Stereoselective synthesis of (Z)-fluoroalkenes directed to peptide isosteres: copper mediated reaction of trialkylaluminum with 4,4-difluoro-5-hydroxyallylic alcohol derivatives

Copper mediated alkyl-transfer reaction of trialkylaluminum (R₃Al) with (E)-4,4-difluoro-5-hydroxyallylic alcohol derivative smoothly proceeded to give the corresponding 2-alkylated 4-fluoro-5-hydroxyhomoallylic alcohol derivative with completely Z and 2,5-syn selective manner. Regio- and stereoselective conversion of the C5-hydroxyl group of the fluoroolefin thus obtained to amino group could be achieved through one-pot mesylation and azidation reaction.     

Insoluble eggshell matrix proteins--their peptide mapping and partial characterization by capillary electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography

Avian eggshell matrix proteins were studied by two analytical approaches. Peptide mapping was done by trypsin and pepsin followed by collagenase cleavage; analyses were carried out by capillary electrophoresis and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Comparison of peptide maps obtained by both methods revealed a complex mixture of peptides in the insoluble layers of the eggshell; it was concluded that there are at least three different insoluble protein/peptide layers in the avian eggshell (cuticle, palisade, and mammillary layer). Partial characterization of peptides in each layer was made by HPLC-mass spectrometry analysis. There is an evidence that the eggshell insoluble proteins contain species susceptible to collagenase cleavage, however, the sequences split by this enzyme probably are not those typical for the main triple-helical core of collagenous proteins. It is proposed that the action of collagenase upon eggshell proteins is caused by the side effect of collagenase described previously with synthetic peptides. Some of the proteins present are probably glycosylated. Fatty acid content in the insoluble eggshell layers (after decalcification) was in the range of 2-4% (which reflected both lipid and lipoproteins bound fatty acids). Porphyrin pigments are dominant in the cuticle layer.     

An improved cyclization protocol for the synthesis of diazabicyclo[4.3.0]alkanes

We have recently described the synthesis of diazabicyclo[4.X.0]alkanes and their use as ligands for the prostate specific membrane antigene (PSMA). The key step of our synthetic route toward these diazabicycloalkanes is an oxidative cleavage of a bicyclic diol moiety followed by the attack of a nitrogen nucleophile to the resulting intermediate bisaldehyde. We herein describe the mechanism of this ring closure and its stereochemical consequences. In addition, we report a convenient method for trapping intermediate bisaldehydes by Wittig reagents. This trapping allows the synthesis of 3,5-disubstituted proline derivatives, which are shown to be versatile precursors for functionalized diazabicycloalkane dipeptide mimetics.     

Capillary electrophoresis coupled to time of flight-mass spectrometry of therapeutic peptide hormones

We have established a method for separation and characterization of a series of peptide hormones of pharmaceutical interest and wide therapeutical use by capillary electrophoresis-electrospray-mass spectrometry (CE-ES-MS) using a sheath flow interface. Several parameters were systematically investigated, such as concentration of the electrolyte, organic solvent and sheath liquid composition, gas flow rates and capillary position. Moreover, limits of detection, linearity, repeatability and day-to-day reproducibility of the proposed method were studied in order to obtain the main quality parameters.     

Synthesis and conformational analysis by 1H NMR and restrained molecular dynamics simulations of the cyclic decapeptide [Ser-Tyr-Ser-Met-Glu-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly]

Summary The design of enzyme mimics with therapeutic and industrial applications has interested both experimental and computational chemists for several decades. Recent advances in the computational methodology of restrained molecular dynamics, used in conjunction with data obtained from two-dimensional ¹H NMR spectroscopy, make it a promising method to study peptide and protein structure and function. Several issues, however, need to be addressed in order to assess the validity of this method for its explanatory and predictive value. Among the issues addressed in this study are: the accuracy and generizability of the GROMOS peptide molecular mechanics force field; the effect of inclusion of solvent on the simulations; and the effect of different types of restraining algorithms on the computational results. The decapeptide Ser-Tyr-Ser-Met-Glu-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly, which corresponds to the sequence of ACTH_1–10, has been synthesized, cyclized, and studied by two-dimensional ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Restrained molecular dynamics (RMD) and time-averaged restrained molecular dynamics (TARMD) simulations were carried out on four different distance-geometry starting structures in order to determine and contrast the behavior of cyclic ACTH_1–10 in vacuum and in solution. For the RMD simulations, the structures did not fit the NOE data well, even at high values of the restraining potential. The TARMD simulation method, however, was able to give structures that fit the NOE data at high values of the restraining potential. In both cases, inclusion of explicit solvent molecules in the simulation had little effect on the quality of the fit, although it was found to dampen the motion of the cyclic peptide. For both simulation techniques, the number and size of the NOE violations increased as the restraining potential approached zero. This is due, presumably, to inadequacies in the force field. Additional TARMD vacuum-phase simulations, run with a larger memory length or with a larger sampling size (16 additional distance-geometry structures), yielded no significantly different results. The computed data were then analyzed to help explain the sparse NOE data and poor chymotryptic activity of the cyclic peptide. Cyclic ACTH_1–10, which contains the functional moieties of the catalytic triad of chymotrypsin, was evaluated as a potential mimic of chymotrypsin by measurement of the rate of hydrolysis of esters of L-and d-phenylalanine. The poor rate of hydrolysis is attributed to the flexibility of the decapeptide, the motion of the side chains, which result in the absence of long-range NOEs, the small size of the macrocycle relative to that of the substrate, and the inappropriate orientation of the Gly, His, and Ser residues. The results demonstrate the utility of this method in computer-aided molecular design of cyclic peptides and suggest structural modifications for future work based on a larger and more rigid peptide framework.     

Study of the acylation reaction of 2,6-dimethyl-3,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid hydrazides

Acylation of 3-ethoxycarbonyl-2,6-dimethyl-5-pyridinecarboxylic acid hydrazide and 2,6-dimethyl-3,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid dihydrazide using aromatic acid chlorides gave the corresponding N-aroyl hydrazides. It was found that the hydrazinolysis of 3-ethoxycarbonyl-2,6-dimethyl-5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid N-aroyl hydrazides occurred not at the ester group but as a rehydrazinolysis reaction at the dihydrazide fragment. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 12, pp. 1834–1845, December, 2005.     

Novel spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of sulfite with rhodamine B hydrazide in a micellar medium

A novel spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of sulfite using rhodamine B hydrazide as fluorogenic reagent in the presence of polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80) surfactant micelles is described. The method is based on the mixture of sulfite with rhodamine B hydrazide, a colorless, non-fluorescent substance in Tween 80 surfactant micelles which gives rhodamine B-like fluorescence emission. The fluorescence intensity increase is linearly related to the concentration of sulfite in the range 5-800 ng ml⁻¹ with a detection limit of 1.4 ng ml⁻¹ (3σ). The optimal conditions for the detection of sulfite are evaluated and the possible detection mechanism is also discussed. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of total sulfite in wines and compares well with the standard iodimetric method.     

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.