The formation of deletion sequences is one of the most serious problems encountered in solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). Deletion sequences only differ by the lack of one or a few amino acids from the desired target peptide and are typically challenging to separate in later purification steps. The longer the peptide sequence the more difficult the separation of these impurities usually becomes. This can be regarded as a major drawback of stepwise linear SPPS.
In this presentation, causes for and experiments regarding the formation of deletion sequences will be discussed. Different strategies to prevent the formation of deletion sequences are applied and will be presented accordingly.