Using a β-Hairpin To Mimic an α-Helix: Cyclic Peptidomimetic Inhibitors of the p53-HDM2 Protein-Protein Interaction

Inhibition of crucial protein–protein interactions, for example, between the p53 tumor suppressor (red in structure) and HDM2, a protein overexpressed in tumor cells, is possible with peptidomimetics having a β‐hairpin structure (yellow) mimicking the α‐helical protein epitope. These mimetics might be of direct value in the search for novel agents with tumor‐suppressor activity.