Currently, the Zika virus is diagnosed using the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) technique and by isolating
the virus in blood samples or in the patient's urine by amplifying the genetic material, the RNA. This methodology is able to detect the presence of the virus in the first 7 days of infection. However, after this period, the patient may show negative results for tests, which does not exclude ZIKV infection.
The main objective of this project is to synthesize a fluorogenic probe based on 7-amino-4-methyl-3-
coumarinylacetic acid (AMCAA), which has never been used for this purpose before, and is presented with great potential and versatility. In addition, using solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), the sequence Val-Lys-Lys-Arg will be coupled to it.
The first step was to protect AAMCA with the FMOC group, whose synthesis was carried out using a solventfree route and the characterization carried out by MALDI-TOF. The signal at 477, 12 u confirms the success of the synthesis. This value corresponds to the sum of the molecular mass of the compound of 455.14 u (AAMCA + FMOC) plus the sodium mass, as seen in Figure 1, however a low yield was obtained. Subsequently, the product obtained previously is coupled to the resin and the result is verified through UV-VIS in which a signal is observed at 260 nm that corresponds to the wavelength emitted after the cleavage of the FMOC group. The signal was obtained in a high-noise region and, therefore, it is necessary to carry out further analyzes to confirm the success of the reaction.
The next steps are to execute the synthesis from a new route in which there is greater yield and to carry out the previous tests again. In addition to proceeding with the last step of coupling the Val-Lys-Lys-Arg amino acids through solid phase synthesis and performing the characterization using MALDI-TOF.

Synthesis of peptide probes for rapid identification of zika virus

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