Stereoselective synthesis of highly functionalized thiopeptide thiazole fragments from uronic acid/cysteine condensation products: access to the core dipeptide of the thiazomycins and nocathiacins

We present the stereoselective synthesis of various highly functionalized thiazole dipeptides that are found in thiopeptide antibiotics like thiazomycins and nocathiacins. The condensation of an uronic acid with l-cysteine methyl ester delivers along two different protocols the stereopure thiazolidine lactones or lactams on the multigram scale, respectively. Oxidation of the thiazolidine moiety to the thiazole and tailoring of the sugar chains yield the thiazole dipeptide as present in the core motif of the thiopeptide antibiotics, as well as its epimer and a homolog. The modular assembly of the potent natural products and their analogs relies on the synthetic accessibility of adequately protected building blocks of tailored absolute stereochemistry.