Conformation control of bilatrienes by peptides: A survey

Summary A variety of bilipeptides has been synthesized and investigated by UV-VIS and CD spectroscopy to explore the conformational influence of peptide ligands on the covalently bound tetrapyrrol moiety. The results obtained are complemented by those reported previously. From the comprehensive data thus available several features of the peptidic chain regulating interactions with the bilatriene moiety have been elucidated. Accordingly, the presence of three amide linkages at the ligand is prerequiste for induction of pronounced conformational changes consisting either in a complete transition ofM intoP helical bilatriene species by inversion of all torsional angles, or in a stretching of the chromophore. The kind of conformational influence can be controlled by varying the position of the prolyl entity within a given peptide.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Kurt Schaffner on occasion of his 60th birthday     

New aspects of the protonation of biliverdins

Biliverdins undergo appreciable self association in acidic solutions especially if solvents like benzene or chloroform are employed. The population of aggregates further depends on the concentration of both the acid and the solute. In chloroform and benzene solutions at high acidity a doubly protonated species is formed. This is concluded from a combinatory evaluation of the CD and electronic absorption spectra of chiral optically active biliverdins (1–6) in benzene, chloroform, and ethanol solutions containing trifluoroacetic acid or hydrochloric acid. The aggregates formed at medium acid concentrations exhibit largeCotton effects in the long-wavelength absorption bands and thus dominate the CD spectra. Similarly, agrregates are the main contributors to theCotton effects of achiral, protonated biliverdins in (S)-(–)-ethyl lactate (SICD) at usual concentrations. The consequence and relevance of these findings with regard to the recent literature is briefly discussed.Dedicated to Prof. Dr.Karl Schlögl on occasion of his 60^th birthday.     

Chemospecific monofunctionalization of alpha-cyclodextrin in the solid state

[reaction: see text] The properties of the self-assembling aziadamantane inclusion complex with two alpha-cyclodextrin molecules have been exploited to perform a chemospecific monofunctionalization of alpha-cyclodextrin. The insertion of the photochemically generated carbenes takes place chemospecifically into the cyclodextrin's C-3-OH and C-2-OH bonds in 39 and 18% yield, respectively. This model reaction surpasses conventional methods in terms of yield as well as selectivity.     

The induced circular dichroism of helically shaped racemic bilatrienes

Summary The imperfect mirror image relationship of the circular dichroism of (M) and (P) helical biliverdins bound to a homochiral entity (ICD) has been studied using the kinetically stable racemates (M+P)2 and (M+P)3. The phenomena associated with and eventual implications for the interpretation of ICD spectra of naturally occurring kinetically labile biliverdins in terms of chiral recognition are discussed.Dedicated to ProfessorKarl Schlögl on the occasion of his 70^th birthday     

On the hypothetical protein F154 of the TTV1 virus/Thermoproteus Tenax. Part II: Synthesis of the trieicosapeptide,corresponding to the protein sequence 79–101

Summary For the identification of a protein predicted by DNA sequence analysis of the TTV1 virus from the archaebacteriumThermoproteus tenax, the trieicosapeptide H-Thr-Pro-Thr-Pro-Thr-Pro-Thr-Tyr-Asp-Ile-Thr-Tyr-Val-Val-Phe-Asp-Val-Thr-Pro-Ser-Pro-Thr-Pro-OH, corresponding to the protein fragment 79–101, was prepared by conventional methods of peptide synthesis. This sequence portion may possibly represent a suitable protein specific immunepitope.

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Zur Hypothese eines TTV1 Virus/Thermoproteus tenax F154-Proteins. Teil II: Synthese des Protein-fragments 79–101

Zusammenfassung Für den Nachweis der Expression des Proteins F154 — nach einer Sequenzanalyse des Genoms des TTV1 Virus im ArchaebakteriumThermoproteus tenax postuliert — wurde das Peptid H-Thr-Pro-Thr-Pro-Thr-Pro-Thr-Tyr-Asp-Ile-Thr-Tyr-Val-Val-Phe-Asp-Val-Thr-Pro-Ser-Pro-Thr-Pro-OH (Proteinfragment 79–101) mit Hilfe konventioneller Peptidsynthese hergestellt. Diese Peptidsequenz sollte ein geeignetes proteinspezifisches Immunepitop darstellen.

     

Molecular dynamics simulations of beta-cyclodextrin-aziadamantane complexes in water

Force-field-based atomistic simulations of host-guest supramolecular complexes between beta-cyclodextrin and several aziadamantane derivatives have been analyzed with respect to relative orientation and interaction energies, explicitly considering solvent (water) molecules. For each case, the calculations revealed two stable orientations of the guest within the host that are different in interaction energy. Fluctuation of and correlation between characteristic properties were analyzed. Among other things, it turned out that orientation angle and inclusion depth are clearly correlated. In addition, for the unsubstituted aziadamantane, the enthalpy of complex formation was calculated and compared to experimental results.     

Geometry versus basicity of bilatrienes: Stretched and helical protonated biliverdins

Summary The ease of protonation of bilatrienes at the pyrrolenine nitrogen critically depends on their conformation. The biliverdin2 being constrained to a helical (Z, Z, Z, syn, syn, syn) geometry by its four link chain is ca. three orders of magnitude less basic than flexible open-chain bilatrienes like biliverdin-IX dimethyl ester (1), which is shown to adopt a stretched conformation in its monoprotonated form. These results are obtained by a comparative investigation of the titrations of1 and2 with sulfuric acid in methanol and methanol-water by means of UV-VIS and NMR spectroscopy.

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Zusammenhang zwischen Basizität und Konformation von Bilatrienen: Gestreckte und helikale protonierte Biliverdine

Zusammenfassung Die Leichtigkeit der Protonierung von Biliverdinen am Pyrrolenin-Stickstoff hängt von ihrer Konformation ab. Das Biliverdin2, das durch eine viergliedrige Brücke in einer helikalen (Z, Z, Z, syn, syn, syn-Geometrie festgehalten wird, ist um ca. drei Größenordnungen weniger basisch als flexible offenkettige Bilatriene, wie der Biliverdin-IX-dimethylester (1), der — wie gezeigt wird — in seiner monoprotonierten Form eine gestreckte Konformation einnimmt. Diese Ergebnisse werden durch eine vergleichende Untersuchung der Titrationen von1 und2 mit Schwefelsäure in Methanol bzw. Methanol-Wasser-Gemischen mithilfe der UV-VIS- und NMR-Spektroskopie erhalten.

     

Cucurbituril adamantanediazirine complexes and consequential carbene chemistry

Adamantanediazirines, precursors of adamantanylidenes, form 1:1 complexes (guest to host) with cucurbit[7]uril and cucurbit[8]uril and a 3:1 complex with a Pd nanocage in water. (1)H NMR spectra suggested that these complexes are stable in water on the NMR time scale. While photolysis of adamantanediazirines in water gave mainly adamantanone and adamantanol via adamantanylidene as intermediate, the 1:1 complexes of adamantanediazirine with cucurbiturils gave intramolecular C-H insertion products of adamantanylidene in >90% yield. The study establishes that significant control of carbene reactivity can be achieved when the precursor is encapsulated within a tight inert cavity. While the general characteristics of molecular containers can be understood on the basis of concepts such as "confinement" and "weak interactions", each one is unique and deserves careful scrutiny.     

On the fate of biliverdin-IIIα-dimethyl ester formed by scrambling during syntheses of biliverdin-IXα-dimethyl ester from bilirubin

Summary In preparations of biliverdin-IX-dimethyl ester (2 b) from bilirubin-IX (1) the ratio of the XIII- and III-isomers3 b and4 b, formed via intermolecular scrambling, should be unity. However, irrespective of the synthetic variant considered, the amount of4 b obtained usually is exceptionally low. This is partly ascribed to a consecutive reaction of4 b in acidic methanol affording the chiral diastereomeric bridged biliverdins5 (a undb) and6 (a andb), respectively.

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Zum Verbleib des durch Scrambling gebildeten Biliverdin-III-dimethylethers bei Synthesen des IX-Isomeren aus Bilirubin

Zusammenfassung Bei der Darstellung von Biliverdin-IX-dimethylester (2 b) aus Bilirubin-IX (1) sollte das Verhältnis der durch intermolekulares Scrambling gebildeten XIII- und III-Isomeren3 b bzw.4 b eins betragen. Tatsächlich aber ist die Ausbeute an4 b, unabhängig von der verwendeten synthetischen Variante, immer sehr klein. Dieser Umstand läßt sich zumindest teilweise auf eine spezifische Reaktion von4 b in saurem Methanol zurückführen, in deren Verlauf die chiralen diastereoisomeren überbrückten Biliverdine5 (a undb) sowie6 (a undb) gebildet werden.

     

Hydration and hemiacetal formation in oxo-[m . n]metacyclophanes

[m . 2]Metacyclophanes with an oxo-function in the C₂ bridge exhibit an enhanced carbonyl reactivity towards nucleophiles. The equilibrium constants for hydration and hemiacetal formation markedly decrease asm increases and qualitatively correlate with the ring strain present in the parent hydrocarbon. [m . n]Metacyclophanes withm,n 3 are almost free from intraanular steric strain. Accordingly, oxo-functions in the bridges do not exhibit an appreciable enhancement of reactivity.

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Hydrat- und Hemiacetalbildung bei Oxo-[m . n]metacyclophanen

Zusammenfassung [m . 2]Metacyclophane mit einer Oxo-Funktion in der C₂-Brücke zeigen eine erhöhte Carbonylreaktivität gegenüber Nucleophilen. Die Gleichgewichtskonstanten für die Hydratisierung und Hemiacetalbildung nehmen mit steigendemm ab und korrelieren qualitativ mit der Ringspannung des entsprechenden Kohlenwasserstoffs. Dagegen sind [m . n]Metacyclophane mitm,n 3 weitgehend frei von intraanularen sterischen Spannungen. Oxo-Funktionen in den Brücken besitzen deshalb keine nennenswert erhöhte Carbonylreaktivität.