Inactivation of the carbamoyltransferase gene refines post-polyketide synthase modification steps in the biosynthesis of the antitumor agent geldanamycin

The post-polyketide synthase modification of geldanamycin (1) biosynthesis is of interest as a means of introducing structural diversity into the compound. From the inactivation of a gene encoding carbamoyltransferase, we demonstrated that the C-17 hydroxylation and the C-21 oxidation precede O-carbamoylation and that the hypothetical progeldanamycin does not possess a double bond at C-4 and C-5. More importantly, our result revealed new intermediates 4,5-dihydro-7-O-descarbamoyl-7-hydroxygeldanamycin (3) and 4,5-dihydrogeldanamycin (5), indicating that O-carbamoylation occurs prior to the C-4,5 cis double bond formation in geldanamycin biosynthesis.     

Syntheses and biological properties of new 8-fluorocarbapenem derivatives

8-Fluorocarbapenem derivatives having various C-3 side chains were synthesized to study for the structure-activity relationship of carbapenems by in vitro biological evaluation. The introduction of fluorine at C-8 of racemic PS-5 led to slight improvements of the antimicrobial activity and the stability to renal dehydropeptidase-I. When D-cysteine was additionally introduced to the C-3 position of (+/-)-8-fluorocarbapenem, the diastereomeric separation of the 8-fluorocarbapenems became feasible. As expected from penicillins and cephalosporins, (+)-8-fluoro-3-D-cysteinylcarbapenem (+)-7a was antimicrobially active, whereas (-)-7b was inactive. It is worth noting, however, that (+)-7a was significantly more sensitive to renal dehydropeptidase-I than (-)-7b. Irrespective of the presence of fluorine at C-8, basic S-side chains at C-3, such as the pyridyl and pyrrolidyl groups, significantly improved in antimicrobial activity and dehydropeptidase-I stability. The combination of 8-fluorination with C-3 basic side chains in 7c--g resulted in a marked improvement of antimicrobial activity and dehydropeptidase-I stability.     

Synthesis of 7-thio-substituted 4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acids with antibacterial activity

A series of C-7 thio-substituted 1-cyclopropyl-1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acids were prepared and tested for their antibacterial activity. Structure-activity relationships associated with the C-5 and C-7 substituents were discussed. Among the C-7 substituents including alkylthio, arylthio, heteroarylthio, and cyclic aminothio groups, a 2-aminoethylthio group was the best for enhancing in vitro antibacterial activity. The C-5 variants increased activity in the order OH less than F less than H less than NH2. Of compounds prepared in this work, 5-amino-7-(2-aminoethyl)thio-1-cyclopropyl-6,8-difluoro-1,4-dihydro-4 -oxo-quinoline-3-carboxylic acid (18) was the most active.     

Synthesis of a potent rhodomycin, oxaunomycin, and its analogs.

Oxaunomycin (3) and its regioisomer (6) were synthesized by employing regioselective glycosidations of the C-7 hydroxyl group of 10-O-acetyl-beta-rhodomycinone (16) and the C-10 hydroxyl group of the C-7,9-O-phenylboronate (14), respectively, in the presence of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate. Under the K?nigs-Knorr conditions, 16 was also glycosidated to provide a fluoro sugar analog (7).     

Substituent effects in benz[a]anthracene carbocations: a stable ion, electrophilic substitution (nitration, bromination), and DFT study

A series of novel carbocations were generated from isomeric monoalkylated and dialkylated benz[a]anthracenes (BAs) by low-temperature protonation in FSO(3)H/SO(2)ClF. With the monoalkyl derivatives (5-methyl, 6-methyl, 7-methyl, and 7-ethyl) as well as the D-ring methylated analogues (9-methyl, 10-methyl, and 11-methyl), the C-7 or the C-12 protonated carbocations were observed (as the sole or major carbocation) in all cases. Protonation of the 12-methyl derivative (9) gave the C-7 protonated carbocation (9H+) as the kinetic species and the ipso-protonated carbocation (9aH+) as the thermodynamic cation. With the 12-ethyl derivative (10), relief of steric strain in the bay-region greatly favors ipso-protonation (10aH+). With 3,9-dimethyl (14), C-7 protonation (14H+) is strongly favored (with <10% protonation at C-12), and with 1,12-dimethyl (15) the sole species observed is the C-7 protonated carbocation (15H+). For 7-methyl-12-ethyl, 7-ethyl-12-methyl, and 7,12-diethyl derivatives (16, 17, and 18), two ipso-protonated carbocations were initially formed (C-7/C-12), rearranging in time to give the C-12 protonated carbocations exclusively (16aH+, 17aH+, and 18aH+). Protonation outcomes are compared with the computed relative energies by DFT. Charge delocalization paths in the resulting carbocations were deduced based on the magnitude of Deltadelta13C values. For the thermodynamically more stable C-12 protonated carbocations, the charge delocalization path is analogous to those derived based on computed NPA charges for the benzylic carbocations formed by 1,2-epoxide (bay-region) and 5,6-epoxide (K-region) ring opening. Nitration (and bromination) of the 4-methyl, 7-methyl, 7-ethyl, 3,9-dimethyl, and 1,12-dimethyl derivatives resulted in isolation and characterization of several novel derivatives. Excellent agreement is found between low-temperature protonation selectivities and the regioselectivities observed in model substitution reactions.     

Amphidinolides T2, T3, and T4, new 19-membered macrolides from the dinoflagellate Amphidinium sp. and the biosynthesis of amphidinolide T1.

Three new 19-membered macrolides, amphidinolides T2 (2), T3 (3), and T4 (4), structurally related to amphidinolide T1 (1) have been isolated from two strains of marine dinoflagellates of the genus Amphidinium. The structures of 2-4 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. The absolute configurations at C-7, C-8, and C-10 of 1-4 were determined by comparison of NMR data of their C-1-C-12 segments with those of synthetic model compounds for the tetrahydrofuran portion. The biosynthetic origins of amphidinolide T1 (1) were investigated on the basis of 13C NMR data of a 13C enriched sample obtained by feeding experiments with [1-(13)C], [2-(13)C], and [1,2-(13)C2] sodium acetates and 13C-labeled sodium bicarbonate in the cultures of the dinoflagellate. These incorporation patterns suggested that amphidinolide T1 (1) was generated from four successive polyketide chains, an isolated C1 unit formed from C-2 of acetates, and three unusual C2 units derived only from C-2 of acetates. Furthermore, it is noted that five oxygenated carbons of C-1, C-7, C-12, C-13, and C-18 were not derived from the C-1 carbonyl, but from the C-2 methyl of acetates.     

Persistent carbocations from bay region methoxy-substituted cyclopenta[a]phenanthrene and its derivatives. A structure/reactivity study

Using 500 MHz NMR, we have carried out a stable ion protonation and model nitration study of the methoxy-substituted hydrocarbon 6, its 15-ol 7, and the dimer 10, in order to evaluate OMe substituent effects on directing electrophilic attack and on charge delocalization mode/conformational aspects in the resulting carbocations. It is found that the C-11 methoxy group directs the electrophilic attack to C-12 and C-14. Thus protonation of 6 with FSO(3)H/SO(2)ClF gives a 4:1 mixture of monoarenium ions 6H(+)()/6aH(+)(). Prolonged reaction times and increased temperature induced fluorosulfonylation at C-14 (6(+)-SO(2)()F), whereas ambient nitration with NO(2)(+)BF(4)(-) occurred at C-12. The 15-ol derivative 7 is cleanly ionized to 11(+)(), providing the first example of an alpha-phenanthrene-substituted carbocation from phenanthrene C-1 position. Contrasting behavior of the D-ring methyl-substituted 9 and the C-11 methoxy-substituted 10 dimers is remarkable in that unlike 9 which is readily cleaved to produce the monomeric arenium ion 3H(+)(), 10 is diprotonated at the two C-12 sites and at C-12/C-14 in each unit. The latter dication-dimer exists as a mixture of diastereomers. Reactivity of 7 underscores the importance of 11(+)(). Attack at the C-14 ring junction is in concert with the proposal that electrophilic oxygen would attack at C-14/C-15 (epoxidation) followed by ring opening to give the biologically active 15-ol as a major metabolite.     

Versatile synthesis of functionalised dibenzothiophenes via Suzuki coupling and microwave-assisted ring closure

Amino-substituted biphenyls were obtained by Suzuki cross-coupling of 2,6-dibromoaniline with a phenylboronic acid (substituted with Me, NO(2), OH, OMe or Cl) preferably assisted by microwave irradiation. Conversion of the amino group into a thiol preceded a base-induced intramolecular substitution, also facilitated by microwave heating, to generate the second C-S bond of the target dibenzothiophene. The 1-, 2-, 3- or 4-substituted 6-halodibenzothiophenes obtained were subjected to a palladium-mediated coupling with 2-morpholin-4-yl-8-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)-4H-chromen-4-one to give the respective 6-, 7-, 8- or 9-substituted dibenzothiophen-4-ylchromenones. These compounds were evaluated as inhibitors of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) and compared to the parent 8-(dibenzo[b,d]thiophen-4-yl)-2-morpholin-4-yl-4H-chromen-4-one. Notably, derivatives bearing hydroxy or methoxy substituents at C-8 or C-9 retained activity, whereas substitution at C-7 lowered activity. Substitution with chloro at C-6 was not detrimental to activity, but a chloro group at C-7 or C-8 reduced potency. The data indicate permissive elaboration of hydroxyl at C-8 or C-9, enabling the possibility of improved pharmaceutical properties, whilst retaining potency against DNA-PK.     

Spectroscopic and density functional theory studies of the molecular geometry and electronic structure of classical and nonclassical radical ions derived from 7-benzhydrylidenenorbornene analogues

A spectroscopic study, using nanosecond time-resolved laser flash photolysis and gamma-irradiation of low-temperature matrices, was undertaken along with a theoretical study using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent (TD)-DFT calculations to gain insight into the molecular geometry and electronic structure of radical cations and radical anions of 7-benzhydrylidenenorbornene (4) and its derivatives 6-8. The radical ions 4(.+), 6(.+), 7(.+), 8(.+), 4(.-), 6(.-), 7(.-), and 8(.-) exhibited clear absorption bands in the 350-800 nm region, which were reproduced successfully from the electronic transitions calculated with TD-UB3LYP/cc-pVDZ. Radical cations 4(.+) and 8(.+) are consistent with a bent structure having a delocalized electronic state where the spin and charge are delocalized not only in the benzhydrylidene subunit but also in the residual subunit. In contrast, 6(.+) and 7(.+) have nonbent structures with a localized electronic state where their spin and charge are localized in the benzhydrylidene subunit only. Therefore, 4(.+) and 89(.+) have a nonclassical nature, with 6(.+) and 7(.+) possessing a classical nature. In contrast, in the radical anion system, 7(.-) and 8(.-) are considered nonclassical, and 4(.-) and 6(.-) are classical. Orbital interaction theory and DFT calculations can account fully for the spectroscopic features, molecular geometries, and electronic structures of the radical ions. For example, the shift of the absorption bands and the nonclassical nature of 4(.+) are due to the antibonding character of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of 4, and those of 7(.-) arise from the bonding character of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of 7. A topological agreement of p-orbitals at C-2, C-3 (or C-5, C-6), and C-7 produces strong electronic coupling with an antibonding or a bonding character in the frontier orbitals. It is the ethylene and butadiene skeleton at C-2-C-3 (or C-5-C-6), with its contrasting topology in the HOMO and LUMO of the neutral precursor, that holds the key to deducing the nonclassical nature of the 7-benzhydrylidenenorbornene-type radical cation and radical anion systems.     

Directed ortho metalation approach to C-7-substituted indoles. Suzuki-Miyaura cross coupling and the synthesis of pyrrolophenanthridone alkaloids

[reaction: see text] Although the indole N-phosphinoyl derivative 4 undergoes n-BuLi deprotonation/electrophile quench to afford C-7-substituted products, its deprotection requires harsh conditions. On the other hand, the N-amide 12, upon sequential or one-pot C-2 metalation, silylation, C-7 metalation, and electrophile treatment, furnishes indoles 7 in good overall yields. In combination with the Suzuki-Miyaura protocol, C-7 aryl (heteroaryl)-substituted indoles 14 and 16 are obtained, including hippadine and pratosine, members of the pyrrolophenanthridone alkaloid family.     

New oxidative tools for the functionalization of the cephalostatin north 1 hemisphere

Dimethyldioxirane (DMDO) C-H oxidation of ketone 17 to hemiketal 18 (82%), bis-dehydration to vinyl ether 21 (77%), and DMDO again provides C-23 axial alcohol 23 (99%). Routine processing, including a double-stereoselective Sharpless AD reaction (de >98%), gives alcohols 7 and 32. C-23 deoxy substrate 7 undergoes Suarez hypoiodite oxidative cyclization to (natural) beta spiroketal 34, but compound 32, bearing a C-23 silyl ether, generates unnatural spiroketal 33. [reaction: see text]     

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of C-2(S)-substituted pleuromutilin derivatives

<正>In order to probe the effect of C-2(S)-substituted groups in the antibacterial activity,a series of novel C-2(S)-substituted pleuromutilin analogues of SB-225586 were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial activity.The results of antibacterial activities indicated that C-2(S)-substituted pleuromutilin derivatives retained appreciable antibacterial activity,and the 2-fluorination compounds 6a and 6b are more potent than the corresponding 2-hydroxylation analogues 7a and 7b.     

Synthesis of the macrolactone core of (+)-neopeltolide by transannular cyclization

The synthesis of the macrolactone core of (+)-neopeltolide has been achieved. The key synthetic strategy involves the highly diastereoselective synthesis of the 2,6-cis-disubstituted tetrahydropyran ring by a transannular cyclization of δ-hydroxy alkene using mercuric trifluoroacetate. Two of the six stereocenters C-5 and C-11 were realized from L-malic acid, while the remaining stereocenters C-3 (Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation), C-7 (transannular cyclization), C-9 (regioselective epoxide opening) and C-13 (chelation controlled reduction) were derived by asymmetric synthesis. The macrolactone ring was synthesized by macrocyclization using a RCM protocol.     

Protonated canthaxanthins as models for blue carotenoproteins

It has been suggested that astaxanthin (3,3'-dihydroxy-beta,beta-carotene-4,4'-dione) in the carotenoprotein alpha-crustacyanin occurs in the diprotonated form. As a model system for protonated astaxanthin in [small alpha]-crustacyanin the reactions of canthaxanthin ([small beta],[small beta]-carotene-4,4[prime or minute]-dione) with Bronsted acids (CF(3)COOH and CF(3)SO(3)H) and the Lewis acid BF(3)-etherate have been investigated. Structures of C-5 protonated, C-7 protonated, enolised O-4 protonated and O-4,4[prime or minute], C-7 triprotonated canthaxanthin have been established by VIS-NIR and NMR spectroscopy. The charge distribution in the cations has been considered by comparison of the (13)C chemical shift difference relative to neutral relevant carotenoid models. The experimental evidence for protonated canthaxanthins differs significantly from previous AM1 calculations. Experimental data for O-4,4[prime or minute], C-7 triprotonated canthaxanthin relative to C-7 protonated canthaxanthin is considered a relevant model for O-4,4[prime or minute] diprotonated canthaxanthin, in comparison with neutral canthaxanthin. The positive charge was mainly located at C-6/6[prime or minute][dbl greater-than] C-8/8[prime or minute] > C-10/10[prime or minute] > C-12/12[prime or minute] > C-14/14[prime or minute][similar] C-15/15[prime or minute] in the polyene chain. Moreover, it was inferred that only 14% of the positive charge is delocalised to the polyene chain, the remaining charge must therefore be located at the protonated carbonyl moiety. The results are discussed in relation to previous solid state NMR studies of (13)C labelled astaxanthin in [small alpha]-crustacyanin and recent X-ray analysis of [small beta]-crustacyanin.     

Biotransformation of isoflavones by the larvae of the common cutworm (Spodoptera litura)

Biotransformation of the 5,7,4'-trimethoxyisoflavone (1), 6,7,4'-trimethoxyisoflavone (2), and 7,4'-dimethoxyisoflavone (3) by insects, Spodoptera litura was investigated. Compound 1 was transformed to 5-hydroxy-7,4'-dimethoxyisoflavone (4), 7-hydroxy-5,4'-dimethoxyisoflavone (5) and 4'-hydroxy-5,7-dimethoxyisoflavone (6) by S. litura. Compounds 2 and 3 were hardly metabolized by S. litura. This suggested that compound 1 was converted to compounds 4, 5 and 6 by demethylation at the C-5, C-7 and C-4' position, respectively.     

Cal-B-catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation of a-ring stereoisomeric synthons of 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and 1alpha,25-dihydroxy-19-nor-previtamin D3: a comparative study. first regioselective chemoenzymatic synthesis of 19-nor-A-ring carbonates

A comparative study of alkoxycarbonylation processes of both 19-nor-A-ring and A-ring stereoisomers of 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 analogues catalyzed by Candida antarctica lipase B (CAL-B) has been described. The presence of the methyl group in the A-ring at C-2, as in 3-6, has a determining role in the regioselectivity of the biocatalysis, mainly allowing the hydroxyl group at C-5 position to react. For the 19-nor-A-ring stereoisomers 7-10, which lack the C-2 methyl group, the configurations at C-3 and C-5 have a high influence in the selectivity exhibited by CAL-B. Thus, each couple of enantiomers showed opposing regioselectivities depending on the C-3 configuration. When C-3 possesses an (S)-configuration, enzymatic alkoxycarbonylations took place at the C-5-(R) or C-5-(S) hydroxyl groups. However, if the chiral centers at C-3 are (R), CAL-B alkoxycarbonylated the C-3-(R) hydroxyl group independently of the configuration at C-5. The corresponding carbonates are useful A-ring precursors of 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 analogues, selectively modified at the C-1 or C-3 positions. In addition, an improved synthesis of cis A-ring synthons 5 and 6 is described using a Mitsunobu methodology.     

Synthesis of the sialic acid (-)-KDN and certain epimers from (-)-3-dehydroshikimic acid or (-)-quinic acid

(-)-3-Dehydroshikimic acid (3-DHS, 4), a C(7)-building block now available in large quantity from corn syrup, has been converted into the sialic acid (-)-KDN (3) as well as its C-7- and C-8-epimers. (-)-Quinic acid can be used for the same purpose. [structure: see text]     

Solid-phase synthesis of 2,6- and 2,7-diamino-4(3H)-quinazolinones via palladium-catalyzed amination

A new procedure for the solid-phase synthesis of 2,6- and 2,7-diamino-4(3H)-quinazolinones is described. The method involves coupling of 2,4,6- and 2,4,7-trichloroquinazoline to a solid support via benzyl alcohol type linkers, subsequent displacement of chlorine at C-2 then at the C-6 or C-7 positions by amines (Fig. 1) and the cleavage of the products from the resin. The palladium-catalyzed amination of C-6 and C-7 positions with a representative set of amines in the presence of 2-(di-t-butylphosphino)biphenyl (DTBPBP), P(t-Bu)₃ and 2,2′-bis(diphenylphosphino)-1,1′-binaphthyl (BINAP) ligands has been investigated. This method should prove to be a useful tool for constructing combinatorial libraries containing the 4(3H)-quinazolinone moiety.     

1,3-Diphenylbenzo[e][1,2,4]triazin-7(1H)-one: selected chemistry at the C-6, C-7 and C-8 positions

1,3-Diphenylbenzo[e][1,2,4]triazin-7(1H)-one (6) reacts with tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) or tetracyanoethylene oxide (TCNEO) to give the deep green 2-[1,3-diphenylbenzo[e][1,2,4]triazin-7(1H)-ylidene]propanedinitrile (11) in 17 and 15% yields, respectively. Nucleophiles such as amines, alkoxides, thiols and Grignard reagents all reacted with the 1,3-diphenylbenzotriazinone 6 regioselectively at C-6, while halogenating agents reacted exclusively at C-8. Furthermore, 8-iodo-1,3-diphenylbenzo[e][1,2,4]triazin-7(1H)-one (32) undergoes palladium-catalysed Suzuki-Miyaura and Stille coupling reactions to give 8-aryl- or heteroaryl-substituted benzotriazinones. By combining both the C-6 and C-8 chemistries 1,3,6,8-tetraphenylbenzo[e][1,2,4]triazin-7(1H)-one (42) and 1,3-diphenyl-6,8-di(thien-2-yl)-benzo[e][1,2,4]triazin-7(1H)-one (43) can be prepared. All new compounds are fully characterized.     

Flavonoids inhibiting glycation of bovine serum albumin: affinity-activity relationship

Protein glycation leads to the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), which contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetic complications. The structure-activity relationship of dietary flavonoids for inhibiting the glycation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in vitro was subjected to a detailed investigation. The structure-activity relationship revealed that: 1) the hydroxylation on ring B of the flavones enhanced the inhibition and the hydroxyl groups at the C-5 and C-7 positions of flavones favoured the inhibition; 2) the optimal number of hydroxyl groups on ring B of the flavonols was one (at the C-3 position) and the methylation of flavonols weakened the inhibition; 3) the methoxylation at the C-6 position and methylation at C-4′ position of genistein clearly enhanced the inhibition; 4) the hydroxyl groups at the C-5 and C-7 positions of flavanones were in favour of the inhibition; 5) the glycosylation of flavonoids significantly weakened the inhibition. Obvious linear affinity-activity relationships exist between the BSA-flavonoid interaction and flavonoids as BSA glycation inhibitors (R² = 0.76585). The flavonoids with a higher affinity to BSA exhibited a stronger inhibition of the glycation of BSA.