Enantioselection in peptide bond formation

Selectivity in abiotic condensations of amino acids remains controversial and stereochemically little explored. We find that competitive activated couplings of N-acyl derivatives of glycine, alanine, valine, proline and phenylalanine with binary, ternary and quaternary mixtures of amides and esters of the same group of amino acids show little selectivity among the reactants, except with respect to configuration, where a consistent and significant preference for heterochiral outcomes, mostly > 80%, is observed. One possible explanation of this selectivity predicts a predisposition to homochiral coupling under conditions that would require the two carboxyl functions to be co-facial in the activated complex.     

Synthesis and cytotoxicity of novel sansalvamide A derivatives

Described are the syntheses of 14 derivatives of the natural product Sansalvamide A, where two are more active against HCT 116 colon cancer cell lines than the natural product. These derivatives were synthesized using a combinatorial-type strategy that permits elucidation of the amino acid role in the cytotoxicity, and they lay the groundwork for development of new anticancer agents. [structure: see text]     

Use of tunable ligands allows for intermolecular Pd-catalyzed C--O bond formation

Bulky biaryl phosphine ligands facilitate Pd-catalyzed C-O coupling reactions of aryl halides with primary and secondary alcohols by promoting reductive elimination at the expense of beta-hydride elimination. The key to their success is the ability to match the size of the ligand to that of the combination of substrates. The efficient coupling of a number of unactivated aryl chlorides and bromides with cyclic and acyclic secondary alcohols was achieved. This included the coupling of allylic alcohols for the first time in a Pd-catalyzed coupling process.     

Synthesis and novel structure-activity relationships of potent sansalvamide A derivatives

Synthesis of twelve Sansalvamide A derivatives and their SAR against colon cancer (HT-29).     

Synthesis of new tetracyclic azaheteroaromatic cores via auto-tandem Pd-catalyzed and one-pot Pd- and Cu-catalyzed double C-N bond formation

Inter- and intramolecular transition metal-catalyzed amination of 2-chloro-3-iodopyridine and 2,3-dibromopyridine, respectively, with benzodiazinamines yielded six hitherto unknown tetracyclic azaheteroaromatic cores. C-N bond formation was achieved via auto-tandem (Pd-catalyst) as well as one-pot (sequential use of a Pd- and Cu-catalyst) catalysis.     

A new reagent for the mediation of amide bond formation in peptide synthesis.

The potential application of 1-oxo-1-chlorophospholane (5) as a novel reagent for the in situ activation of Nα -protected amino acids for use in peptide bond forming reactions has been examined. Wherever possible, 32.4Mhz ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (n.m.r.) spectroscopy was employed to follow both the formation of the intermediate phospholanic-carboxylic mixed anhydride and the subsequent aminolysis reaction.     

Synthesis of symmetrical amino and aminomethyl derivatives of Tröger's base via Pd-catalyzed C-C and C-N bond formation

In this paper, we report the synthesis of amino and aminomethyl derivatives of Tröger's base (±)-1 and (±)-2. The key steps in the synthesis of (±)-1 and (±)-2 are Pd-catalyzed amination and cyanation, respectively, of the easily accessible dihalo derivatives (±)-3. These compounds are important intermediates in the synthesis of new ligands and building blocks for H-bonded supramolecular architectures.     

Solid phase peptide templated glycosidic bond formation

Glycosylation reactions performed between a glycosyl donor and acceptor covalently linked to a peptide template both in the solution and solid phase give similar yields and product distributions. The adoption of a solid phase approach opens the way for the synthesis of libraries of peptide templates in an attempt to screen for particular peptide sequences that effect complete regio-and stereochemical control during glycosidic bond formation, whilst the use of second generation donors allows the possibility of an iterative approach.     

Synthesis of condensed pyrroloindoles via Pd-catalyzed intramolecular C-H bond functionalization of pyrroles

A new strategy for the synthesis of condensed hetero- or carbocycles such as pyrroloindoles or fluorenes has been developed that involves the Pd-catalyzed cyclization of readily available N-(2-halobenzyl)pyrroles or their phenyl derivatives. The reaction is proposed to proceed via oxidative addition of benzylic halides to Pd(0) followed by base-assisted C-H bond activation. A broad range of condensed cyclic products could be obtained in good to excellent yields under mild conditions.     

Effect of copper salts on peptide bond formation using peptide thioesters

[reaction: see text] In the present paper, systematic studies revealed that Cu(I) salts in general and Cu(II) salts under certain circumstances promote effective reaction between peptide thiol esters and the N-terminal amino function of a second peptide segment to give the native amide bond for both solution- and solid-phase syntheses. Chiral integrity was retained. Reaction conditions were optimized and applied to the synthesis of a small protein, the identity of which was confirmed by NMR analysis.     

Synthesis of 2-chloro-1,1-difluoroallyl mesylates through novel rearrangement and CC bond formation by their Pd-catalyzed reaction with diethylzinc

Treatment of 2-chloro-3,3-difluoroprop-2-en-1-ol derivatives (2) with methanesulfonyl chloride in the presence of a base did not give the expected esters but 2-chloro-1,1-difluoroprop-2-enyl methanesulfonates (4) through a novel [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangement. Reaction of 4 with diethylzinc in the presence of tetrakis(triphenylphosphine) palladium gave 1-alkyl- or 1-aryl-2-chloro-3-fluoropenta-1,3-dienes in moderate to good yields through a CC bond formation followed by dehydrofluorination.     

Synthesis of sansalvamide A peptidomimetics: triazole, oxazole, thiazole, and pseudoproline containing compounds

Peptidomimetic-based macrocycles typically have improved pharmacokinetic properties over those observed with peptide analogs. Described are the syntheses of 13 peptidomimetic derivatives that are based on active Sansalvamide A structures, where these analogs incorporate heterocycles (triazoles, oxazoles, thiazoles, or pseudoprolines) along the macrocyclic backbone. The syntheses of these derivatives employ several approaches that can be applied to convert a macrocyclic peptide into its peptidomimetic counterpart. These approaches include peptide modifications to generate the alkyne and azide for click chemistry, a serine conversion into an oxazole, a Hantzsch reaction to generate the thiazole, and protected threonine to generate the pseudoproline derivatives. Furthermore, we show that two different peptidomimetic moieties, triazoles and thiazoles, can be incorporated into the macrocyclic backbone without reducing cytotoxicity: triazole and thiazole.     

Acyclic asymmetric induction with carboncarbon bond formation

The acyclic asymmetric induction is described which involves heteroconjugate addition of MeLi to α-hydroxy hetero-olefins and concomitant intramolecular silicon-migration to produce α,α-sulfonyl-dianion of the $\text{threo}$ adduct being of utility for the second CC bond formation in one pot. It also contains the first chemical proof of the regiochemical assignment to the hetero-olefins.     

Chemoselective peptide bond formation using formyl-substituted nitrophenylthio ester

A novel method for peptide bond formation utilizing amino acid 2-formyl-4-nitrophenylthio ester has been developed. The reaction can be performed in water-containing media and is compatible with various types of amino acid side-chain functional groups. Use of N-methylmaleinimide as an additive is essential for the reaction to proceed with high efficiency. It captures liberated formyl-substituted thiophenol through 1,4-addition followed by aldol cyclization.     

DNA-directed formation of peptide bond: a model study toward DNA-programmed peptide ligation

A model study of DNA-directed peptide ligation has been developed by transferring fluorescent reporting group from small molecule thioester to a DNA strand (template DNA) in the presence of a thiol-functionalized DNA strand (auxiliary DNA), mimicking the Native Chemical Ligation (NCL) reaction. This DNA-directed transfer shows dependence on the sequence complementarity of the two DNA strands, with in situ generated 4-thiolphenylmethyl functionalized oligonucleotide as the auxiliary DNA strand, under mild basic condition (pH=8.5), and with tris(2-carboxyethyl) phosphine hydrochloride (TCEP) as a reducing agent. Reactions with different amino acid α-thioesters resulted in varied transfer efficiencies from glycine to α-substituted amino acids. This study has provided the basic foundation to use DNA-programmed chemistry toward the chemical synthesis or unnatural modification of protein molecules.     

Models that demonstrate peptide bond formation by prior thiol capture I. Capture by disulfide formation

Unsymmetrical disulfides formed from $\text{L}$-cysteine esters and $\text{o}$-Cbz-$\text{L}$-alaninyloxy-benzenethiol $\text{9}$, 2-Cbz-$\text{L}$-alaninyloxy-5-chlorophenylmethylenethiol $\text{8}$,4-acetoxyxanthenylmethylene thiol $\text{10}$, and 1,5-diacetoxy-2-methyl-3-methoxy-4-thioxanthone $\text{11}$ are observed to undergo intramolecular O,N-acyl transfer in yields up to 60%, with accompanying disulfide interchange. The significance of these results for a general amide forming strategy of prior cysteine capture are discussed.     

Solid-phase approaches to regiospecific double disulfide formation. Application to a fragment of bovine pituitary peptide

A 21-residue, two disulfide-containing peptide has been synthesized on solid phase. Three alternative protection schemes, based on Boc/benzyl chemistry and combinations of the 4-methylbénzyl with either acetamidomethyl, 9-fluorenylmethyl or 3-nitro-2-pyridylsulfenyl groups for pairs of cysteine residues have been examined. The most successful route involved formation of the first disulfide on the resin via 9-fluorenylmethylcysteine deprotection-oxidation.     

Pd-catalyzed arylation/oxidation of benzylic C-H bond

A palladium-catalyzed benzylic C-H arylation/oxidation reaction leading to diaryl ketones has been accomplished. The indispensable role of the bidentate system is disclosed for this sequential process. This chemistry offers a direct new access to a range of diarylketones.