A need for synthetic, small molecule enzymes to carry out known enzymatic reactions. In nature, protein molecules have a variety of functions. One of the most important and most intensely studied functions of proteins is the ability to function as enzymes.
Enzymes catalyze chemical reactions of their substrates.
An enzyme's properties are ultimately determined by its primary structure. The primary structure directs the formation of any secondary structure and the overall three-dimensional or tertiary structure of the protein. The three-dimensional structure of the protein specifies the relational geometry of the amino acids which are associated with the active site, and determines the structure and composition of any substrate binding site. The structural characteristics of an enzyme protein establish the reaction catalyzed, any substrate specificity or selectivity of the reaction catalyzed and the kinetics of that reaction. This invention describes the design and synthesis of peptide molecules which process catalytic activity.