Organometallic Palladium Reagents for Cysteine Bioconjugation

Transition-metal based reactions have found wide use in organic synthesis and are used frequently to functionalize small molecules.(1,2) However, there are very few reports of using transition-metal based reactions to modify complex biomolecules(3,4), which is due to the need for stringent reaction conditions (for example, aqueous media, low temperature, and mild pH) and the existence of multiple, reactive functional groups found in biopolymers. Here we report that palladium(II) complexes can be used for efficient and highly selective cysteine conjugation reactions. The bioconjugation reaction is rapid and robust under a range of biocompatible reaction conditions. The straightforward synthesis of the palladium reagents from diverse and easily accessible aryl halide and trifluoromethanesulfonate precursors makes the method highly practical, providing access to a large structural space for protein modification. The resulting aryl bioconjugates are stable towards acids, bases, oxidants, and external thiol nucleophiles. The broad utility of the new bioconjugation platform was further corroborated by the synthesis of new classes of stapled peptides and antibody-drug conjugates. These palladium complexes show potential as a new set of benchtop reagents for diverse bioconjugation applications.