Efficient synthesis of hydrocarbon-bridged diaminodiacids through nickel-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling

Solid-phase incorporation of pre-prepared diaminodiacids has been established as an efficient strategy for the chemical synthesis of peptide disulfide bond mimics. Hydrocarbon-bridged diaminodiacids represent one important category of diaminodiacids but they remain difficult to synthesize. In the present work, we reported the use of newly-developed nickel catalyzed reductive cross-coupling reaction to efficiently synthesize diaminodiacids with hydrocarbon bridges. Through optimization of the reaction conditions, the yield of the hydrocarbon bridge formation reached about 50%, even when the reaction was scaled up to the gram level. Subsequently, using our recently developed Dmab/ivDde protecting group system, we obtained a new hydrocarbon-bridged diaminodiacid that are suitable for metal-free deprotection conditions. We demonstrated the utility of this Dmab/ivDde protected hydrocarbon-bridged diaminodiacid in the synthesis of a disulfide surrogate of oxytocin.     

Dmab/ivDde protected diaminodiacids for solid-phase synthesis of peptide disulfide-bond mimics

The use of pre-prepared diaminodiacids has been established as an effective approach for the chemical synthesis of peptide disulfide bond mimics. A technical problem often encountered in the implementation of the diaminodiacids strategy is the use of heavy metal reagents to remove the side-chain protecting groups. In the present work, we reported the development of diaminodiacid that carry 4-(N-[1-(4,4-dimethyl-2,6-dioxocyclo-hexylidene)-3-methylbutyl]amino)benzyl (Dmab) and 1-(4,4-dimethyl-2,6-dioxocyclohex-1-ylidene)-3-methylbutyl (ivDde) protecting groups. This pair of protecting groups can be readily removed by mild hydrazinolysis during the solid-phase synthesis on resin. We demonstrated the use of Dmab/ivDde protected diaminodiacids in the successful synthesis of a disulfide surrogate of oxytocin.     

Creating carbon-carbon bonds with samarium diiodide for the synthesis of modified amino acids and peptides

In this perspective, an overview of our experiences on the application of samarium diiodide in organic synthesis for the preparation of amino acid and peptide analogues is presented. Three different carbon-carbon bond forming reactions are discussed, including side chain introductions, gamma-amino acid synthesis and acyl-like radical additions for the construction of C-C mimics of the peptidic bonds.     

A Diaminodiacid (DADA) Strategy for the Development of Disulfide Surrogate Peptides

Disulfide bond‐containing peptides are useful molecular scaffolds with diagnostic and therapeutic applications due to their good biological activity and good target selectivity, but their utility is sometimes limited by the lability of the disulfide moiety under reducing conditions and in the presence of disulfide bond isomerase. The development of disulfide surrogates with improved redox stability has been an area of ongoing research; and one possible strategy is based on a diaminodiacid (DADA) moiety, which can be used to synthesize the disulfide bond replacement peptides with precise structures and enhanced stability through automated solid‐phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). This review summarizes recent developments in the DADA‐based SPPS of peptide disulfide surrogates. Some representative applications and structural studies on the DADA‐based disulfide surrogates are described.     

Influence of steric effects in solid-phase aza-peptide synthesis

Aza-peptides are peptide analogs with potential applications as drug candidates. However, due to difficulties associated with the synthesis of these compounds, information regarding their bioactivity is very limited. Herein, we identify steric hindrance as one reason for the slowness of the aza-peptide bond formation reaction. The steric effect of the side group of amino acids in their coupling with the semicarbazide moiety in the synthesis of a model peptide, H-AA-AzAla-Phe-NH₂, was studied and quantified using COMU as a coupling reagent. Characterization of the role of this structural factor in aza-peptide bond synthesis is essential for outlining a new and efficient synthesis protocol.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of alpha,beta'-disubstituted aminomethyl(2-carboxyethyl)phosphinates as phosphinyl dipeptide isosteres

A new and efficient method has been developed for the diastereoselective synthesis of unnatural dipeptide analogues containing the metabolically stable phosphinic moiety, NH 2XaaPsi[P(O)OHCH 2]XaaOH, which mimics the transition state of tetrahedral geometry of a scissile peptide bond in hydrolysis by protease. The method is based upon stereospecific Michael addition of stereodefined alpha-aminoalkyl- H-phosphinates to acrylates and subsequent diastereoselective alkylation at the beta'-position of the resulting Michael adducts.     

Diaminodiacid Bridges to Improve Folding and Tune the Bioactivity of Disulfide‐Rich Peptides

Disulfide‐rich peptides containing three or more disulfide bonds are promising therapeutic and diagnostic agents, but their preparation is often limited by the tedious and low‐yielding folding process. We found that a single cystine‐to‐diaminodiacid replacement could significantly increase the folding efficiency of disulfide‐rich peptides and thus improve their production yields. The practicality of this strategy was demonstrated by the synthesis and folding of derivatives of the μ‐conotoxin SIIIA, the preclinical hormone hepcidin, and the trypsin inhibitor EETI‐II. NMR and X‐ray crystallography studies confirmed that these derivatives of disulfide‐rich peptide retained the correct three‐dimensional conformations. Moreover, the cystine‐to‐diaminodiacid replacement enabled structural tuning, thereby leading to an EETI‐II derivative with higher bioactivity than the native peptide.     

Single-Shot Solid-Phase Synthesis of Full-Length H2 Relaxin Disulfide Surrogates

Chemical synthesis of insulin superfamily proteins (ISPs) has recently been widely studied to develop next-generation drugs. Separate synthesis of multiple peptide fragments and tedious chain-to-chain folding are usually encountered in these studies, limiting accessibility to ISP derivatives. Here we report the finding that insulin superfamily proteins (e.g. H2 relaxin, insulin itself, and H3 relaxin) incorporating a pre-made diaminodiacid bridge at A-B chain terminal disulfide can be easily and rapidly synthesized by a single-shot automated solid-phase synthesis and expedient one-step folding. Our new H2 relaxin analogues exhibit almost identical structures and activities when compared to their natural counterparts. This new synthetic strategy will expediate production of new ISP analogues for pharmaceutical studies.     

Straightforward synthesis of cholic acid stabilized loop mimetics

We here report on a new straightforward strategy for the synthesis of cyclic cholic acid–peptide conjugates. A solid-phase synthesis method is presented in which a selected anti-lysozyme CDR3 fragment, Asp-Ser-Thr-Ile-Tyr-Ala-Ser-Tyr-Tyr-Glu-Ser, is immobilized onto a steroidal cholic acid derived scaffold in order to yield a loop-like structure. Therefore, part of the desired sequence, that is, Ser-Tyr-Tyr-Glu-Ser, is introduced, at the C12 position of the scaffold. Subsequently, the remainder of the envisaged sequence is introduced at C3 via a Cu-catalyzed cyclo-addition reaction. Finally, amide bond formation delivers the desired cyclic peptidosteroid. This new synthetic strategy offers an easy and short access to cyclic peptidosteroids via convergent peptide ligation and macrocyclization.     

锆氢催化的酰胺硼氢化合成胺类化合物研究:机理、使用范围和应用

发展温和条件下胺类化合物的高效合成方法是催化与合成领域长期研究的课题.其中,酰胺还原因其原料来源广、易于合成而广受关注.酰胺还原到胺需要选择性断裂C=O键,因此该反应具有很大的挑战性.传统酰胺还原方法需要使用当量的强还原试剂,如四氢铝锂、硼氢化钠等,且官能团兼容性较差.使用氢气还原原子经济性最高,也最有吸引力;然而,目前已报道的体系大都在高温(>120℃)或高压(>40 bar H2)的条件下进行.虽然催化硼氢化可以在温和的条件下将羰基化合物还原,但由于酰胺化合物惰性比较高,其选择性的催化硼氢化研究则相对较少,而且在温和条件下对三级、二级、一级酰胺都适用的例子依然非常有限.本文采用前过渡金属锆氢催化剂实现了室温条件下酰胺选择性硼氢化制备胺类化合物,并进行了详细的机理研究.原位红外监测到反应过程中酰胺和硼烷逐渐减少,目标产物逐渐增多;但并未给出其他反应中间体的信息.核磁研究以及对照实验结果表明,反应中有苯甲醛的生成,可能是反应中间体.因此推测,该催化体系经历了锆氢介导的酰胺C?N键断裂、重组、C?O键断裂这一特殊的酰胺键活化转化过程.DFT计算也证实了上述反应历程的可行性.除一些常见官能团外,本方法对羧酸酯、氰基、硝基、烯烃和炔烃这些可能被硼氢化的官能团同样具有兼容性.而且本文体系对一些生物、药物分子衍生酰胺的硼氢化也可以顺利进行.可见,本文发展了一种温和条件下使用廉价催化剂和原料选择性合成胺类化合物的方法.     

锆氢催化的酰胺硼氢化合成胺类化合物研究:机理、使用范围和应用

发展温和条件下胺类化合物的高效合成方法是催化与合成领域长期研究的课题.其中,酰胺还原因其原料来源广、易于合成而广受关注.酰胺还原到胺需要选择性断裂C=O键,因此该反应具有很大的挑战性.传统酰胺还原方法需要使用当量的强还原试剂,如四氢铝锂、硼氢化钠等,且官能团兼容性较差.使用氢气还原原子经济性最高,也最有吸引力;然而,目前已报道的体系大都在高温(>120℃)或高压(>40 bar H2)的条件下进行.虽然催化硼氢化可以在温和的条件下将羰基化合物还原,但由于酰胺化合物惰性比较高,其选择性的催化硼氢化研究则相对较少,而且在温和条件下对三级、二级、一级酰胺都适用的例子依然非常有限.本文采用前过渡金属锆氢催化剂实现了室温条件下酰胺选择性硼氢化制备胺类化合物,并进行了详细的机理研究.原位红外监测到反应过程中酰胺和硼烷逐渐减少,目标产物逐渐增多;但并未给出其他反应中间体的信息.核磁研究以及对照实验结果表明,反应中有苯甲醛的生成,可能是反应中间体.因此推测,该催化体系经历了锆氢介导的酰胺C?N键断裂、重组、C?O键断裂这一特殊的酰胺键活化转化过程.DFT计算也证实了上述反应历程的可行性.除一些常见官能团外,本方法对羧酸酯、氰基、硝基、烯烃和炔烃这些可能被硼氢化的官能团同样具有兼容性.而且本文体系对一些生物、药物分子衍生酰胺的硼氢化也可以顺利进行.可见,本文发展了一种温和条件下使用廉价催化剂和原料选择性合成胺类化合物的方法.     

β‐Selective C‐Glycosylation and its Application in the Synthesis of Scleropentaside A

C‐Glycosides are carbohydrates that bear a C?C bond to an aglycon at the anomeric center. Due to their high stability towards chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis, these compounds are widely used as carbohydrate mimics in drug development. Herein, we report a general and exclusively β‐selective method for the synthesis of a naturally abundant acyl‐C‐glycosidic structural motif first found in the scleropentaside natural product family. A Corey–Seebach umpolung reaction as the key step in the synthesis of scleropentaside A and analogues enables the β‐selective construction of the anomeric C?C bond starting from unprotected carbohydrates in only four steps. The one‐pot approach is highly atom‐efficient and avoids the use of toxic heavy metals.     

A new strategy for synthesis of branched cyclic peptide by Asn side-chain hydrazide ligation

Here, we report a new strategy for rapid synthesis of branched peptide by side-chain hydrazide ligation at Asn. The hydrazide was converted to thioester at Asn side chain by NaNO₂ and thiol reagent, and sequential ligation with an N-terminus Cys-peptide efficiently afforded the branched peptide. A branched cyclic peptide was successfully synthesized by side-chain ligation with a two-Cys-peptide and formation of a disulfide bond. This approach provides a new way for expeditious synthesis of branched peptides and facilitates the design of neopeptides as functional bio-mimics.     

Iron-catalyzed C–H amination and its application in organic synthesis

Transition-metal-catalyzed direct C–H bond amination is an attractive strategy in preparation of nitrogen containing molecules which are common in naturally occurring and pharmaceutically important compounds. Comparing to the precious metals commonly used in this reaction, non-precious metals such as iron are abundant in earth, relatively low toxic, and more biocompatible, which meet the increasing demand for environmentally benign and sustainable chemical processes. In this review, we described the development in iron catalyzed C–H bond amination reactions from historical landmarks to recent achievements, and placed emphasis on their applications in organic synthesis, i.e. natural product synthesis and/or modification.     

Synthesis of 5,6-dihydro-4H-1,3-thiazine containing peptide mimics from N-(3-hydroxypropyl)thioamides and epimerization studies

The first synthesis of 1,3-thiazine fused peptide mimics is described from N-(3-hydroxypropyl)thioamides under MsCl/NEt₃ conditions. The method is amenable to oligopeptidomimics with polar and apolar side chains. Substantial epimerization occurs at chiral C(2) exo methines in non-Pro fused mimics even under neutral conditions. ¹H NMR and crystal structure analyses indicate that the Thi analogues primarily associate with each other through intermolecular hydrogen bonds, involving the nitrogen of 1,3-thiazine and the N–H of the fused residue, which may be the basis for enamination–racemization process in these peptide mimics.     

Chiral dipeptide mimics possessing a fluoroolefin moiety: a relevant tool for conformational and medicinal studies

The replacement of the amide bond in a peptide backbone is a promising strategy in peptidomimetic drug research. Over the various amide bond surrogates, the fluoroolefin moiety has been successfully developed as an effective mimic. Today, fluorine-containing compounds account for a large proportion of new active molecules in life sciences. The synthesis of fluoroolefin peptide mimics is not a trivial task and innovative approaches often need to be addressed, in particular for the stereocontrol of the double bond configuration and the chiral centres adjacent to the fluoroalkene. These fluorinated peptidomimetics have been synthesised and evaluated as metabolically stable and/or conformationally constrained analogs of enzyme inhibitors, and as tools for probing the function, structure, and binding process of receptors.     

Semi-synthesis of disulfide-linked branched tri-ubiquitin mimics

Ubiquitin (Ub) chain isopeptide bond mimics are useful molecules for biochemical and biophysical studies. Herein, we report the semi-synthesis of the disulfide-linked K11/K48-branched tri-Ub (Ub₃^11/48(S–S)), the first example of an isopeptide mimic for the branched Ub chains, which have recently emerged as an interesting category of Ub modifications. Our strategy comprised the E1-dependent synthesis of the Ub conjugate of aminoethanethiol, followed by disulfide formation with Ub(K11C, K48C). The structure of the synthetic isopeptide bond mimics was verified by the crystal structure of Ub₃^11/48(S–S). Deubiquitination and pulldown assays indicated that the synthetic Ub₃^11/48(S–S) could be hydrolyzed by linkage-specific deubiquitinases (K11-specific Cezanne and K48-specific OTUB1), and recognized by proteasomal ubiquitin receptor S5a.     

A convergent synthesis of new beta-turn mimics by click chemistry

Alkyne-azide cycloaddition ("click" chemistry) between two peptide strands derivatized with terminal azide and alkyne, respectively, provides an efficient convergent synthesis of triazole ring-based new beta-turn mimics.     

New and efficient routes for the synthesis of murrayaquinone A and murrayanine

Three new routes were established for the synthesis of biologically active murrayaquinone A and a new method was developed for synthesis of murrayanine from the same starting material as 4-hydroxy carbazole. During the synthetic course a few novel observation were recorded, which include two one pot reaction sequences and C–N bond cleavage by sodium cyanoborohydride.     

The role of 23S ribosomal RNA residue A2451 in peptide bond synthesis revealed by atomic mutagenesis

Peptide bond formation is a fundamental reaction in biology, catalyzed by the ribosomal peptidyl-transferase ribozyme. Although all active-site 23S ribosomal RNA nucleotides are universally conserved, atomic mutagenesis suggests that these nucleobases do not carry functional groups directly involved in peptide bond formation. Instead, a single ribose 2'-hydroxyl group at A2451 was identified to be of pivotal importance. Here, we altered the chemical characteristics by replacing its 2'-hydroxyl with selected functional groups and demonstrate that hydrogen donor capability is essential for transpeptidation. We propose that the A2451-2'-hydroxyl directly hydrogen bonds to the P-site tRNA-A76 ribose. This promotes an effective A76 ribose C2'-endo conformation to support amide synthesis via a proton shuttle mechanism. Simultaneously, the direct interaction of A2451 with A76 renders the intramolecular transesterification of the peptide from the 3'- to 2'-oxygen unfeasible, thus promoting effective peptide bond synthesis.