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Irle, R.M.* ; Lazzarini, I.* ; Hagn, F. ; Zacharias, M.* ; Bach, T.*

Photocatalytic tetrapeptides for enantioselective visible light-induced transformations.

Nature Synthesis, DOI: 10.1038/s44160-026-01173-7 (2026)
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Research on enantioselective photocatalysis has so far been focused on molecular photocatalysts or large yet easily adaptable photoenzymes. However, both catalysis classes display deficiencies either due to their limited adaptability or their high molecular weight. Here we show that small peptides can bridge the gap between the currently used photocatalysts by combining structural flexibility and low molecular weight. We constructed a small peptide that displays a pyroglutamic acid at its N terminus for substrate recognition. At the C terminus, a thioxanthone-based amino acid was installed to harvest photons and to act catalytically by energy transfer. Two amino acids were sufficient to link the two components, resulting in a photocatalytically active tetrapeptide that was used both for photochemical deracemization and enantioselective [2 + 2] photocycloaddition reactions. Our results demonstrate that small peptides with a molecular weight below 750 Da can act as efficient molecular catalysts for enantioselective photochemical transformations.
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Publication type Article: Journal article
Document type Scientific Article
Keywords Tetrapeptide ; Visible Light Photocatalysis ; Thioxanthone ; Pyroglutamic Acid ; Energy Transfer ; Substrate Recognition
e-ISSN 2731-0582
Journal Nature Synthesis
Publisher Nature Publishing Group
Institute(s) Institute of Structural Biology (STB)