point, and
related applications involve a series of important biological research fields such as
protein-protein interactions. However, for many years, the mechanism of how the
helical structure affects the properties of a peptide has been difficult to be clearly
explained. In his thesis, Dr. Kuan Hu keenly discovered that when a chiral center was
introduced into the cross-linker of a stapled peptide, the configuration of the chiral
center largely determines the helical content of a peptide. In other words, by adjusting
the spatial configuration of the chiral center in cross-linker, we can produce peptides
with helical or non-helical structures while possesses the same chemical compositions. This discovery not only establishes a new methodology for constructing stapled
peptides but also provides a possible explanation for the mechanism of peptide helical
structure generation.
Focusing on this important discovery and its biological application, Dr. Kuan
Hu completed a series of related researches and published a series of articles in
many decent journals. These works span many fields such as chemical methodology,
cell biology, computational chemistry, and cancer biology, and constitute the main
content of this thesis.
During the five years as a Ph.D. candidate in my group, Dr. Kuan Hu, with his
consistent steadfastness and diligence, left me with a deep impression. For his future
career, the doctorate is just a starting point, and he will confront many difficulties
and challenges afterward. Here, I wish that he will be able to overcome obstacles
and make achievements in his future scientific research road.
Shenzhen, China
Prof. Zigang Li
v