Amber Light Control of Peptide Secondary Structure by a Perfluoroaromatic Azobenzene Photoswitch

Abstract The incorporation of photoswitches into the molecular structure of peptides and proteins enables their dynamic photocontrol in complex biological systems. Here, a perfluorinated azobenzene derivative triggered by amber light was site‐specifically conjugated to cysteines in a helical peptide by perfluoroarylation chemistry. In response to the photoisomerization ( trans → cis ) of the conjugated azobenzene with amber light, the secondary structure of the peptide was modulated from a disorganized into an amphiphilic helical structure.