Stereochemical Course Research Articles

Structure and biosynthetic assembly of gulmirecins, macrolide antibiotics from the predatory bacterium Pyxidicoccus fallax.

The gulmirecins constitute a new class of glycosylated macrolides that were isolated from the predatory bacterium Pyxidicoccus fallax HKI 727. Their structures were solved by a combination of NMR spectroscopic experiments and chemical derivatization. Analysis of the annotated gulmirecin gene cluster complemented the configurational assignment and provided insights into the stereochemical course of the biosynthetic assembly. The gulmirecins exhibit strong activity against staphylococci, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, but no cytotoxic effects on human cells.

Reactions of p‐Quinols with Aldehydes and Imines: Stereoselective Access to Polyheterobicyclic and Tricyclic Systems

AbstractDihydrobenzo[1,3]dioxolanones, tetrahydrobenzo[d]oxazolones and heterotricyclic derivatives have been stereoselectively synthesized from p‐quinols upon reaction with aldehydes or benzaldimines under basic catalysis. Reactions occurred in an experimentally simple one‐pot procedure through a domino sequence of two or three reactions. The choice of 4‐(dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP) or 1,4‐diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) as catalyst and MeOH, tetrahydrofuran (THF), or dichloromethane as solvent was essential to achieve the synthesis of bicyclic dioxolanes from aldehydes or bicyclic or tricyclic N,O‐aminals from imines. The stereochemical course of these processes is highly dependent on the nature of the electrophiles.

Sweet siblings with different faces: The mechanisms of FBP and F6P aldolase, transaldolase, transketolase and phosphoketolase revisited in light of recent structural data

Nature has evolved different strategies for the reversible cleavage of ketose phosphosugars as essential metabolic reactions in all domains of life. Prominent examples are the Schiff-base forming class I FBP and F6P aldolase as well as transaldolase, which all exploit an active center lysine to reversibly cleave the C3–C4 bond of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate or fructose-6-phosphate to give two 3-carbon products (aldolase), or to shuttle 3-carbon units between various phosphosugars (transaldolase). In contrast, transketolase and phosphoketolase make use of the bioorganic cofactor thiamin diphosphate to cleave the preceding C2–C3 bond of ketose phosphates. While transketolase catalyzes the reversible transfer of 2-carbon ketol fragments in a reaction analogous to that of transaldolase, phosphoketolase forms acetyl phosphate as final product in a reaction that comprises ketol cleavage, dehydration and phosphorolysis. In this review, common and divergent catalytic principles of these enzymes will be discussed, mostly, but not exclusively, on the basis of crystallographic snapshots of catalysis. These studies in combination with mutagenesis and kinetic analysis not only delineated the stereochemical course of substrate binding and processing, but also identified key catalytic players acting at the various stages of the reaction. The structural basis for the different chemical fates and lifetimes of the central enamine intermediates in all five enzymes will be particularly discussed, in addition to the mechanisms of substrate cleavage, dehydration and ring-opening reactions of cyclic substrates. The observation of covalent enzymatic intermediates in hyperreactive conformations such as Schiff-bases with twisted double-bond linkages in transaldolase and physically distorted substrate–thiamin conjugates with elongated substrate bonds to be cleaved in transketolase, which probably epitomize a canonical feature of enzyme catalysis, will be also highlighted.

Base-catalyzed intramolecular hydroamination of cyclohexa-2,5-dienes: insights into the mechanism through DFT calculations and application to the total synthesis of epi-elwesine.

The base-catalyzed intramolecular hydroamination of 1-ethylaminocyclohexa-2,5-dienes is described. The transformation proceeds through isomerization of the cyclohexa-1,4-dienyl fragment into the corresponding conjugated 1,3-diene prior to the hydroamination step. Attaching a chiral glycinol ether auxiliary on the amino group allows the protonation to occur with complete diastereocontrol. The resulting lithium amide then adds onto the 1,3-dienyl moiety, affording the desired fused pyrrolidine ring along with the corresponding lithium allylic anion. Protonation of the latter then proceeds with high regiocontrol to favor the resulting allylic amines. In contrast, when the reaction was performed on primary amines, fused pyrrolidines bearing a homoallylic amino group were obtained. The stereochemical course of the process and determination of the reaction pathways were established based on calculations performed at the DFT level. Finally, application of the methodology to the enantioselective synthesis of (+)-epi-elwesine, a crinane alkaloid, is described.

Conformationally restricted 3,5-O-(di-tert-butylsilylene)-d-galactofuranosyl thioglycoside donor for 1,2-cis α-d-galactofuranosylation

A conformationally restricted 2-O-benzyl-3,5-O-di-tert-butylsilylene-β-d-thiogalactofuranoside donor was prepared from benzyl α-d-galactofuranoside and its donor capability was studied for stereoselective 1,2-cis α-d-galactofuranosylation. An unusual chemical behavior in benzylation and hydrogenolysis reactions was observed after the introduction of the 3,5-O-di-tert-butylsilylene protecting group into the galactofuranosyl moiety. The influence of the solvent, temperature, and activating system was evaluated. The NIS/AgOTf system, widely used in 1,2-cis β-arabinofuranosylation, was not satisfactory enough for 1,2-cis galactofuranosylation. However, moderate to high α-selectivity was obtained with all the acceptors employed when using p-NO2PhSCl/AgOTf as a promoting system, in CH2Cl2 at −78°C. The order of the addition of the reactants (premixing or preactivation) did not affect substantially the stereochemical course of the glycosylation reaction. The α-d-Galf-(1→6)-d-Man linkage was achieved with complete diastereoselectivity by preactivation of the conformationally constrained thioglycoside donor.

Wittig reaction (with ethylidene triphenylphosphorane) of oxo-hydroxy derivatives of 5β-cholanic acid: Hydrophobicity, haemolytic potential and capacity of derived ethylidene derivatives for solubilisation of cholesterol

Bile acid salts are biosurfactants which form mixed micelles with phospholipids in vertebrates. These mixed micelles are suitable for solubilisation of cholesterol. For therapeutic purposes some bile acid salts as sodium ursocholate are used. However, bile acid anions possess low capacity for solubilisation of cholesterol. Thus, synthesis of more hydrophobic and less membranotoxic bile acid derivatives is of the great interest. In this paper Wittig reaction between ethylidene triphenylphosphorane and different bile acids oxo derivatives is examined. Wittig reaction of bile acids has not been studied much. C12 oxo group is inert in this reaction. If Wittig reaction happens on C7 oxo group stereospecifically E ethylidene stereoisomer is obtained, while the same reaction on C3 oxo group leads to more reactive not sterospecific product. In this paper stereochemical course of investigated Wittig reactions is thoroughly analysed. Hydrophobicity of derived products is determined over the temperature (T) dependence on retention coefficients (k) in reversed phase high resolution chromatography. Using method of principle components on k=f(T) matrix it is found that values of first principle components best describe hydrophobicity of analysed bile acids, while the second principal component is responsible for their hydrophilicity. By in silico molecular descriptors: valence connectivity index of order 3 (X3v) and packing density index (PDI), linear regression equations are obtained that can be used to predict hydrophobicity (over retention coefficient) of bile acids that belong to set of more congeneric groups. Membranotoxicity is determined by haemolytic potential. Monoethylidene derivatives of bile acids (in the form of anions) have lower membranotoxicity than deoxycholic acids anion. Sodium salt of deoxycholic acid 7-ethylidene derivative has 11% greater capacity for solubilisation of cholesterol monohydrate than sodium salt of deoxycholic acid.

Stereoselectivity of the Honda-Reformatsky reaction in reactions with ethyl bromodifluoroacetate with α-oxygenated sulfinylimines.

The Reformatsky reaction of ethyl bromodifluoroacetate to α-oxygenated sulfinylimines is described. Using Honda-Reformatsky conditions, the reaction proceeds with double diastereodifferentiation, with the configuration of the sulfinyl group determining the stereochemical course of the reaction. Excellent diastereoselectivities (>94:6) are obtained for the matched cases. In contrast, reaction with sulfinylimines derived from unsubstituted alkanals proceeded with virtually no diastereoselectivity.

Stereoselective Metal‐Free Synthesis of β‐Amino Thioesters with Tertiary and Quaternary Stereogenic Centers

β-Amino thioesters are important natural building blocks for the synthesis of numerous bioactive molecules. An organocatalyzed Mannich reaction was developed which provides direct and highly stereoselective access to acyclic β(2)- and β(2,3,3)-amino thioesters with adjacent tertiary and quaternary stereocenters. Mechanistic studies showed that the stereochemical course of the reaction can be controlled by the choice of the substrates. The β-amino thioesters were further functionalized by, for example, stereoselective decarboxylation to access β(2,3)-frameworks. In addition, the value of the β-amino thioesters was shown in coupling-reagent-free peptide synthesis.

Asymmetric aldol reaction using a very simple primary amine catalyst: divergent stereoselectivity by using 2,6-difluorophenyl moiety

Asymmetric aldol reactions of aliphatic ketones or aldehydes with aromatic aldehydes or isatins were catalyzed by a very simple and flexible N-(2,6-difluorophenyl)-l-valinamide. Interestingly, stereochemical course of the reaction of hydroxyacetones or α-branched aliphatic aldehydes as aldol donors was different from that of cycloalkanones.

Highly Efficient Asymmetric Simmons–Smith Cyclopropanation Promoted by Chiral Heteroorganic Aziridinyl Ligands

AbstractEnantiomerically pure heteroorganic catalysts, bearing a hydroxy moiety, a stereogenic sulfinyl group, and a chiral aziridine moiety, have proved highly efficient in the asymmetric Simmons–Smith cyclopropanation of allylic alcohols, which generates the desired products in high yields (up to 95 %) and with ee values up to 94 %. The effect of the stereogenic centers at the sulfinyl sulfur atom and in the aziridine moiety on the stereochemical course of the title reaction is discussed.

Glutathione-analogous peptidyl phosphorus esters as mechanism-based inhibitors of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase for probing cysteinyl-glycine binding site

γ-Glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) catalyzing the cleavage of γ-glutamyl bond of glutathione and its S-conjugates is involved in a number of physiological and pathological processes through glutathione homeostasis. Defining its Cys-Gly binding site is extremely important not only in defining the physiological function of GGT, but also in designing specific and effective inhibitors for pharmaceutical purposes. Here we report the synthesis and evaluation of a series of glutathione-analogous peptidyl phosphorus esters as mechanism-based inhibitors of human and Escherichia coli GGTs to probe the structural and stereochemical preferences in the Cys-Gly binding site. Both enzymes were inhibited strongly and irreversibly by the peptidyl phosphorus esters with a good leaving group (phenoxide). Human GGT was highly selective for l-aliphatic amino acid such as l-2-aminobutyrate (l-Cys mimic) at the Cys binding site, whereas E. coli GGT significantly preferred l-Phe mimic at this site. The C-terminal Gly and a l-amino acid analogue at the Cys binding site were necessary for inhibition, suggesting that human GGT was highly selective for glutathione (γ-Glu-l-Cys-Gly), whereas E. coli GGT are not selective for glutathione, but still retained the dipeptide (l-AA-Gly) binding site. The diastereoisomers with respect to the chiral phosphorus were separated. Both GGTs were inactivated by only one of the stereoisomers with the same stereochemistry at phosphorus. The strict recognition of phosphorus stereochemistry gave insights into the stereochemical course of the catalyzed reaction. Ion-spray mass analysis of the inhibited E. coli GGT confirmed the formation of a 1:1 covalent adduct with the catalytic subunit (small subunit) with concomitant loss of phenoxide, leaving the peptidyl moiety that presumably occupies the Cys-Gly binding site. The peptidyl phosphonate inhibitors are highly useful as a ligand for X-ray structural analysis of GGT for defining hitherto unidentified Cys-Gly binding site to design specific inhibitors.

A Cytochrome P450 Serves as an Unexpected Terpene Cyclase during Fungal Meroterpenoid Biosynthesis

Viridicatumtoxin (1) is a tetracycline-like fungal meroterpenoid with a unique, fused spirobicyclic ring system. Puzzlingly, no dedicated terpene cyclase is found in the gene cluster identified in Penicillium aethiopicum. Cytochrome P450 enzymes VrtE and VrtK in the vrt gene cluster were shown to catalyze C5-hydroxylation and spirobicyclic ring formation, respectively. Feeding acyclic previridicatumtoxin to Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing VrtK confirmed that VrtK is the sole enzyme required for cyclizing the geranyl moiety. Thus, VrtK is the first example of a P450 that can catalyze terpene cyclization, most likely via initial oxidation of C17 to an allylic carbocation. Quantum chemical modeling revealed a possible new tertiary carbocation intermediate E that forms after allylic carbocation formation. Intermediate E can readily undergo concerted 1,2-alkyl shift/1,3-hydride shift, either spontaneously or further aided by VrtK, followed by C7 Friedel-Crafts alkylation to afford 1. The most likely stereochemical course of the reaction was proposed on the basis of the results of our computations.

Reversal of the Stereochemical Course of 1‐Methyl‐1H‐indole Addition to Cinnamaldehyde with cis‐5‐Benzyl‐(2‐fluoromethyl)‐2,3‐dimethylimidazolidin‐4‐ones as Catalysts – a Puzzling ‘Fluorine Effect’

AbstractReplacement of the cis‐Me group by CH2F in the imidazolidinone organocatalyst specified in the title (so‐called McMillan generation‐I catalyst) leads to reversal of the product configuration in the title reaction. The topicity reversal in the nucleophilic addition step must arise either from cis‐addition with respect to the benzylic substituent of an (E)‐iminium ion intermediate or from trans‐addition to the corresponding (Z)‐iminium ion. Mechanistic investigations have not provided evidence for either one of these two possibilities, so far.

ChemInform Abstract: Diastereoselective and Enantioselective Michael Addition Reactions of Ketones and Aldehydes to Nitro Olefins Catalyzed by C2‐Symmetric Axially‐Unfixed Biaryl‐Based Organocatalysts Derived from Enantiopure α‐Proline.

A new class of axially-unfixed biaryl-based pyrrolidines with C2-symmetry were designed and synthesized by using enantiopure α-proline as a chiral source. These bifunctional organocatalys provided Michael adducts in high chemical yields (up to 99 %) and with excellent stereoselectivities (up to 99:1 dr and 96 % ee) in the direct Michael addition reactions of a variety of ketones and aldehydes to nitro olefins. The transition states were proposed to clarify the stereochemical course of the examined reactions.

Copper(II) aza-bis(oxazoline) complex immobilized onto ITQ-2 and MCM-22 based materials as heterogeneous catalysts for the cyclopropanation of styrene

A copper(II) chiral aza-bis(oxazoline) homogeneous catalyst (CuazaBox) was anchored onto the external surface of MCM-22 and ITQ-2 structures, as well as encapsulated into hierarchical MCM-22. The transition metal complex loading onto the porous solids was determined by ICP-AES and the materials were also characterized by elemental analysis (C, N, H, S), FTIR, XPS, TG and low temperature N2 adsorption isotherms. The materials were tested as heterogeneous catalysts in the benchmark reaction of cyclopropanation of styrene to check the effect of the immobilization procedure on the catalytic parameters, as well as on their reutilization in several catalytic cycles.Catalyst CuazaBox anchored onto the external surface of MCM-22 and ITQ-2 materials were more active and enantioselective in the cyclopropanation of styrene than the corresponding homogeneous phase reaction run under similar experimental conditions. This is due to the propylation of the acidic azaBox nitrogen. HMCM-22 was nevertheless the best heterogeneous catalyst. Encapsulation of CuazaBox on post-synthesis modified MCM-22 materials led to low activities and enantioselectivities. But reversal on the stereochemical course of the reaction was observed, probably due to confinement effect.

Palladium-Catalyzed Intermolecular Aminoacetoxylation of Alkenes and the Influence of PhI(OAc)2 on Aminopalladation Stereoselectivity

A modified protocol has been identified for Pd-catalyzed intermolecular aminoacetoxylation of terminal and internal alkenes that enables the alkene to be used as the limiting reagent. The results prompt a reassessment of the stereochemical course of these reactions. X-ray crystallographic characterization of two of the products, together with isotopic labeling studies, show that the amidopalladation step switches from a cis-selective process under aerobic conditions to a trans-selective process in the presence of diacetoxyiodobenzene.

Silver‐Catalyzed Stereoselective [3+2] Cycloadditions of Cyclopropyl‐Indanimines with Carbonyl Compounds

AbstractSilver‐catalyzed stereoselective [3+2] cycloadditions between mono‐substituted cyclopropyl‐indanimines and aldehydes are reported. The stereochemical course of the reaction is rationalized with a cyclic transition state. The resulting indanimine cycloadducts are not readily hydrolyzed unless external aldehydes are present with the silver catalyst. Notably, this hydrolysis process leads to a change of stereochemistry for the resulting indanone products.

ChemInform Abstract: A Diastereocontrolled Route to 10‐Arylpyrrolo[1,2‐b]isoquinolines.

The diastereocontrolled preparation of a series of 10-aryl-substituted pyrroloisoquinolines is achieved through a synthetic design that involves two key cyclization steps. First, the iodine(III)-mediated reaction of a series of N-benzylpentynamides leads to the generation of the 5-aroylpyrrolidinone skeletons. Finally, after reduction of the generated ketone group into the corresponding carbinol, the effect of a number of different acidic conditions was studied to assist the second cyclization step that occurs through an aromatic electrophilic substitution process. The study of the stereochemical course of this step led us to conclude that it takes place through a SN1 mechanism with very high (>95% anti) diastereocontrol.

Combinatorial Generation of Complexity by Redox Enzymes in the Chaetoglobosin A Biosynthesis

Redox enzymes play a central role in generating structural complexity during natural product biosynthesis. In the postassembly tailoring steps, redox cascades can transform nascent chemical scaffolds into structurally complex final products. Chaetoglobosin A (1) is biosynthesized by a hybrid polyketide synthase-nonribosomal peptide synthetase. It belongs to the chaetoglobosin family of natural products, comprising many analogs having different degrees of oxidation introduced during their biosynthesis. We report here the determination of the complete biosynthetic steps leading to the formation of 1 from prochaetoglobosin I (2). Each oxidation step was elucidated using Chaetomium globosum strains carrying various combinations of deletion of the three redox enzymes, one FAD-dependent monooxygenase, and two cytochrome P450 oxygenases, and in vivo biotransformation of intermediates by heterologous expression of the three genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Five analogs were identified in this study as intermediates formed during oxidization of 2 to 1 by those redox enzymes. Furthermore, a stereochemical course of each oxidation step was clearly revealed with the absolute configurations of five intermediates determined from X-ray crystal structure. This approach allowed us to quickly determine the biosynthetic intermediates and the enzymes responsible for their formation. Moreover, by addressing the redox enzymes, we were able to discover that promiscuity of the redox enzymes allowed the formation of a network of pathways that results in a combinatorial formation of multiple intermediate compounds during the formation of 1 from 2. Our approach should expedite elucidation of pathways for other natural products biosynthesized by many uncharacterized enzymes of this fungus.

Regio- and stereocontrolled synthesis of novel steroidal isoxazolines: A new route to the formation of selectively modified steroid side chains

1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition reaction of acetonitrile oxide to cis- and trans-22-hydroxy-24-alkoxycarbonyl-Δ23-steroids is investigated. An unusual stereochemical course of the cycloaddition, leading to the same set of the isoxazoline adducts for both (Z)- and (E)-disubstituted olefins is revealed. It is shown, the reaction is regioselective and all possible 4′,5′-diastereoisomers of resulting isoxazolines can be prepared as major products by cycloaddition to the suitable alkene. The structure of the key compounds is confirmed by X-ray and 2D NMR analysis.