Automated carbohydrate synthesis to drive chemical glycomics

This feature article describes the development of the first automated solid-phase oligosaccharide synthesizer. A series of chemical challenges had to be addressed to accomplish this breakthrough and provide rapid access to oligosaccharides of biological significance. Accelerated synthesis of glycoconjugates promises to greatly impact the emerging field of glycobiology. Chemical glycomics uses synthetic carbohydrates and analogs to study their role in recognition, signal transduction pathways and other events of fundamental biomedical significance and shapes up to become the next major wave in biomedical research. The automated synthesis of a novel malaria vaccine candidate is discussed to illustrate the medical potential of chemical glycomics.     

The binding selectivity of ADAR2's dsRBMs contributes to RNA-editing selectivity

ADAR2 is an RNA editing enzyme that deaminates adenosines in certain duplex structures. Here, we describe the role of its RNA binding domain, consisting of two copies of a common dsRNA binding motif (dsRBM), in editing site selectivity. ADAR2's dsRBMs bind selectively on a duplex RNA that mimics the Q/R editing site in the glutamate receptor B-subunit pre-mRNA. This selectivity is different from that of PKR's dsRBM I, indicating that dsRBMs from different proteins possess intrinsic binding selectivity. Using directed hydroxyl radical cleavage data, molecular models were developed that predict important recognition surfaces on the RNA for identified dsRBM binding sites. Blocking these surfaces by benzyl modification of guanosine 2-amino groups impeded RNA-editing, demonstrating a correlation between deamination efficiency by ADAR2 and selective binding by its dsRBMs. In addition, the editing activity of a mutant of ADAR2 lacking dsRBM I on N(2)-benzylguanosine-modified RNA suggests the location of the dsRBM I binding site that leads to editing at the GluR-B Q/R site.     

Dimethylzinc-mediated addition of alkenylzirconocenes to alpha-keto and alpha-imino esters

[reaction: see text] Hydrozirconation of alkynes followed by in situ transmetalation to dimethylzinc and 1,2-addition to activated ketones and N-diphenylphosphinoylimines leads to tertiary allylic alcohols and amines in high overall yield. With 8-phenylmenthol as the chiral auxiliary, si-face attack proceeds in good to excellent diastereoselectivities.     

Cucurbit[10]uril

Melamine diamine 1 is able to displace CB[5] from the CB[10].CB[5] complex resulting in CB[10].12 and precipitated CB[5].1. We were able to isolate free CB[10] by treatment of CB[10].1 with acetic anhydride followed by washing with MeOH, DMSO, and water. The spacious cavity of CB[10] is able to complex large guests, including a cationic calix[4]arene derivative in its 1,3-alternate form (CB[10].1,3-alt-3). The addition of adamantane carboxylic acid (4) to CB[10].3 triggers a conformational change during the formation of termolecular complex CB[10].cone-3.4.     

Ab initio studies of a water layer at transition metal surfaces

This paper presents a detailed study of a water adlayer adsorbed on Pt(111) and Rh(111) surfaces using periodic density functional theory methods. The interaction between the metal surface and the water molecules is assessed from molecular dynamics simulation data and single point electronic structure calculations of selected configurations. It is argued that the electron bands around the Fermi level of the metal substrate extend over the water adlayer. As a consequence in the presence of the water layer the surface as a whole still maintains its metallic conductivity-a result of a crucial importance for understanding the process of electron transfer through the water/metal interface and electrochemical reactions in particular. Our results also indicate that there exists a weak bond between the hydrogen of the water and the Rh metal atoms as opposed to the widespread (classical) models based on purely repulsive interaction. This suggests that the commonly used classical interactions potentials adopted for large scale molecular dynamics simulations of water/metal interfaces may need revision. Two adsorption models of water on transition metals with the OH bonds pointing towards or away of the surface are also examined. It is shown that due to the very close values of their adsorption energies one should consider the real structure of water on the surface as a mixture of these simple "up" and "down" models. A model for the structure of the adsorbed water layer on Rh(111) is proposed in terms of statistical averages from molecular dynamics simulations.     

Distance dependence of electron transfer in rigid,cofacially compressed,pi-stacked porphyrin-bridge-quinone systems

The electron-transfer (ET) dynamics of a series of unusually rigid pi-stacked porphyrin-quinone (P-Q) systems, in which sub-van der Waals interplanar distances separate juxtaposed porphyryl, aromatic bridge, and quinonyl components of these assemblies, are reported. The photoinduced charge separation (CS) and thermal charge recombination (CR) ET reactions of [5-[8'-(2',5'-benzoquinonyl)-1'-naphthyl]-10,20-diphenylporphinato]zinc(II) (1a-Zn), [5-[8'-(4'-[8'"-(2'"',5'"'-benzoquinonyl)-1'"-naphthyl]-1'-phenyl)-1'-naphthyl]-10,20-diphenylporphinato]zinc(II) (2a-Zn), and [5-(8'-[4'-(8'"-[4'"'-(8'"-[2'"',5'"'-benzoquinonyl]-1'"-naphthyl)-1'"'-phenyl]-1'"-naphthyl)-1'-phenyl]-1'-naphthyl)-10,20-diphenylporphinato]zinc(II) (3a-Zn) in CH(2)Cl(2) were investigated by pump-probe transient absorption spectroscopy. Analyses of these data show that the phenomenological ET distance dependence (beta) for both the CS and CR reactions in these systems is soft (beta(CS) = 0.43 A(-1); beta(CR) = 0.35 +/- 0.16 A(-1)). This work demonstrates that simple aromatic building blocks such as benzene, which are characterized by highly stabilized filled molecular orbitals and large HOMO-LUMO gaps, can provide substantial D-A electronic coupling when organized within a pi-stacked structural motif that features a modest degree of arene-arene interplanar compression.     

Synthesis of functionalized 2-alkylidenetetrahydrofurans by cyclization of 1,3-bis(trimethylsilyloxy)-1,3-butadienes with epoxides

The Lewis acid mediated cyclization of epoxides with 1,3-bis(trimethylsilyloxy)-1,3-butadienes, electroneutral equivalents of 1,3-dicarbonyl dianions, results in the formation of 2-alkylidenetetrahydrofurans with a great variety of substitution patterns and functional groups. This includes the synthesis of 2,3'-bifuranylidenes and 7-oxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonanes. The cyclization of dienes with functionalized epoxides containing base-labile groups proceeds with good chemoselectivity. In all reactions, good regio- and E diastereoselectivities are observed. Based on the stereoselectivities observed for reactions of 1,2-disubstituted epoxides, a working hypothesis for the mechanism of the reaction is suggested.     

Novel 99mTc labeled σ receptor ligand as a potential tumor imaging agent

A novel ^99mTc labeled complex, [N-[2-((2-oxo-2-(4-(3-phenylpropyl)piperazin-1-yl)ethyl) (2-mercaptoethyl)amino)acetyl]-2-aminoethanethiolato]Technetium(V) oxide (PPPE-MAMA’-^99mTcO) ([ ^99m Tc]-2) has been designed and prepared based on the integrated approach. The corresponding rhenium complex (PPPE-MAMA’-ReO)(Re-2) has been prepared and characterized. In vitro competition binding assays show moderate affinity of Re-2 towards σ₁ and σ₂ receptors with K _i values of 8.67 ± 0.07 and 5.71 ± 1.88 μmol, respectively. Planar images obtained at 0.5 h, 4 h, 20 h after i.v. injection indicate the accumulation of [ ^99m Tc]-2 in MCF-7 human breast tumor bearing mice at 20 h. Furthermore, the accumulation of [ ^99m Tc]-2 has been inhibited at 20 h after co-injection of [ ^99m Tc]-2 plus haloperidol (1 mg/kg). Biodistribution studies of [ ^99m Tc]-2 display an in vivo tumor uptake of 0.14% ± 0.01% ID/g at 24 h post i.v. injection with a tumor/muscle ratio of 6.02 ± 0.87. The above results suggest that [ ^99m Tc]-2, derived from a previously published lead compound, retains certain tumor uptake and affinity for σ receptors. [ ^99m Tc]-2 may be used as a basis for further structural modifications to develop tumor imaging agents with high affinity for σ receptors.     

Pyrimidino- and Proton-ionizable Pyrimidono-crown Ether Ligands: Synthesis and Preliminary Complexation Studies

Pyrimidino-crown ethers were prepared in 30-50% yields by reactingthe ditosylate derivative of the appropriate oligoethylene glycol with4-methoxy-5-methyl-2,6-pyrimidinedimethanol under basic conditions. A newmacrocyclic ligand containing a proton-ionizable pyrimidone subcyclic unitwas prepared in 88% yield by treating the appropriatepyrimidino-crown ether with 5 M NaOH in 50% (v/v) aqueous methanol.Preliminary complexation properties of some of these new compounds werestudied using various NMR spectral techniques. Good enantiomeric recognitionwas exhibited by a chiral pyrimidino-crown ether for the enantiomers of1-(-naphthyl)ethylammonium perchlorate.