Peptides as tools for studying propeptide and proprotein processing

In this overview, we discuss on the use of synthetic peptides reproducing tand/or mimicking propeptides and proproteins to study various aspects of the post-translational maturation of these biosynthetic precursors. Examples chosen in the series of pro-ocytocin, prosomatostatin illustrate the use of these peptides to purify putative converting enzymes and to study structure-function relationships with particular emphasis on the importance of privileged secondary structures and of given amino acid residues around dibasic cleavage sites in substrate recognition by the processing endoproteases.