Click‐Conjugation of Nanogold‐Functionalized PAMAM Dendrimer: Toward a Novel Electrochemical Detection Platform

This work reports a new electrochemical monitoring platform for sensitive detection of Cu²⁺ coupling click chemistry with nanogold‐functionalized PAMAM dendrimer (AuNP‐PAMAM). The system involved an alkyne‐modified carbon electrode and an azide‐functionalized AuNP‐PAMAM. Initially, the added Cu²⁺ was reduced to Cu⁺ by the ascorbate, and then the azide‐modified AuNP‐PAMAM was covalently conjugated to the electrode via Cu⁺‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne click reaction. The carried AuNPs accompanying PAMAM dendrimer could be directly monitored by stripping voltammetry after acidic pretreatment. By introduction of high‐loading PAMAM dendrimer with gold nanoparticles, as low as 2.8 pM Cu²⁺ (ppt) could be detected, which was 125‐fold lower than that of gold nanoparticle‐based labeling strategy. The method exhibited high specificity toward target Cu²⁺ against other potentially interfering ions, and was applicable for monitoring Cu²⁺ in drinking water with satisfactory results.     

An Alkyne‐Appended,Click‐Ready PtII Complex with an Unusual Arrangement in the Solid State

To better understand the range of cellular interactions of Pt^II‐based chemotherapeutics, robust and efficient methods to track and analyze Pt targets are needed. A powerful approach is to functionalize Pt^II compounds with alkyne or azide moieties for post‐treatment conjugation through the azide–alkyne cycloaddition (click) reaction. Herein, we report an alkyne‐appended cis‐diamine Pt^II compound, cis‐[Pt(2‐(5‐hexynyl)amido‐1,3‐propanediamine)Cl₂] ( 1 ), the X‐ray crystal structure of which exhibits a combination of unusual radially distributed CH/π(CC) interactions, Pt Pt bonding, and NH:O/NH:Cl hydrogen bonds. In solution, 1 exhibits no Pt alkyne interactions and binds readily to DNA. Subsequent click reactivity with nonfluorescent dansyl azide results in a 70‐fold fluorescence increase. This result demonstrates the potential for this new class of alkyne‐modified Pt compound for the comprehensive detection and isolation of Pt‐bound biomolecules.     

An Alkyne‐Appended,Click‐Ready PtII Complex with an Unusual Arrangement in the Solid State

To better understand the range of cellular interactions of Pt^II‐based chemotherapeutics, robust and efficient methods to track and analyze Pt targets are needed. A powerful approach is to functionalize Pt^II compounds with alkyne or azide moieties for post‐treatment conjugation through the azide–alkyne cycloaddition (click) reaction. Herein, we report an alkyne‐appended cis‐diamine Pt^II compound, cis‐[Pt(2‐(5‐hexynyl)amido‐1,3‐propanediamine)Cl₂] ( 1 ), the X‐ray crystal structure of which exhibits a combination of unusual radially distributed CH/π(C?C) interactions, Pt? Pt bonding, and NH:O/NH:Cl hydrogen bonds. In solution, 1 exhibits no Pt? alkyne interactions and binds readily to DNA. Subsequent click reactivity with nonfluorescent dansyl azide results in a 70‐fold fluorescence increase. This result demonstrates the potential for this new class of alkyne‐modified Pt compound for the comprehensive detection and isolation of Pt‐bound biomolecules.     

Alkene–Tetrazine Ligation for Imaging Cellular DNA

5‐Vinyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine (VdU) is the first reported metabolic probe for cellular DNA synthesis that can be visualized by using an inverse electron demand Diels–Alder reaction with a fluorescent tetrazine. VdU is incorporated by endogenous enzymes into the genomes of replicating cells, where it exhibits reduced genotoxicity compared to 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine (EdU). The VdU–tetrazine ligation reaction is rapid (k≈0.02 M ^?1 s^?1) and chemically orthogonal to the alkyne–azide “click” reaction of EdU‐modified DNA. Alkene–tetrazine ligation reactions provide the first alternative to azide–alkyne click reactions for the bioorthogonal chemical labeling of nucleic acids in cells and facilitate time‐resolved, multicolor labeling of DNA synthesis.     

Nucleosides and Oligonucleotides with Diynyl Side Chains: Base Pairing and Functionalization of 2′‐Deoxyuridine Derivatives by the Copper(I)‐Catalyzed Alkyne?Azide ‘Click’ Cycloaddition

Oligonucleotides containing the 5‐substituted 2′‐deoxyuridines 1b or 1d bearing side chains with terminal C?C bonds are described, and their duplex stability is compared with oligonucleotides containing the 5‐alkynyl compounds 1a or 1c with only one nonterminal C?C bond in the side chain. For this, 5‐iodo‐2′‐deoxyuridine ( 3 ) and diynes or alkynes were employed as starting materials in the Sonogashira cross‐coupling reaction (Scheme 1). Phosphoramidites 2b – d were prepared (Scheme 3) and used as building blocks in solid‐phase synthesis. T_m Measurements demonstrated that DNA duplexes containing the octa‐1,7‐diynyl side chain or a diprop‐2‐ynyl ether residue, i.e., containing 1b or 1d , are more stable than those containing only one triple bond, i.e., 1a or 1c (Table 3). The diyne‐modified nucleosides were employed in further functionalization reactions by using the protocol of the Cu^I‐catalyzed Huisgen–Meldal–Sharpless [2+3] cycloaddition (‘click chemistry’) (Scheme 2). An aliphatic azide, i. e., 3′‐azido‐3′‐deoxythymidine (AZT; 4 ), as well as the aromatic azido compound 5 were linked to the terminal alkyne group resulting in 1H‐1,2,3‐triazole‐modified derivatives 6 and 7 , respectively (Scheme 2), of which 6 forms a stable duplex DNA (Table 3). The Husigen–Meldal–Sharpless cycloaddition was also performed with oligonucleotides (Schemes 4 and 5).     

N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Copper(I) Rotaxanes Mediate Sequential Click Ligations with All Reagents Premixed

We have prepared NHC‐Cu^I complexes with a rotaxane structure and used them as sterically sensitive catalysts for one‐pot sequential copper‐catalyzed azide/alkyne cycloadditions in solutions containing all of the coupling partners premixed in unprotected form. Most notably, a photolabile and sterically encumbered complex first catalyzed the coupling of a less bulky azide/alkyne pair; after removing the protective macrocyclic component from the rotaxane structure, through irradiation with light, the exposed dumbbell‐shaped NHC‐Cu^I complex catalyzed the second click reaction of a bulkier azide/alkyne pair. Using this approach, we obtained predominantly, from a single sealed pot, a bis‐triazole product (84 %) from a mixture of two sterically distinct azides and a diyne.     

Photo‐Tethers for the (Multi‐)Cyclic,Conformational Caging of Long Oligonucleotides

Intramolecular circularization of DNA oligonucleotides was accomplished by incorporation of alkyne‐modified photolabile nucleosides into DNA sequences, followed by a Cu^I‐catalyzed alkyne–azide cycloaddition with bis‐azido linker molecules. We determined a range of ring sizes, in which the caged circular oligonucleotides exhibit superior duplex destabilizing properties. Specific binding of a full‐length 90 nt C10 aptamer recognizing human Burkitt's lymphoma cells was then temporarily inhibited by locking the aptamer in a bicircularized structure. Irradiation restored the native aptamer conformation resulting in efficient cell binding and uptake. The photo‐tether strategy presented here provides a robust and versatile tool for the light‐activation of longer functional oligonucleotides, noteworthy without prior knowledge on the structure and the importance of specific nucleotides within a DNA aptamer.     

Photo‐Tethers for the (Multi‐)Cyclic,Conformational Caging of Long Oligonucleotides

Intramolecular circularization of DNA oligonucleotides was accomplished by incorporation of alkyne‐modified photolabile nucleosides into DNA sequences, followed by a Cu^I‐catalyzed alkyne–azide cycloaddition with bis‐azido linker molecules. We determined a range of ring sizes, in which the caged circular oligonucleotides exhibit superior duplex destabilizing properties. Specific binding of a full‐length 90 nt C10 aptamer recognizing human Burkitt's lymphoma cells was then temporarily inhibited by locking the aptamer in a bicircularized structure. Irradiation restored the native aptamer conformation resulting in efficient cell binding and uptake. The photo‐tether strategy presented here provides a robust and versatile tool for the light‐activation of longer functional oligonucleotides, noteworthy without prior knowledge on the structure and the importance of specific nucleotides within a DNA aptamer.     

Electrode Modification Using Alkynyl Substituted Fe(II) Phthalocyanine via Electrografting and Click Chemistry for Electrocatalysis

In this work, tetrakis(5‐hexyn‐oxy)Fe(II) phthalocyanine was synthesised in order to perform a click reaction between the terminal alkyne groups and an azide group on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface. An azide group was formed on the electrode surface following electrografting using 4‐azidobenzene diazonium tetrafluoroborate by electrochemical reduction. The Cu(I) catalyzed alkyne‐azide Huisgen cycloaddition reaction was then employed in order to react the terminal alkyne groups on the phthalocyanine with the azide groups on the GCE surface. The modified electrode was employed to catalyse the oxidation of hydrazine. The electrode showed good electrocatalytic ability towards the detection of hydrazine with a sensitivity of 15.38 µA mM^?1 and a limit of detection of 1.09 µM.     

Multiarm star block and multiarm star mixed‐block copolymers via azide‐alkyne click reaction

The synthesis of multiarm star block (and mixed‐block) copolymers are efficiently prepared by using Cu(I) catalyzed azide‐alkyne click reaction and the arm‐first approach. α‐Silyl protected alkyne polystyrene (α‐silyl‐alkyne‐PS) was prepared by ATRP of styrene (St) and used as macroinitiator in a crosslinking reaction with divinyl benzene to successfully give multiarm star homopolymer with alkyne periphery. Linear azide end‐functionalized poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG‐N₃) and poly (tert‐butyl acrylate) (PtBA‐N₃) were simply clicked with the multiarm star polymer described earlier to form star block or mixed‐block copolymers in N,N‐dimethyl formamide at room temperature for 24 h. Obtained multiarm star block and mixed‐block copolymers were identified by using ¹H NMR, GPC, triple detection‐GPC, atomic force microscopy, and dynamic light scattering measurements. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 99–108, 2010     

Circular DNA by “Bis‐Click” Ligation: Template‐Independent Intramolecular Circularization of Oligonucleotides with Terminal Alkynyl Groups Utilizing Bifunctional Azides

A highly effective and convenient “bis‐click” strategy was developed for the template‐independent circularization of single‐stranded oligonucleotides by employing copper(I)‐assisted azide–alkyne cycloaddition. Terminal triple bonds were incorporated at both ends of linear oligonucleotides. Alkynylated 7‐deaza‐2′‐deoxyadenosine and 2′‐deoxyuridine residues with different side chains were used in solid‐phase synthesis with phosphoramidite chemistry. The bis‐click ligation of linear 9‐ to 36‐mer oligonucleotides with 1,4‐bis(azidomethyl)benzene afforded circular DNA in a simple and selective way; azido modification of the oligonucleotide was not necessary. Short ethynyl side chains were compatible with the circularization of longer oligonucleotides, whereas octadiynyl residues were used for short 9‐mers. Compared with linear duplexes, circular bis‐click constructs exhibit a significantly increased duplex stability over their linear counterparts. The intramolecular bis‐click ligation protocol is not limited to DNA, but may also be suitable for the construction of other macrocycles, such as circular RNAs, peptides, or polysaccharides.     

Polymer‐based fluorescence sensors incorporating chiral binaphthyl and benzo[2,1,3]thiadiazole moieties for Hg2+ detection

Three chiral polymers P‐1 , P‐2 , and P‐3 could be obtained by the polymerization of (R)‐6,6′‐dibutyl‐3,3′‐diiodo‐2, 2′‐binaphthol (R‐M‐1) , (R)‐6,6′‐dibutyl‐3,3′‐diiodo‐2,2′‐bisoctoxy‐1,1′‐binaphthyl ( R‐M‐2 ), and (R)‐6,6′‐dibutyl‐3,3′‐diiodo‐2,2′‐bis (diethylaminoethoxy)‐1,1′‐binaphthyl ( R‐M‐3 ) with 4,7‐diethynyl‐benzo[2,1,3]‐thiadiazole ( M‐1) via Pd‐catalyzed Sonogashira reaction, respectively. P‐1 , P‐2 , and P‐3 can show pale red, blue–green, and orange fluorescence. The responsive optical properties of these polymers on various metal ions were investigated by fluorescence spectra. Compared with other cations, such as Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Ag⁺, Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Zn²⁺, Hg²⁺ can exhibit the most pronounced fluorescence response of these polymers. P‐1 and P‐2 show obvious fluorescence quenching effect upon addition of Hg²⁺, on the contrary, P‐3 shows fluorescence enhancement. Three polymer‐based fluorescent sensors also show excellent fluorescence response for Hg²⁺ detection without interference from other metal ions. The results indicate that these kinds of tunable chiral polybinaphthyls can be used as fluorescence sensors for Hg²⁺ detection. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 997–1006, 2010     

Duplex‐forming Oligonucleotide of Triazole‐linked RNA

An oligonucleotide of triazole‐linked RNA (^TLRNA) was synthesized by performing consecutive copper‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition reactions for elongation. The reaction conditions that had been optimized for the synthesis of 3‐mer ^TLRNA were found to be inappropriate for longer oligonucleotides, and the conditions were reoptimized for the solid‐phase synthesis of an 11‐mer ^TLRNA oligonucleotide. Duplex formation of the 11‐mer ^TLRNA oligonucleotide was examined with the complementary oligonucleotide of natural RNA to reveal the effects of the 2′‐OH groups on the duplex stability.     

Click Inspired Synthesis of 1,2,3‐Triazole‐linked 1,3,4‐Oxadiazole Glycoconjugates

The glycoconjugation of biologically privileged 1,3,4‐oxadiazole scaffold is described via Cu(I)‐catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition. A series of glycosyl alkynes 1b – i , obtained from various commercial sugars, were treated with azide functionalized 1,3,4‐oxadiazole using click chemistry to access triazole‐linked glycosylated 1,3,4‐oxadiazoles 10b – i in good yields. The structure of the developed glycoconjugates has been ascertained by extensive spectroscopic analysis (¹H &¹³C NMR, IR, and MS).     

Synthesis of stable azide and alkyne functionalized phosphoramidite nucleosides

The use of CuAAC chemistry to crosslink and stabilize oligonucleotides has been limited by the incompatibility of azides with the phosphoramidites used in automated oligonucleotide synthesis. Herein we report optimized reaction conditions to synthesize azide derivatives of thymidine and cytidine phosphoramidites. Investigation of the stability of the novel phosphoramidites using ³¹P NMR at room temperature showed less than 10% degradation after 6?h. The azide modified thymidine was successfully utilized as an internal modifier in the standard phosphoramidite synthesis of a DNA sequence. The synthesized azide and alkyne derivatives of pyrimidines will allow efficient incorporation of azide and alkyne click pairs into nucleic acids, thus widening the applicability of click chemistry in investigating the chemistry of nucleic acids.     

Efficient Access to Peptidyl‐RNA Conjugates for Picomolar Inhibition of Non‐ribosomal FemXWv Aminoacyl Transferase

Peptidyl–RNA conjugates have various applications in studying the ribosome and enzymes participating in tRNA‐dependent pathways such as Fem transferases in peptidoglycan synthesis. Herein a convergent synthesis of peptidyl–RNAs based on Huisgen–Sharpless cycloaddition for the final ligation step is developed. Azides and alkynes are introduced into tRNA and UDP‐MurNAc‐pentapeptide, respectively. Synthesis of 2′‐azido RNA helix starts from 2′‐azido‐2′‐deoxyadenosine that is coupled to deoxycytidine by phosphoramidite chemistry. The resulting dinucleotide is deprotected and ligated to a 22‐nt RNA helix mimicking the acceptor arm of Ala‐tRNA^Ala by T4 RNA ligase. For alkyne UDP‐MurNAc‐pentapeptide, meso‐cystine is enzymatically incorporated into the peptidoglycan precursor and reduced, and L ‐Cys is converted to dehydroalanine with O‐(mesitylenesulfonyl)hydroxylamine. Reaction of but‐3‐yne‐1‐thiol with dehydroalanine affords the alkyne‐containing UDP‐MurNAc‐pentapeptide. The Cu^I‐catalyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition reaction in the presence of tris[(1‐hydroxypropyl‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐yl)methyl]amine provided the peptidyl‐RNA conjugate, which was tested as an inhibitor of non‐ribosomal FemX_Wv aminoacyl transferase. The bi‐substrate analogue was found to inhibit FemX_Wv with an IC₅₀ of (89±9) pM , as both moieties of the peptidyl–RNA conjugate contribute to high‐affinity binding.     

Room‐temperature RAFT copolymerization of 2‐chloroallyl azide with methyl acrylate and versatile applications of the azide copolymers

A new vinyl azide monomer, 2‐chlorallyl azide (CAA), has been synthesized from commercially available reagent in one step. The reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) copolymerization of CAA with methyl acrylate (MA) was carried out at room temperature using a redox initiator, benzoyl peroxide (BPO)/N,N‐dimethylaniline (DMA), in the presence of benzyl 1H‐imidazole‐1‐carbodithioate (BICDT). The polymerization results showed that the process bears the characteristics of controlled/living radical polymerizations, such as the molecular weight increasing linearly with the monomer conversion, the molecular weight distribution being narrow, and a linear relationship existing between ln([M]₀/[M]) and the polymerization time. Chain extension polymerization was performed successfully to prepare block copolymer. Furthermore, the azide copolymers were functionalized by Cu^I‐catalyzed “click” reaction with alkyne‐containing poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to yield graft copolymers with hydrophilic PEG side chains. Surface modification of the glass sheet was successfully achieved via the crosslinking reaction of the azide copolymer under UV irradiation at ambient temperature. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1348–1356, 2010     

Synthesis of click‐reactive HPMA copolymers using RAFT polymerization for drug delivery applications

This study describes a versatile strategy combining reversible addition fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerization and click chemistry to synthesize well‐defined, reactive copolymers of N‐(2‐hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) for drug delivery applications. A novel azide containing monomer N‐(3‐azidopropyl)methacrylamide (AzMA) was synthesized and copolymerized with HPMA using RAFT polymerization to provide p(HPMA‐co‐AzMA) copolymers with high control of molecular weight (～10–54 kDa) and polydispersity (≤1.06). The utility of the side‐chain azide functionality by Cu(I)‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) was demonstrated by efficient conjugation (up to 92%) of phosphocholine, a near infrared dye, and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with different substitution degrees, either alone or in combination. This study introduces a novel and versatile method to synthesize well‐defined click‐reactive HPMA copolymers for preparing a panel of bioconjugates with different functionalities needed to systemically evaluate and tune the biological performance of polymer‐based drug delivery. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 5091–5099     

Quantification of ATRP initiator density on polymer latex particles by fluorescence labeling technique using copper‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition

We developed a novel fluorescence labeling technique for quantification of surface densities of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiators on polymer particles. The cationic P(St‐CPEM‐C₄DMAEMA) and anionic P(St‐CPEM) polymer latex particles carrying ATRP‐initiating chlorine groups were prepared by emulsifier‐free emulsion polymerization of styrene (St), 2‐(2‐chloropropionyloxy)ethyl methacrylate (CPEM), and N‐n‐butyl‐N,N‐dimethyl‐N‐(2‐methacryloyloxy)ethylammonium bromide (C₄DMAEMA). ATRP initiators on the surface of polymer particles were converted into azide groups by sodium azide, followed by fluorescent labeling with 5‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)‐N′‐(prop‐2‐yn‐1‐yl)naphthalene‐1‐sulfonamide (Dansyl‐alkyne) by copper‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). The reaction time required for both azidation of ATRP‐initiating groups and successive fluorescence labeling of azide groups with Dansyl‐alkyne by CuAAC were investigated in detail by FTIR and fluorescence spectral measurement, respectively. The ATRP initiator densities on the cationic P(St‐CPEM‐C₄DMAEMA) and anionic P(St‐CPEM) particle surfaces were estimated to be 0.21 and 0.15 molecules nm^?2, respectively, which gave close agreement with values previously determined by a conductometric titration method. The fluorescence labeling through click chemistry proposed herein is a versatile technique to quantify the surface ATRP initiator density both on anionic and cationic polymer particles. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 4042–4051     

Star polymers by photoinduced copper‐catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition click chemistry

Well‐defined star polymers consisting of tri‐, tetra‐, or octa‐arms have been prepared via coupling‐onto strategy using photoinduced copper(I)‐catalyzed 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition click reaction. An azide end‐functionalized polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate), and an alkyne end‐functionalized poly(ε‐caprolactone) as the integrating arms of the star polymers are prepared by the combination of controlled polymerization and nucleophilic substitution reactions; whereas, multifunctional cores containing either azide or alkyne functionalities were synthesized in quantitatively via etherification and ring‐opening reactions. By using photoinduced copper‐catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) click reaction, reactive linear polymers are simply attached onto multifunctional cores to form corresponding star polymers via coupling‐onto methodology. The chromatographic, spectroscopic, and thermal analyses have clearly demonstrated that successful star formations can be obtained via photoinduced CuAAC click reaction. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1687–1695