On the biosynthetic origin of methoxymalonyl-acyl carrier protein, the substrate for incorporation of "glycolate" units into ansamitocin and soraphen A

Feeding experiments with isotope-labeled precursors rule out hydroxypyruvate and TCA cycle intermediates as the metabolic source of methoxymalonyl-ACP, the substrate for incorporation of "glycolate" units into ansamitocin P-3, soraphen A, and other antibiotics. They point to 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate as the source of the methoxymalonyl moiety and show that its C-1 gives rise to the thioester carbonyl group (and hence C-1 of the "glycolate" unit), and its C-3 becomes the free carboxyl group of methoxymalonyl-ACP, which is lost in the subsequent Claisen condensation on the type I modular polyketide synthases (PKS). d-[1,2-(13)C(2)]Glycerate is also incorporated specifically into the "glycolate" units of soraphen A, but not of ansamitocin P-3, suggesting differences in the ability of the producing organisms to activate glycerate. A biosynthetic pathway from 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate to methoxymalonyl-ACP is proposed. Two new syntheses of R- and S-[1,2-(13)C(2)]glycerol were developed as part of this work.     

Dual carbamoylations on the polyketide and glycosyl moiety by asm21 result in extended ansamitocin biosynthesis

Carbamoylation is one of the post-PKS modifications in ansamitocin biosynthesis. A novel ansamitocinoside with carbamoyl substitution at the C-4 hydroxyl group of the N-β-D-glucosyl moiety was identified from the ansamitocin producer, Actinosynnema pretiosum. Through biotransformation, the carbamoyltransferase gene asm21 was suggested to be responsible for the carbamoylation of the glucosyl moiety. Three new derivatives without the backbone carbamoyl group were isolated from an asm21 mutant and characterized by NMR spectroscopy. Among them, 18-O-methyl-19-chloroproansamitocin was the major product and the preferred substrate for macrolactam C-7 carbamoylation by Asm21. However, Asm21 exhibited higher catalytic efficiency toward the glucosyl moiety. Furthermore, the dual carbamoylations and N-glycosylation were precisely demonstrated in vivo. This work represents the first biochemical characterization of an O-carbamoyltransferase performing dual actions on both a polyketide backbone and a glycosyl moiety during ansamitocin biosynthesis.     

Metabolism studies of the anti-tumor agent maytansine and its analog ansamitocin P-3 using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Maytansine, a potent clinically evaluated plant-derived anti-tumor drug, and its microbial counterpart, ansamitocin P-3, showed a substantially higher cytoxicity than many other anti-tumor drugs. Owing to a shortage of material and lack of sufficiently sensitive analytical methods at the time, no metabolism studies were apparently carried out in conjunction with the initial preclinical and clinical studies on maytansine, but some products of decomposition during the period of storage of the formulated drug were reported. In the current study, the in vitro metabolism of maytansine and ansamitocin P-3 was studied after incubation with rat and human liver microsomes in the presence of NADPH, and with rat and human plasma and whole blood, using liquid chromatography/multi-stage mass spectrometry. Unchanged ansamitocin P-3 and 11 metabolites and unchanged maytansine and seven metabolites were profiled and the structures of some metabolites were tentatively assigned based on their multi-stage electrospray ion-trap mass fragmentation data and in some cases accurate mass measurement. The major pathway of ansamitocin P-3 metabolism in human liver microsomes appears to be demethylation at C-10. Oxidation and sequential oxidation/demethylation also occurred, although to a lesser extent. However, the major pathway of maytansine metabolism in human liver microsomes is N-demethylation of the methylamide of the ester moiety. Several minor pathways including O/N-demethylation, oxidation and hydrolysis of the ester bond were also observed. There were no differences in maytansine metabolism between rat and human liver microsomes; however, the rate of metabolism of ansamitocin P-3 was different in rat and human liver microsomes. About 20% of ansamitocin P-3 was converted to its metabolites in rat liver microsomes and about 70% in human liver microsomes under the same conditions. Additionally, 10-O-demethylated ansamitocin P-3 was also detected in the urine after i.v. bolus administration of ansamitocin P-3 to Sprague-Dawley male rats. No metabolites were detected following incubation of maytansine and ansamitocin P-3 with human and rat whole blood and plasma.     

The application of "click chemistry" for the decoration of 2(1H)-pyrazinone scaffold: generation of templates

The "click chemistry" approach has been explored on the 2-(1H)-pyrazinone scaffold for the generation of pharmacologically interesting heterocyclic moieties. Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition has been evaluated as the key step for the construction of the 1,2,3-triazole ring at the C-3 position of 2-(1H)-pyrazinones. Two different pathways have been successfully evaluated: (1) via C-C or C-O linkage of the acetylenic part to the C-3 position of the 2-(1H)-pyrazinone scaffold or (2) via azide introduction in the C-3 position. The subsequent application of "click chemistry" resulted in the formation of hitherto unknown skeletons. Microwave irradiation has successfully been applied in different steps of the sequence.     

Diastereoselective nucleophilic substitution reactions of oxasilacyclopentane acetals: application of the "inside attack" model for reactions of five-membered ring oxocarbenium ions

The additions of nucleophiles to oxocarbenium ions derived from oxasilacyclopentane acetates proceeded with high diastereoselectivity in most cases. Sterically demanding nucleophiles such as the silyl enol ether of diethyl ketone add to the face opposite the C-2 substituent. These reactions establish the syn stereochemistry about the newly formed carbon-carbon bond. Small nucleophiles such as allyltrimethylsilane do not show this same stereochemical preference: they add from the same face as the substituent in C-2-substituted oxocarbenium ions. The stereoselectivities exhibited by both small and large nucleophiles can be understood by application of the "inside attack" model for five-membered ring oxocarbenium ions developed previously for tetrahydrofuran-derived cations. This stereoelectronic model requires attack of the nucleophile from the face of the cation that provides the products in their lower energy staggered conformations. Small nucleophiles add to the "inside" of the lower energy ground-state conformer of the oxocarbenium ion. In contrast, sterically demanding nucleophiles add to the inside of the envelope conformer where approach is anti to the C-2 substituent of the oxocarbenium ion, regardless of the ground-state conformer population.     

Preparation of Thermocleavable Conjugates Based on Ansamitocin and Superparamagnetic Nanostructured Particles by a Chemobiosynthetic Approach

A combination of mutasynthesis, precursor‐directed biosynthesis and semisynthesis provides access to new ansamitocin derivatives including new nanostructured particle–drug conjugates. These conjugates are based on the toxin ansamitocin and superparamagnetic iron oxide–silica core shell particles. New ansamitocin derivatives that are functionalized either with alkynyl‐ or azido groups in the ester side chain at C‐3 are attached to nanostructured iron oxide core–silica shell particles. Upon exposure to an oscillating electromagnetic field these conjugates heat up and the ansamitocin derivatives are released by a retro‐Diels–Alder reaction. For example, one ansamitocin derivative exerts strong antiproliferative activity against various cancer cell lines in the lower nanomolar range while the corresponding nanostructured particle‐drug conjugate is not toxic. Therefore, these new conjugates can serve as dormant toxins that can be employed simultaneously in hyperthermia and chemotherapy when external inductive heating is applied.     

Enantioselective synthesis of "quaternary" 1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one scaffolds via memory of chirality

Glycine-derived 1,4-benzodiazepine-2-ones such as diazepam are chiral by virtue of the boat-shaped conformation of the diazepine ring and exist as a racemic mixture of conformational enantiomers. However, the presence of a chiral center at C-3 of the benzodiazepine perturbs this equilibrium and preferentially stabilizes one ring conformer. We report that N-i-Pr 1,4-benzodiazepine-2-ones derived from (S)-Ala and (S)-Phe can be deprotonated and alkylated in 86-99% ee, despite the fact that the original chiral center is destroyed in the deprotonation step. We attribute this highly enantioselective alkylation to the chiral memory of the benzodiazepine ring. This protocol provides easy access to the previously unexplored "quaternary" 1,4-benzodiazepine-2-ones.     

Functional expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis of the novel polyketide chain extension unit, methoxymalonyl-acyl carrier protein, and engineered biosynthesis of 2-desmethyl-2-methoxy-6-deoxyerythronolide B

A subcluster of five genes, asm13-17, from the ansamitocin biosynthetic gene cluster of Actinosynnema pretiosum was coexpressed in Streptomyces lividans with the genes encoding the 6-deoxyerythronolide B (6-DEB) synthase from Saccharopolyspora erythraea, in which the methylmalonate-specifying AT6 domain had been replaced by the methoxymalonate-specifying AT8 domain from the FK520 cluster of Streptomyces hygroscopicus. The engineered strain produced the predicted product, 2-desmethyl-2-methoxy-DEB, instead of 6-DEB and 2-desmethyl-6-DEB, which were formed in the absence of the asm13-17 cassette, indicating that asm13-17 are sufficient for synthesis of this unusual chain extension unit. Deletion of asm17, encoding a methyltransferase, from the cassette gave 6-DEB instead of its hydroxy analogue, indicating that methylation of the extender unit is required for its incorporation.     

Synthesis of tadalafil (Cialis) from l-tryptophan

The first synthesis of tadalafil 1 (Cialis) from l-tryptophan is described. The title compound 1 was synthesized via seven steps from l-tryptophan methyl ester hydrochloride in 42.3% overall yield. Two characteristic steps involved in this synthesis are the base-catalyzed epimerization of the C-3 position of (1S,3S)-1,2,3-trisubstituted-tetrahydro-β-carboline 3a and the acid-catalyzed epimerization of the C-1 position of (1S,3R)-1,3-disubstituted-tetrahydro-β-carboline 5. The (S)-configurations at C-1 and C-3 were inverted to (R)-configurations during the epimerization reactions. The base-catalyzed epimerization of C-3 of (1S,3S)-1,2,3-trisubstituted-tetrahydro-β-carbolines 3a–3e was also studied in detail.     

Biosynthetic study of amphidinolide B

The biosynthetic origins of amphidinoide B (1) were investigated on the basis of 13C-NMR data of 13C-enriched samples obtained by feeding experiments with [1-(13)C], [2-(13)C], and [1,2-(13)C2] sodium acetates in cultures of a dinoflagellate Amphidinium sp. These incorporation patterns suggested that 1 was generated from three successive polyketide chains, an isolated C1 unit from C-2 of acetates, six branched C1 units from C-2 of acetates, and an "m-m" and an "m-m-m" unit derived only from C-2 of acetates. The labeling patterns of amphidinolide B (1) were different from those of amphidinolide H (2), a 26-membered macrolide closely related to 1.     

Synthesis of 4＂-benzyloxyimino-4＂-deoxyavermectin B 1 a derivatives

Six new 4＂-benzyloxyimino-4＂-deoxyavermectin B la derivatives were synthesized from avermectin Bla by the selective protection of C-5-hydroxy group, oxidation of C-4＂-hydroxy group, and deprotection followed by reaction with O-substituted hydroxylamine hydrochlorides. Their structures were confirmed by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and MS. Insecticidal activities of the derivatives against Phopalosiphum pseudobrassicae, Spodoptera exigua and Pluteua xylosteua were evaluated.     

Rotation of the exo-methylene group of (R)-3-methylitaconate catalyzed by coenzyme B(12)-dependent 2-methyleneglutarate mutase from Eubacterium barkeri

2-Methyleneglutarate mutase from the anaerobe Eubacterium (Clostridium) barkeri is an adenosylcobalamin (coenzyme B(12))-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the equilibration of 2-methyleneglutarate with (R)-3-methylitaconate. Two possibilities for the mechanism of the carbon skeleton rearrangement of the substrate-derived radical to the product-related radical are considered. In both mechanisms an acrylate group migrates from C-3 of 2-methyleneglutarate to C-4. In the "addition-elimination" mechanism this 1,2-shift occurs via an intermediate, a 1-methylenecyclopropane-1,2-dicarboxylate radical, in which the migrating acrylate is simultaneously attached to both C-3 and C-4. In the "fragmentation-recombination" mechanism the migrating group, a 2-acrylyl radical, becomes detached from C-3 before it starts bonding to C-4. In an attempt to distinguish between these two possibilities we have investigated the action of 2-methyleneglutarate mutase on the stereospecifically deuterated substrates (Z)-3-methyl[2'-(2)H(1)]itaconate and (Z)-3-[2'-(2)H(1),methyl-(2)H(3)]methylitaconate. The enzyme catalyzes the equilibration of both compounds with their corresponding E-isomers and with a 1:1 mixture of the corresponding (E)- and (Z)-2-methylene[2'-(2)H(1)]glutarates, as shown by monitoring of the reactions with (1)H and (2)H NMR. In the initial phase of the enzyme-catalyzed equilibration a significant excess (8-11%) of (E)-3-methyl[2'-(2)H(1)]itaconate over its equilibrium value was observed ("E-overshoot"). The E-overshoot was only 3-4% with (Z)-3-[2'-(2)H(1),methyl-(2)H(3)]methylitaconate because the presence of the deuterated methyl group raises the energy barrier from 3-methylitaconate to the corresponding radical. The overshoot is explained by postulating that the migrating acrylate group has to overcome an additional energy barrier from the state leading back to the substrate-derived radical to the state leading forward to the product-related radical. It is concluded that the fragmentation-recombination mechanism can provide an explanation for the results in terms of an additional energy barrier, despite the higher calculated activation energy for this pathway.     

Identification of asm19 as an acyltransferase attaching the biologically essential ester side chain of ansamitocins using N-desmethyl-4,5-desepoxymaytansinol,not maytansinol,as its substrate

The potent antitumor activity of the ansamitocins, polyketides isolated from Actinosynnema pretiosum, is absolutely dependent on a short acyl group esterified to the C-3 oxygen of the macrolactam ring. Asm19, a gene in the ansamitocin biosynthetic gene cluster with homology to macrolide O-acyltransferase genes, is thought to encode the enzyme catalyzing this esterification. A mutant carrying an inactivated asm19 no longer produced ansamitocins but accumulated N-desmethyl-4,5-desepoxymaytansinol, rather than maytansinol, indicating that the acylation is not the terminal step of the biosynthetic sequence. Bioconversion experiments and in vitro studies with recombinant Asm19, expressed in Escherichia coli, showed that the enzyme is very specific toward its alcohol substrate, converting N-desmethyl-4,5-desepoxymaytansinol (but not maytansinol) into ansamitocins, but rather promiscuous toward its acyl substrate, utilizing acetyl-, propionyl-, butyryl-, isobutyryl-, as well as isovaleryl-CoA.     

New advances in the field of synthesis of natural polyhydroxysteroids

This review of the literature and of the authors' own work, devoted to a discussion of new methods for the synthesis of sections of steroid molecules responsible for their biological action, consists of two parts. The first is devoted to methods of constructing polyoxygenated side chains C₃-C₈ of steroids. In it are discussed the Grignard, Wittig, and Claisen reactions using Me-organic complexes including the C-20, C-21, C-22, C-23, and C-24 compositions, the C-22(23) double bond, the C-22, C-23, and C-24 centers, and the C-24 and C-25 centers, and other methods. In the second part methods of constructing the A/B rings of natural polyhydroxysteroid are discussed: the construction of the 2,3-vicinal diol grouping in the 5H-⁷-6-keto fragment of the ecdysones, the construction of the 2,3-cis-diol grouping in the 7-oxa-6-keto-B-homo rings of the brass inolides, and methods of creating the ⁵-7-oxygen-containing ring B of steroids of the antheridiol group.N. D. Zelinskii Institute of Organic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 3–28, January–February, 1988.     

Preparative isolation and purification of anti‐tumor agent ansamitocin P‐3 from fermentation broth of Actinosynnema pretiosum using high‐performance counter‐current chromatography

Ansamitocin P‐3 is a potent anti‐tumor maytansinoid found in Actinosynnema pretiosum. However, due to the complexity of the fermentation broth of Actinomycete, how to effectively separate ansamitocin P‐3 is still a challenge. In this study, both analytical and preparative high‐performance counter‐current chromatography were successfully used to separate and purify ansamitocin P‐3 from fermentation broth. A total of 28.8 mg ansamitocin P‐3 with purity of 98.4% was separated from 160 mg crude sample of fermentation broth in less than 80 min with the two‐phase solvent system of hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (0.6:1:0.6:1, v/v/v/v). The purity and structural identification were determined by HPLC, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and mass spectroscopy.     

The post-polyketide synthase modification steps in the biosynthesis of the antitumor agent ansamitocin by Actinosynnema pretiosum

The functions of six genes in the ansamitocin biosynthetic gene cluster of Actinosynnema pretiosum have been investigated by gene inactivation and chemical analysis of the mutants. They encode a halogenase (asm12), a carbamoyltransferase (asm21), a 20-O-methyltransferase (asm7), a 3-O-acyltransferase (asm19), an epoxidase (asm11), and an N-methyltransferase (asm10), respectively, and are responsible for the six post-PKS modification steps in ansamitocin formation. Several of the enzymes have relaxed substrate specificities, resulting in multiple parallel pathways in a metabolic grid, albeit with a preferred sequence of reactions as listed above.     

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.     

Hybeanones A and B,Two Highly Modified Polycyclic Polyprenylated Acylphloroglucinols from Hypericum beanii

Hybeanones A and B(1 and 2),two highly oxygenated and rearranged polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols(PPAPs),were isolated from the aerial parts of Hypericum beanii.Their structures comprising absolute configurations were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis,single-crystal X-ray diffraction,and quantum chemical calculations.Compounds 1 and 2 are defined by a newly assembled cyclopentanone unit fused to a tricyclic γ-lactone unit via a ketone carbonyl.The breakage of C-1/C-2 linkage via retro-Claisen reaction,attack from C-1 to C-19,and Baeyer-Villiger oxidation at C-1/C-23 bond were presumed to be the key steps in the assembly of 1 and 2.The isolates 1 and 2 showed potential acetylcholinesterase(AchE)inhibitory activities,with IC50 values of 21.34±1.48 and 18.79±2.36μmol/L,respectively.     

4-(1-硫杂-2亚氨基-3,4-二氮杂-1,4-亚丁基)-4-脱氧阿维菌素B1a的合成

以阿维菌素B1a为原料经选择性C-5羟基保护、氧化合成5-O-烯丙氧羰基-5-氧代-5-脱氧阿维菌素B1a (3), 然后与N-取代氨基硫脲偶联, 缩合产物经MnO2氧化关环、脱保护得到10个未见文献报道的4-(1-硫杂-2-亚氨基- 3,4-二氮杂-1,4-亚丁基)-4-脱氧阿维菌素B1a (7a～7j). 目标化合物结构经1H NMR, 13C NMR和MS确证.     

Spectrométrie de Masse de Benzylidène—Acétals d'Hexopyranosides

The electron impact fragmentation is reported for 46 benzylidene acetals of hexopyranosides of the allo, altro, galacto, gluco, gulo and manno series and some of their mono-oxidation products. Besides the molecular ion, which is always present and is usually part of a triplet the previously reported ion formed by cleavage of C-1? C-2, C-4? C-5 and the benzylic C? O(C-4) bond is observed. Evidence is given for two complementary ruptures (C-1? C-2, C-3? C-4; C-1? O-5, C-2? C-3, fragmentations whose intensities depend on the substituents or functional groups present in the molecule. In most cases these fragmentations allow an assignment of the substitution mode of these 1,3,6-trioxa-bicyclo-[4.4.0]decane systems. The limitations of this method are discussed.