Biosynthetic pathways to dichloroimines; precursor incorporation studies on terpene metabolites in the tropical marine sponge Stylotella aurantium

The biosynthetic origin of the dichloroimine functional group in the marine sponge terpene metabolites stylotellanes A (3) and B (4) was probed by the use of [(14)C]-labelled precursor experiments. Incubation of the sponge Stylotella aurantium with [(14)C]-labelled cyanide or thiocyanate resulted in radioactive terpenes in which the radiolabel was shown by hydrolytic chemical degradation to be associated specifically with the dichloroimine carbons. Additionally, label from both precursors was incorporated into farnesyl isothiocyanate (2). A time course experiment with [(14)C]-cyanide revealed that the specific activity for farnesyl isothiocyanate decreases over time, but increases for stylotellane B (4), consistent with the rapid formation of farnesyl isothiocyanate (2) from inorganic precursors followed by a slower conversion to stylotellane B (4). The advanced precursors farnesyl isothiocyanate (2) and farnesyl isocyanide (5) were supplied to S. aurantium, and shown to be incorporated efficiently into stylotellane A (3) and B (4). Feeding of [(14)C]-farnesyl isothiocyanate (2) resulted in a higher incorporation of label than with [(14)C]-farnesyl isocyanide (5). Farnesyl isocyanide was incorporated into farnesyl isothiocyanate in agreement with labelling studies in other marine sponges. Both farnesyl isocyanide and isothiocyanate were further incorporated into axinyssamide A (11) as well as the cyclized dichloroimines (12)-(14), (16) that represent more advanced biosynthetic products of this pathway. These results identify the likely biosynthetic pathway leading to the major metabolites of S. aurantium.     

Stereochemical evaluation of sesquiterpene quinones from two sponges of the genus Dactylospongia and the implication for enantioselective processes in marine terpene biosynthesis

Silver nitrate flash chromatography of the organic extract from the sponge Dactylospongia elegans has led to the isolation of three new sesquiterpene quinones isohyatellaquinone (7), 7,8-dehydrocyclospongiaquinone-2 (8) and 9-epi-7,8-dehydrocyclospongiaquinone-2 (9) together with the known quinones dictyoceratidaquinone (6), mamanuthaquinone (10), ilimaquinone (11), hyatellaquinone (12) and the sesterterpene furospinosulin (22). The relative stereochemistry of dictyoceratidaquinone (6) is assigned on the basis of NOESY analysis. A second species of Dactylospongia, thought to be new to science, was found to contain ent-(7) together with the new quinone neomamanuthaquinone (13). The isolation of antipodal sesquiterpenes from closely related species has implications for the stereochemical evaluation of terpene metabolites. The biosynthetic processes in these marine sponges may involve terpene synthases that do not discriminate chiral substrates or may result from the presence of multiple terpene synthases, each with differing enantioselectivity.     

Reactions of 2-amino-2-thiazolines with isocyanates and isothiocyanates. Chemical and computational studies on the regioselectivity, adduct rearrangement, and mechanistic pathways

2-Amino-2-thiazoline derivatives bearing alkyl or aryl substituents at exocyclic nitrogen have been condensed with different isocyanates and isothiocyanates. The addition occurs at ring endocyclic nitrogen in a regiospecific manner to afford kinetic and enthalpy-favored adducts. The unequivocal assignment of these structures has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction analyses of several compounds. The endo adducts do not rearrange on heating with the sole exception of adducts in which the exocyclic nitrogen remains unsubstituted. Trapping experiments in the presence of other isocyanates or isothiocyanates produce the formation of new endo adducts by acyl exchange in the reaction mixture. Semiempirical PM3 calculations full corroborate the higher stability of endo or exo adducts depending on the substitution pattern. The formation of adducts is compatible with a stepwise reaction mechanism, for which semiempirical transition structures could be located in the potential energy surface, and the global energetics of the process have been determined. The formation of the endo adducts proceeds with a smaller activation barrier.     

Biosynthetic,studies of marine lipids. 21. Experimental demonstration of a biosynthetic interconversion of cyclopropene sterols in the sponge calyx nicaeensis

In vivo isomerization of cyclopropenes has been demonstrated for the first time through feeding experiments of appropriately labeled cyclopropene sterols (1c-4c) in the sponge Calyx nicaeensis.     

Use of deuterium–hydrogen exchange to characterize the fragmentation pathways of arteether and its metabolites in a thermospray mass spectrometer

Whereas the thermospray mass spectra of most compounds consist of only the pseudo-molecular ion with little fragmentation, the thermospray mass spectra of arteether (a cyclic endoperoxide) and its metabolites are relatively complex. Assignments of structures to individual fragments from normal spectra was particularly ambiguous because of uncertainties as to which fragments arose from ammonium ion or methanol adducts. In this study, these assignments could be resolved through the comparison of the regular spectrum with the deuterium-exchange spectrum (in an ND₄O₂CCH₃–CD₃OD–D₂O mobile phase) achieved using ‘sandwiched slug’ injection technique. The mass spectra of arteether and four of its metabolites all showed [M + ND₄]⁺ pseudo-molecular ions with greater than 91% H/D exchange, indicating a high efficiency with a minimal use of deuterated mobile phase. Most fragments showed H/D exchange rates in the 70–90% range and the isotope shift of individual spectral lines (ΔM) was found to be extremely useful in determining the structure of the fragment.     

Structure elucidation and NMR assignments for three anthraquinone derivatives from the marine fungus Fusarium sp. (No. ZH‐210)

The structure elucidations and complete ¹H and ¹³C NMR assignments are reported for three new anthraquinone derivatives: Fusaquinon A (1), B (2), and C (3) isolated from the fermentation medium of the marine fungus Fusarium sp. (No. ZH‐210). HREIMS, Fourier transform infrared absorption spectrometry (FT‐IR), NMR experiments including gCOSY, gHMQC, gHMBC, and NOESY were used for the determination of the structures and NMR spectral assignments. Preliminary pharmacological test showed that they exhibited low cytotoxic activity towards KB, KBv200, and MCF‐7 cell lines. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Biosynthetic studies in the coumarin series—II : Studies in plants of Thamnosma montana Torr. and Frem. The role of acetate and glycine

The role of sodium acetate-[2-¹⁴C] and glycine-[2-¹⁴C] in the biosynthesis of the coumarins, umbelliprenin (1), isopimpinellin (2) and alloimperatorin methyl ether (3) has been investigated. It has been found that whereas the activity from acetate is being incorporated into the furano portion, the OMe groups and the alkyl side chain, glycine is acting as a specific precursor of the alkyl side chain of umbelliprenin (1) and alloimperatorin methyl ether (3) and of the OMe groups of isopimpinellin (2) and alloimperatorin methyl ether (3). Various plausible explanations are presented.     

N.m.r. studies on aromatic compounds. I—13C n.m.r. spectra of some mono- and disulpho-substituted hydroxycarboxylic acids

Carbon-13 n.m.r. spectra of 3-hydroxy-4-sulpho-2-naphthoic, 3-hydroxy-5-sulpho-2-naphthoic, 3-hydroxy-7-sulpho-2-naphthoic, 5-sulphosalicylic, 3-hydroxy-5,7-disulpho-2-naphthoic, 1-hydroxy-4,7-disulpho-2-naphthoic, and 3,5-disulphosalicylic acids were recorded with and without proton noise-decoupling. Analyses of the spectra were carried out for all compounds except 3-hydroxy-5-sulpho-2-naphthoic acid which dimerized. The fine splitting caused by long-range coupling was used in identifying the lines of the ¹³C n.m.r. spectra.     

Ab initio studies on the photophysics of guanine tautomers: out-of-plane deformation and NH dissociation pathways to conical intersections

The radiationless decay mechanisms of the S1 excited states of the 7H-keto-amino, 7H-enol-amino, and 7H-keto-imino tautomers of guanine have been investigated with the CASPT2//CASSCF method. Out-of-plane deformation of the six-membered ring or the imino group as well as dissociation of NH bonds have been considered as photochemical pathways leading to conical intersections with the electronic ground state. It has been found that all three tautomers can reach S0-S1 conical intersections by out-of-plane deformation. However, only in the 7H-keto-amino tautomer the reaction path leading to the conical intersection is barrierless. This tautomer also has the lowest energy barrier for hydrogen detachment via the (1)pi sigma* state, whose potential energy surface intersects that of the (1)pi pi* state as well as that of the ground state. The other tautomers of guanine exhibit substantial energy barriers on their S1 potential energy surfaces with respect to both reaction mechanisms. These findings suggest that the 7H-keto-amino tautomer exhibits the shortest excited-state lifetime of the three tautomers due to particularly fast nonradiative deactivation processes through S0-S1 conical intersections. The computational results explain the remarkable observation that the energetically most stable 7H-keto-amino tautomer is missing in the resonant two-photon ionization spectrum of guanine in a supersonic jet. The results also explain that the energetically less stable 7H-enol-amino and 7H-keto-imino tautomers have longer excited-state lifetimes and are thus detectable by resonant two-photon ionization.     

Theoretical studies on opioid receptors and ligands. I. Molecular modeling and QSAR studies on the interaction mechanism of fentanyl analogs binding to μ‐opioid receptor

Based on our previous result of the three‐dimensional model of the μ‐opioid receptor, binding conformations of 13 fentanyl analogs and three‐dimensional structures for the complexs of these analogs with μ‐opioid receptor were constructed employing the molecular modeling method and our binding conformation search program for ligands (BCSPL). Energetic calculation and quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) analysis indicated a good correlation between the calculated binding energies of fentanyl analogs and their binding affinities, pK_i's and pK's, and analgesic activities, − log ED₅₀'s. Based on the three‐dimensional models, the possible interaction mechanism of fentanyl analogs with μ‐opioid receptor can be illustrated and the available structure–activity relationship of these analgesic agents can be explained reasonably. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 78: 285–293, 2000     

Ceratamines A and B, antimitotic heterocyclic alkaloids isolated from the marine sponge Pseudoceratina sp. collected in Papua New Guinea

[structure: see text] Two novel antimitotic heterocyclic alkaloids, ceratamines A (1) and B (2), have been isolated from the marine sponge Pseudoceratina sp., collected in Papua New Guinea. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by analysis of spectroscopic data.     

Silicon-29 and carbon-13 n.m.r. studies of organosilicon chemistry. VIII—Assignment of the 29Si and related 1H resonances of trimethylsilylated sugars by deuteration and shift reagent studies

Two techniques were investigated for assigning the ²⁹Si n.m.r. spectra of trimethylsilylated sugars. Specific deuteration, together with selective proton decoupling experiments, has allowed the complete assignment for methyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-trimethylsilyl-α-D-glucopyranoside. Double resonance spectra obtained in the presence of a lanthanide shift reagent, Pr(dpm)₃, have enabled the ²⁹Si and ¹H signals for the -SiMe₃, groups of methyl 2,3,4-tri-O-trimethylsilyl-α-D-glucopyranoside, to be linked. A complete and unambiguous assignment of the ²⁹Si spectrum for this molecule was obtained by selective deuteration, thus giving an unequivocal assignment of the –SiMe₃ proton resonances also. Definitive data regarding the effects of Pr(dpm)₃ on the ²⁹Si and ¹H resonances of the various –SiMe₃ groups of methyl 2,3,4-tri-O-trimethylsilyl-α-D-glucopyranoside are therefore available.     

N.m.r. studies in the heterocyclic series: XVI—determination of the structure of 3-azidoindazole by 1H and 13C n.m.r. spectroscopy

The 1-NH structure for 3-azidoindazole has been demonstrated by the observation of ¹H? ¹H and ¹³C? ¹H couplings involving the hydrogen atom attached to nitrogen. A comparison between 3-azidoindazole and indazole shows that both compounds have the same tautomeric structure.     

Metal Complexes with Macrocyclic Ligands. Part XLIV Kinetics of the Cu2+ incorporation into a macrocyclic ligand conjugated to proteins: Model studies for the d‘post-labeling’ technique

The kinetics of the Cu²⁺ complexation by macrocycles 1 (4-[(l,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradec-1-yl)methyl]-benzoic acid) and 2 (N-propyl-4-[(1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradec-1-yl)methyl]-benzamide) as well as by macrocycle 1 conjugated to bovine serum albumin (bsa) and to ribonuclease A (rnase) were studied by stopped flow techniques. For 1 and 2 , the kinetics were followed in the mM range monitoring the d-d* absorption band of the Cu²⁺ complex. From the pH dependence of k_obs, the rate law is v = [Cu²⁺] (k_LH[LH] + k[LH₂]), where k_LH and k are the bimolecular rate constants for Cu²⁺ with the diprotonated (LH₂) and monoprotonated (LH₁) form of the ligand, respectively. The values are k = 1.7( 1 ) M^?1s^?1 and k_LH = 2.3(1) 10⁵ M^?1s^?1 for 1 , and k, = 0.28(9) M^?1s^?1 and k_LH = 2.0(1) 10⁵ M^?1s^?1 for 2. The kinetics of the Cu²⁺ incorporation into 1,2 and 1 conjugated to bsa and rnase, i.e., 3 and 4 , respectively, were also followed using nitroso-R salt as a metal indicator in the μM range, i.e., under conditions typical for the ‘post-labeling’ technique to give radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies. In these cases, the reaction takes place between the 1:1 complex of Cu²⁺ with nitroso-R-salt and the macrocycle. At pH 6.5, the rates are very similar to each other indicating that the complexation properties of the macrocycle attached to a protein are not very different from those of the free ligand under comparable conditions.     

Studies on the determination of chlorotestosterone and its metabolites in bovine urine.

Chlorotestosterone and its metabolites were determined in urine samples from bovine animals treated with chlorotestosterone acetate by oral and intramuscular routes. Sample preparation, involving enzymatic deconjugation and solid-phase extraction, was optimised. The effect of different enzyme preparations, pH, and time of incubation were studied. An extraction/clean-up procedure based on solid-phase extraction (C18 cartridge) and liquid-liquid clean-up was developed. Determination of chlorotestosterone and its metabolites was by enzyme immunoassay and GC-MS. Metabolites were converted into their TMS-enol-TMS-ether and TMS-oxime-TMS-ether forms before GC-MS (EI) analysis.     

Photoprotection and long-term acclimation to UV radiation in the marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii.

Unialgal cultures of the marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii (Grunow) were exposed for 40 days to artificial UV-B radiation in the presence of PAR and UV-A to examine long-term acclimation to UV, PAR and UV-A were supplied 14 h daily, while UV-B (two levels: 0.16 and 0.30 W m(-2) unweighted) was supplied for 4 h/day. Growth rates and photochemical capacity (CFC ratio) both decreased over the first 10-15 days, then recovered. No obvious differences were noted between the responses to the two UV-B treatments. The concentration of the major pigments (chlorophyll a and c(1+2), fucoxanthin and beta,beta-carotene) changed very little with time, except for diatoxanthin. which increased over the first 16 days, decreased over the next 13 days, then increased again from day 29 to the end of the experiment. The concentration of total mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) was initially undetectable, then increased from day 16 in the high UV-B treatment and after day 22 in the low UV-B treatment, reaching a maximum on day 29 for both treatments and decreasing afterwards. The synthesis of MAAs proceeded only once photochemical capacity had recovered from the initial UV stress and this recovery likely involved the xanthophyll cycle (diatoxanthin increase). The concentration of MAAs decreased when the cells showed signs of photoinhibition (decrease in CFC ratio). It also showed an inverse trend with diatoxanthin. UV-B alone had little regulatory effect over these responses, except possibly for an earlier synthesis of MAAs under HUV-B conditions. This suggests that the observed changes were due to UV-A rather than to UV-B exposure. The overall response of this coastal diatom to prolonged UV exposure indicates that T. weissflogii is a relatively UV-tolerant species and that its long-term response to UV exposure involves an activation of the xanthophyll cycle followed by the synthesis of MAAs, which may proceed only when photoinhibition is relieved.     

The biosynthesis of sorbicillinoids in Trichoderma sp. USF-2690: prospect for the existence of a common precursor to sorbicillinol and 5-epihydroxyvertinolide, a new sorbicillinoid member

Biosynthetic feeding studies of [1-¹³C], [2-¹³C], and [1,2-¹³C₂]-labeled sodium acetates into 5-epihydroxyvertinolide, a new sorbicillinoid, gives an incorporation pattern that proves the γ-lactone ring formation associated with a ring cleavage reaction of the precursor, a potential intermediate of sorbicillinol biosynthesis.