The first enantioselective total synthesis of the anti-Helicobacter pylori agent (+)-spirolaxine methyl ether

The first enantioselective synthesis of the anti-Helicobacter pylori agent (+)-spirolaxine methyl ether has been carried out in a convergent fashion by heterocycle-activated Julia olefination of a spiroacetal-containing sulfone fragment with a phthalide-containing aldehyde fragment. The total synthesis of (+)-spirolaxine methyl ether establishes the absolute stereochemistry of the natural product to be (3R,2'R,5'R,7'R).     

Synthesis and antimalarial effects of N,N-dialkyl-6-(substituted phenyl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazin-3-amines

The synthesis of a series of N,N-dialkyl-6-(substituted phenyl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazin-3-amines (IV) by two routes is described. The first route (Scheme I) involved the oxidative cyclization of formazans (II) to 3-bromo-6-(substituted phenyl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazines (III), followed by treatment with amines. The second (Scheme II) utilized the treatment of 3-(methylthio)-6-(substituted phenyl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazines (VII) with amines to provide the desired products. The intermediate 3-(methylthio)-6-(substituted phenyl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazines (VII) were obtained by thiobenzoylation of hydrazinecarbohydrazonothioic acid methyl ester with [[(substituted phenyl)thioxomethyl]thio]-acetic acids (V) to afford the 1,2-dihydro-3-(methylthio)-6-(substituted phenyl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazines (VI). Oxidation with bromine in acetic acid provided the desired intermediates. The target 6-(substituted phenyl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazin-3-amines (IV) displayed modest antimalarial activity.     

CCR5 antagonists: 3-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)propionic acid analogues with potent anti-HIV activity

[reaction: see text] A novel approach to alpha,alpha-disubstituted-beta-amino acids (beta(2,2)-amino acids) was employed in the synthesis of a series of 3-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)propionic acids possessing high affinity for the CCR5 receptor and potent anti-HIV activity. The rat pharmacokinetics for these new analogues featured higher bioavailabilities and lower rates of clearance as compared to cyclopentane 1.     

Syntheses and conformational analyses of some 3-amino-2,5-dioxo-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-1-benzazepine derivatives: X-ray crystal structure of 35–3-[[(1,1-dimethylethoxy)carbonyl]amino]-2,5-dioxo-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-1-benzazepine

The constrained dipeptide mimic 1 was synthesized from 2 in three steps with 65% overall yield. Analyses of the ¹H nmr data of a number of 3-amino-2,5-dioxo-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-1-benzazepine derivatives led to the conclusion that these compounds adopt a similar conformation and that this ring system is rigid. X-ray crystallography was used to define the structure of 3 , and computer-aided energy minimization of 6 gave a preferred conformation similar to that observed in the crystal of 3 .     

Oxidation of heme to beta- and delta-biliverdin by Pseudomonas aeruginosa heme oxygenase as a consequence of an unusual seating of the heme

The origin of the unusual regioselectivity of heme oxygenation, i.e. the oxidation of heme to delta-biliverdin (70%) and beta-biliverdin (30%), that is exhibited by heme oxygenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (pa-HO) has been studied by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, and resonance Raman spectroscopies. Whereas resonance Raman indicates that the heme-iron ligation in pa-HO is homologous to that observed in previously studied alpha-hydroxylating heme oxygenases, the NMR spectroscopic studies suggest that the heme in this enzyme is seated in a manner that is distinct from that observed for all other alpha-hydroxylating heme oxygenase enzymes for which a structure is known. In pa-HO, the heme is rotated in-plane approximately 110 degrees, so the delta-meso-carbon of the major orientational isomer is located within the HO-fold in the place where the alpha-hydroxylating enzymes typically place the alpha-meso-carbon. The unusual heme seating displayed by pa-HO places the heme propionates so that these groups point in the direction of the solvent-exposed heme edge and appears to originate in large part from the absence of stabilizing interactions between the polypeptide and the heme propionates, which are typically found in alpha-hydroxylating heme oxygenase enzymes. These interactions typically involve Lys-16 and Tyr-112, in Neisseriae meningitidis HO, and Lys-16 and Tyr-134, in human and rat HO-1. The corresponding residues in pa-HO are Asn-19 and Phe-117, respectively. In agreement with this hypothesis, we found that the Asn-19 Lys/Phe-117 Tyr double mutant of pa-HO exists as a mixture of molecules exhibiting two distinct heme seatings; one seating is identical to that exhibited by wild-type pa-HO, whereas the alternative seating is very similar to that typical of alpha-hydroxylating heme oxygenase enzymes and is related to the wild-type seating by approximately 110 degrees in-plane rotation of the heme. Furthermore, each of these heme seatings in the pa-HO double mutant gives rise to a subset of two heme isomeric orientations that are related to each other by 180 degrees rotation about the alpha-gamma-meso-axis. The coexistence of these molecules in solution, in the proportions suggested by the corresponding area under the peaks in the (1)H NMR spectrum, explains the unusual regioselectivity of heme oxygenation observed with the double mutant, which we found produces alpha- (55%), delta- (35%), and beta-biliverdin (10%). Alpha-biliverdin is obtained by oxidation of the heme seated similar to that of alpha-hydroxylating enzymes, whereas beta- and delta-biliverdin are formed from the oxidation of heme seated as in wild-type pa-HO.     

Synthesis and properties of a maleimide fluorescent thiol reagent derived from a naphthopyranone

N-(2-Carbomethoxy-9-methoxy-3-oxo-3H-naphtho[2,1-b]pyran-10-yl)maleimide 2 was designed and synthesized as a new maleimide fluorescent thiol reagent. The optical properties of 2 were investigated with and without the addition of glutathione, GSH. We have found 2 is twice as sensitive as DACM and is of comparable sensitivity to CPM for detection of thiols. The emission maximum for the GSH adduct of 2 is 513 nm which is at longer wavelength than the GSH adducts of both DACM and CPM.     

The sphaleron at non-zero Weinberg angle

The sphaleron solution is calculated as a perturbation expansion in (g/g), to . For the physical value (g/g)=0.55 the original spherically symmetric sphaleron is a good approximation. However we expect the expansion to break down at (g/g)2 and the true solution to deviate strongly from the original solution above this value.     

Correlated atomic force microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging of live bacterial cells

We report on imaging living bacterial cells by using a correlated tapping-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) and confocal fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). For optimal imaging of Gram-negative Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 cells, we explored different methods of bacterial sample preparation, such as spreading the cells on poly-L-lysine coated surfaces or agarose gel coated surfaces. We have found that the agarose gel containing 99% ammonium acetate buffer can provide sufficient local aqueous environment for single bacterial cells. Furthermore, the cell surface topography can be characterized by tapping-mode in-air AFM imaging for the single bacterial cells that are partially embedded. Using in-air rather than under-water AFM imaging of the living cells significantly enhanced the contrast and signal-to-noise ratio of the AFM images. Near-field AFM-tip-enhanced fluorescence lifetime imaging (AFM-FLIM) holds high promise on obtaining fluorescence images beyond optical diffraction limited spatial resolution. We have previously demonstrated near-field AFM-FLIM imaging of polymer beads beyond diffraction limited spatial resolution. Here, as the first step of applying AFM-FLIM on imaging bacterial living cells, we demonstrated a correlated and consecutive AFM topographic imaging, fluorescence intensity imaging, and FLIM imaging of living bacterial cells to characterize cell polarity.