Diastereoselective synthesis of new psi[(E)-CH=CMe]- and psi[(Z)-CH=CMe]-type alkene dipeptide isosteres by organocopper reagents and application to conformationally restricted cyclic RGD peptidomimetics

Diastereoselective synthesis of new psi[(E)-CH=CMe]- and psi[(Z)-CH=CMe]-type alkene dipeptide isosteres corresponding to dipeptides having one N-methylamino acid, and application to bioactive peptides, are described. In a key reaction introducing the chiral alpha-alkyl group of the isosteres, organocopper-mediated alkylation of syn-beta-methylated gamma-mesyloxy-alpha,beta-enoate 26a afforded E- and Z-isomers of anti-S(N)2' products in a solvent-dependent manner. The resulting two isosteres, D-Phe-psi[(E)-CH=CMe]-L-Val 27a and D-Phe-psi[(Z)-CH=CMe]-L-Val 28b, which corresponded to trans- and cis-conformers of D-Phe-L-MeVal, respectively, were utilized in a structure-activity relationship study on cyclic RGD peptides 1 and 2, in company with a psi[(E)-CH=CH]-type alkene dipeptide isostere, D-Phe-psi[(E)-CH=CH]-L-Val. The cyclic isostere-containing pseudopeptides 3, 4, and 40 were synthesized and biological activity against integrin alpha(V)beta(3) and alpha(IIb)beta(3) receptors were also evaluated.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of psi[(E)-CH=CMe]- and psi[(Z)-CH=CMe]-type dipeptide isosteres by organocopper-mediated anti-S(N)2' reaction

[reaction: see text] Acyclic psi[(E)-CH=CMe]- and psi[(Z)-CH=CMe]-type dipeptide isosteres were efficiently synthesized. In a key reaction, alpha-alkylation of gamma-mesyloxy-beta-methyl-alpha,beta-unsaturated esters with organocyanocuprates in diethyl ether or tetrahydrofuran preferentially afforded the psi[(E)-CH=CMe]- or psi[(Z)-CH=CMe]-isomer, respectively, via anti-S(N)2' mechanism.     

High resolution mass spectrometry. Bufadienolides I

Complete low resolution mass spectra and some high resolution data are presented and discussed for a series of naturally occurring 14β-hydroxy bufadienolides (toad venoms) and their derivatives, but excluding compounds with a 14β,15β-epoxy group. The bufadienolides employed were bufalin, bufotalin, gamabufotalin, telocinobufagin, arenobufagin, 3β-acetoxybufotalien, 3β-acetoxyhellebrigenin, 3β-acetoxybufalin, 3-ketobufalin, 14-anhydrobufalin, 3β-acetoxy-15-ketobufalin and 15α-hydroxybufalin. The relatively unsaturated 2-pyrone functionality at C-17β has been used as an integral label to distinguish (from elemental composition data) ions containing it, from those coming from other parts of the molecule that do not. Structural ‘ion types’ are proposed to interpret this spectral data, and the prognosis for structure elucidation of other bufadienolides by high resolution mass spectrometry appears good.     

Study of excited nucleon states at EBAC: status and plans

We present an overview of a research program for the excited nucleon states in Excited Baryon Analysis Center (EBAC) at Jefferson Lab. Current status of our analysis of the meson production reactions based on the unitary dynamical coupled-channels model is summarized, and the N~* pole positions extracted from the constructed scattering amplitudes are presented. Our plans for future developments are also discussed.