The use of a cysteinyl prolyl ester (CPE) autoactivating unit in peptide ligation reactions

A peptide containing a cysteinyl prolyl ester (CPE) moiety at the C-terminus (CPE peptide) is spontaneously transformed into a diketopiperazine thioester via an intramolecular N-S acyl shift reaction, followed by diketopiperazine formation. The CPE peptide can be ligated with a Cys-peptide in a one-pot procedure. The peptide diketopiperazine thioester can also be transformed into a peptide thioester by intermolecular thiol-thioester exchange with external thiol compounds such as sodium mercaptoethanesulfonate. Since CPE peptides can be prepared by standard Fmoc solid-phase synthesis, it is a versatile alternative to the peptide thioester, providing a flexible ligation strategy that promises to be useful in polypeptide synthesis.     

Transfer allyl esters to thioesters in solid phase condition: synthesis of peptide thioesters by Fmoc chemistry

A method to transfer allyl esters to thioesters under a solid phase condition has been developed to synthesize peptide thioesters. A Fmoc chemistry has been applied to synthesize the peptide allyl esters, which are selectively transferred to the expected peptide thioesters under solid phase synthesis conditions successfully.     

Peptide thioester preparation based on an N-S acyl shift reaction mediated by a thiol ligation auxiliary

Formation of peptide thioesters, based on an N to S acyl shift mediated by an auxiliary, N-4,5-dimethoxy-2-mercaptobenzyl (Dmmb) group, under acidic conditions, is described. The protected peptide was assembled on a hydroxymethylphenylacetamidomethyl resin via an N-Dmmb-amino acid residue according to standard Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis following treatment with trifluoroacetic acid. The peptide α-thioester was released from the resin by reaction with 2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid in the presence of N,N-diisopropylethylamine.     

Sequential native chemical ligation utilizing peptide thioacids derived from newly developed Fmoc-based synthetic method

The first facile Fmoc-based synthetic procedure for peptide thioacids was developed. Successful application of the resulting thioacids to sequential native chemical ligation (NCL) in the N to C direction was achieved. Conversion of the peptide thioacids to the corresponding thioesters with Ellman's reagent followed by NCL in the presence of tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP) and thiophenol was accomplished in a one-pot manner.     

N-Alkyl cysteine-assisted thioesterification of peptides

A new method for the preparation of peptide thioester by the post-solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) approach was developed. A series of N-alkyl cysteine derivatives were prepared and used as the C-terminus residue of the peptides prepared by the Fmoc SPPS. The synthetic peptides released from resin by TFA were readily converted to the peptide thioester in aqueous 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) without significant side reactions.     

Preparation of peptide thioesters using Fmoc strategy through hydroxyl side chain anchoring

In the course of the chemical synthesis of human protein mitogaligin, we present here a simple method to prepare peptide thioesters using Fmoc chemistry. The hydroxyl side chain of serine was reacted with a trichloroacetimidate Wang resin to anchor it on solid phase. After peptide elongation and orthogonal unmasking of the C-terminus, the amino thioester was introduced under optimized conditions to avoid epimerization.     

Palladium-catalyzed arylation of N,N-dialkylhydrazines and the subsequent conversion to anilines

Palladium-catalyzed aminations of different ArBr with N,N-dialkylhydrazines are described. The reaction proceeded in moderate to excellent yield (up to 90%) with good functional groups compatibilities as cyano, ester, ketone and Boc-amine groups are all well tolerated. Several hydrazines were proved to be good coupling partners and this process provided a general method for the isosteric replacement of benzyl amines with arylhydrazines. Moreover, a method for the N-N bond cleavage of arylhydrazines was discovered, and this two-step sequence could be employed as an alternative synthesis of aniline derivatives.     

Chemical modification of poly(vinyl chloride) by nucleophilic substitution

The reaction of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) in nucleophile (Nu)/ethylene glycol (EG) or Nu/N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution was found to result in the substitution of Cl in PVC with Nu from solution, in addition to the straight elimination of HCl, both of which led to the dechlorination of PVC. Examined Nu⁻ were I⁻, SCN⁻, OH⁻, N₃⁻, and the phthalimide anion. For the Nu/EG solution, elimination was favoured over substitution for all Nu⁻. The ratio of substitution to dechlorination was notable, descending in the order OH⁻ > SCN⁻ = N₃⁻ > phthalimide anion > I⁻. For the Nu/DMF solution, the ratio of substitution to dechlorination was high, in the order SCN⁻ > N₃⁻ > I⁻ > phthalimide anion. In both cases, the orders of the ratios were similar to those of the nucleophilic reactivity constant, I⁻ > SCN⁻ > N₃⁻ > phthalimide anion, except for I⁻. The low ratio for I⁻ was attributable to the elimination of HI after the substitution of Cl in PVC with I in solution, because I⁻ is a strong nucleophile, as well as an excellent leaving group. Comparing the effect of EG and DMF on the substitution of Cl in PVC with Nu in solution, the ratio of substitution to dechlorination was higher for I⁻, SCN⁻, N₃⁻, and the phthalimide anion in DMF than in EG. The substitution of Cl in PVC with Nu in solution was found to occur preferentially in DMF versus EG.     

Chemoselective coupling of peptide fragments using the Staudinger ligation

Here we report the first Staudinger ligations which yield tetra- and pentapeptides starting from N-terminal α-azido peptides and C-terminal peptideo-(diphenylphosphine)phenyl esters. Mass spectrometric analysis of the reaction mixture provided a better insight into the mechanism of the Staudinger ligation and has been used to explain the observed intermediates and to optimize the ligation reaction. As a result, the optimized reaction enables the chemoselective coupling of peptides containing amino acids other than glycine at the ligation site.     

Synthesis of the sphingolipid activator protein, saposin C, using an azido-protected O-acyl isopeptide as an aggregation-disrupting element

In order to achieve an efficient synthesis of highly hydrophobic proteins by the native chemical ligation (NCL) reaction, we examined to incorporate the O-acyl isopeptide method, which is known to improve the solubility of the segment, to the NCL reaction: a peptide thioester having O-acyl isopeptide structures is prepared by the Boc mode solid-phase method using an azido group as a protecting group for the isopeptide site, and then ligated with C-terminal segment with an in situ reduction of the azido group followed by an O- to N-acyl shift. This method was successfully applied to the synthesis of the sphingolipid activator protein, saposin C.     

N,N,N,N-Tetramethyl-1,3-propanediamine as the catalyst of choice for the Baylis-Hillman reaction of cycloalkenone: rate acceleration by stabilizing the zwitterionic intermediate via the ion-dipole interaction

N,N,N^′,N^′-Tetramethyl-1,3-propanediamine (TMPDA) can be used as an efficient catalyst for the Baylis-Hillman reaction of cycloalkenones. The increased reaction rate was thought be derived from the stabilizing effect of the zwitterionic intermediate via the ion-dipole interaction.     

Efficient iodine catalyzed chemoselective synthesis of aminals—an access to N,N-acetals by the addition of lactams to N-acyl imines

A highly efficient protocol has been developed for the synthesis of aminals from γ-butyrolactam and benzaldehyde using iodine as Lewis acid catalyst. The attack of γ-butyrolactam nucleophile to intermediate N-acyliminium ion was more favorable, when aryl aldehyde bears the electron donating group (EDG). Iodine plays a key role in these reaction transformations. This current mild protocol is environmentally benign and cost-effective method for the synthesis of industrially and pharmaceutically useful scaffolds.     

Synthesis of 4-anilinopiperidine methyl esters,intermediates in the production of carfentanil,sufentanil, and remifentanil

Two spirodiaza intermediates have been made and employed in the synthesis of 4-anilinopiperidine methyl esters. These intermediates can be utilized in the production of commercial synthetic analgesics carfentanil, sufentanil, and remifentanil.     

Catalytic adsorptive stripping voltammetry versus electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry in the determination of trace cobalt and chromium in human urine

Two methods of the determination of cobalt and chromium in human urine of non-occupationally exposed populations—highly sensitive catalytic adsorptive stripping voltammetry (CAdSV) and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET-AAS)—are evaluated and compared. The CAdSV methods are based on adsorptive accumulation of a cobalt-nioxime (1,2-cyclohexanedione dioxime) or a chromium-DTPA (diethylenetriammine-N,N,N′,N″,N″-pentaacetic acid) complexes on a hanging mercury drop electrode, followed by a stripping voltammetric measurement of the catalytic reduction current of the adsorbed complex in the presence of sodium nitrite in case of cobalt or in the presence of sodium nitrate in case of chromium determination. In the CAdSV procedure UV-photolysis was used for the sample pre-treatment; the ET-AAS determination did not require any separate preliminary decomposition of the analyte urine samples. The accuracy of the procedures was checked by the analysis of commercially available quality control urine samples. The detection limits (3σ) were 0.13 μg l⁻¹ for Co and 0.18 μg l⁻¹ for Cr in ET-AAS determination and 0.007 μg l⁻¹ for Co and 0.002 μg l⁻¹ for Cr in CAdSV measurements. Precision (R.S.D.) was less than 5% for both methods. The study has shown that the CAdSV is a more reliable and sensitive technique for the determination of very low cobalt and chromium contents in urine, the detection of which is not possible when using the AAS technique.     

New approaches to the structural modification of olean-type pentacylic triterpenes via microbial oxidation and glycosylation

Microbial transformation of 4 olean-type pentacyclic triterpenes (OPTs), 3-oxo oleanolic acid (1), 3-acetyl oleanolic acid (2), oleanolic acid (3), and esculentoside A (4) was studied. After the screening of 12 strains of microbes, preparative biotransformation by two strains of Streptomyces griseus ATCC 13273 and Aspergillus ochraceus CICC 40330 resulted in the isolation of 10 metabolites. The microbial catalyzed high efficient regio-selective methyl oxidation and glycosylation were discovered, which could be provided as an alternative method to expand the structural diversity of OPTs. All the structures of the metabolites were elucidated unambiguously by ESI-MS, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and 2D-NMR spectroscopy.     

2-(4-Sulfophenylsulfonyl)ethoxycarbonyl group: a new water-soluble N-protecting group and its application to solid phase peptide synthesis in water

Solid phase peptide synthesis is carried out in organic solvents, creating environmental problems after disposal. To avoid this problem, we aimed to perform solid phase peptide synthesis in water. A new water-soluble N-protecting group, 2-(4-sulfophenylsulfonyl)ethoxycarbonyl (Sps) group, was designed and Sps-amino acids were prepared. To evaluate the utility of this technique, Leu-enkephalin amide was prepared by solid phase synthesis using Sps-amino acids in water.     

Selective O-acylation of unprotected N-benzylserine methyl ester and O,N-acyl transfer in the formation of cyclo[Asp-Ser] diketopiperazines

The synthesis of two diastereomeric cyclo[Asp-N-Bn-Ser] diketopiperazines (2a and 2b) was investigated. Initial formation of the Boc-aspartyl-N-benzyl serine isopeptide methyl esters (4a and 4b) was observed, which derive from the selective O-acylation of unprotected (S)- or (R)-N-benzylserine. This unexpected O-acylation is preferred over the formation of the tertiary amide and the resulting ester bond is stable in solution to O,N-acyl transfer. The O,N-acyl migration is then triggered by cleavage of the Boc protecting group and treatment with base, which also promotes immediate cyclization to the diketopiperazines.     

An efficient method for the conversion of aromatic and aliphatic nitriles to the corresponding N-tert-butyl amides: a modified Ritter reaction

Aromatic and aliphatic nitriles react with tert-butyl acetate in the presence of a catalytic amount of sulfuric acid to give the corresponding N-tert-butyl amides in excellent yields.     

Synthesis of an O-acyl isopeptide by using native chemical ligation to efficiently construct a hydrophobic polypeptide

By using dimethylformamide to suppress the O-to-N acyl migration, we efficiently synthesized an O-acyl isopeptide by native chemical ligation of a peptide-thioester and a Cys-O-acyl isopeptide. The reaction mixture was then loaded onto an octadecylsilane reverse-phase HPLC column, and the isopeptide was purified by using a linear gradient of CH₃CN in 0.1% aqueous trifluoroacetic acid. The recovery rate of the O-acyl isopeptide was considerably higher than that of the corresponding native polypeptide. Synthesis of O-acyl isopeptides via native chemical ligation, with O-to-N acyl migration as the final step to give the native form, has potential as an efficient method of constructing hydrophobic polypeptides.     

Determination of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid and iminodisuccinic acid in cosmetic products by capillary electrophoresis and high performance liquid chromatography

A capillary electrophoresis (CE) and a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method are described for the simultaneous determination of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), S,S′-ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS) and R,S-iminodisuccinic acid (IDS) complexing agents as their Fe(III) complexes in cosmetics like shower cream and foam bath. The non-biodegradable EDTA is used in combination with biodegradable analogues like EDDS and IDS in many commercial products. The HPLC method involves separation by reversed-phase ion pair chromatography on a C₁₈ column using methanol-formate buffer (20 mM tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate, 15 mM sodium formate adjusted to pH 4.0 with formic acid) (10:90, v/v) as mobile solvent at a flow rate of 0.8 mL min⁻¹ at 24 °C using UV detection at 240 nm. The CE separation was performed in a fused silica capillary of 50 μm i.d. with the total length of 50 cm with a 10 mM MES and MOPSO (pH 5.5) at an applied voltage of −25 kV. The samples were introduced by applying a 50 mbar pressure for 2 s. Absorbances at 215 and 225 nm were monitored for the detection of the complexes. The methodology performance of the two methods was evaluated in terms of linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ) and reproducibility. The LOD values obtained from HPLC are low when compared with CE. The applicability of both the methods was demonstrated for the analysis of cosmetic products such as shower cream and foam bath. The results obtained by both CE and HPLC were found to be comparable and in good agreement.