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.