A new amino acid derivative present in crown gall tumor tissue

A new amino acid derivative has been found in primary and secondary sunflower crown gall tissue cultures and in fresh crown gall tumors from sunflower plants wound-inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens B₆. Normal plant tissue does not contain detectable levels of the compound. Radioactive labeling and cochromatography experiments strongly suggest that the natural derivative is identical to synthetic N²-(1-carboxyethyl)-L-histidine (histopine). Crown gall tissue cultures contain 1 μmole of histopine/20 g fresh weight. A. tumefaciens strain B₆, but not strain C₅₈, can utilize natural histopine and incorporate the products into macromolecules.     

Biosynthesis and stereochemical configuration of N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine. An unusual amino acid produced by Streptococcus lactis

In a recent communication (Thompson, J., Curtis, M. A., and Miller, S.P.F. (1986) J. Bacteriol. 167, 522-529) we described the purification and characterization of N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine from cells of Streptococcus lactis 133. This unusual amino acid has not previously been found in nature. Radiotracer experiments presented here reveal that exogenous [14C]ornithine serves as the precursor for biosynthesis of [14C]arginine, [14C]N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine, and [14C]N5-acetylornithine by cells of S. lactis K1 during growth in a defined medium lacking arginine. In the absence of both arginine and ornithine, cells of S. lactis K1 can also generate intracellular [14C]N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine from exogenous [14C]glutamic acid. Previously we showed that the properties of N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine prepared from S. lactis were identical to one of the two diastereomers [2S, 7S) or (2S, 7R] present in a synthetic preparation of (2S, 7RS)-N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine. The two diastereomers have now been unambiguously synthesized by an Abderhalden-Haase condensation between (2S)-N2-t-butoxycarbonyl-ornithine and the chiral (2S)-, and (2R)-bromopropionates. By 13C-NMR spectroscopy it has been established that the preparation from S. lactis is exclusively (2S, 7S)-N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine. has been demonstrated in a cell-free extract of S. lactis 133. The requirements for ornithine, pyruvic acid, and NAD(P)H suggest that biosynthesis of N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine occurs via a reductive condensation mechanism. A general survey revealed that N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine was produced only by certain strains of Group N streptococci. These findings may indicate a plasmid locus for the gene(s) encoding the enzyme(s) for N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine biosynthesis.     

The absolute configuration of 1-carboxyethyl substituents on common hexoses by circular dichroism

Determination of the absolute configuration of the 1-carboxyethyl substituent on a monosaccharide by circular dichroism measurements was found to be a sensitive and simple method. It relies on comparison of the spectrum of a 1-carboxyethyl substituted sugar or sugar derivative with the spectra of (R)- and (S)-lactic acid in the region 200-260 nm in which the (R)- and (S)-configuration give negative and positive deltaepsilon, respectively. The oligo- or poly-saccharide containing a 1-carboxyethyl substituted sugar is hydrolyzed to monomers and the 1-carboxyethyl substituted sugar isolated by chromatography. The CD spectrum obtained for the 1-carboxyethyl substituted sugar in water solution at pH 2 is then compared with spectra of (R)- and (S)-lactic acid. The sign for the absorption and a maximum of comparable intensity and appearance around 210 nm, identify the stereochemistry.     

New sugars from antigenic lipopolysaccharides of bacteria: identification and synthesis of 3-O-[(R)-1-carboxyethyl]-L-rhamnose, an acidic component of Shigella dysenteriae type 5 lipopolysaccharide.

A new acidic sugar, 3-O-[(R)-1-carboxyethyl]-L-rhamnose (1), has been identified as a constituent of the O-antigenic lipopolysaccharide of Sh. dysenteriae type 5. The structure of 1 has been established by physico-chemical methods and by synthesis. Alkylation of methyl 2,5-di-O-benzyl-alpha-L-rhamnofuranoside (6) with (S)- or (R)-2-chloropropionic acids, followed by removal of the protecting groups, afforded 3-O-[(R)-1-carboxyethyl]-L-rhamnose (9) and 3-O-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-L-rhamnose (10), respectively. The properties of 1 coincide with those of 9.     

N6-(1-carboxyethyl)lysine formation by Streptococcus lactis. Purification, synthesis, and stereochemical structure

During growth in an arginine-deficient (chemically defined) medium, cells of Streptococcus lactis K1 formed significant amounts of a previously undetected ninhydrin-positive compound. This intracellular compound did not cochromatograph with any of a wide range of amino acids or amino acid analogs tested. However, by two-dimensional thin layer chromatography, the unknown compound migrated close to the recently discovered N5-(1-carboxyethyl)ornithine (Thompson, J., Curtis, M. A., and Miller, S. P. F. (1986) J. Bacteriol. 167, 522-529; Miller, S. P. F., and Thompson, J. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 16109-16115). The purified compound behaved as a neutral amino acid and eluted between valine and methionine in the amino acid analyzer. The results of 1H NMR spectroscopy suggested the presence of a lysine backbone and a coupled methyl-methine unit in the molecule, and 13C NMR showed that there were nine carbon atoms, of which two (C-1 and C-7) were carboxyl carbons. The simplest structure compatible with the physicochemical data was that of an alkylated derivative of lysine. The identity of this new amino acid, N6-(1-carboxyethyl)lysine, was confirmed by chemical synthesis. In vivo labeling experiments conducted using L[U-14C]lysine and [epsilon-15N]lysine showed that exogenous lysine served as the precursor of intracellular N6-(1-carboxyethyl)lysine and that the epsilon-amino N atom was conserved during biosynthesis of the lysine derivative. Of the two possible diastereomers (2S,8S or 2S,8R) of N6-(1-carboxyethyl)lysine, comparative 13C NMR spectroscopy established that the amino acid produced by S. lactis K1 was exclusively of the 2S,8S configuration.     

Structure of the O-polysaccharide of Proteus penneri 28 and Proteus vulgaris O31 and classification of P. penneri 26 and 28 in Proteus serogroup O31

The lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of Proteus penneri 28 and Proteus vulgaris O31 (PrK 55/57) were degraded with dilute acetic acid and structurally identical high-molecular-mass O-polysaccharides were isolated by gel-permeation chromatography. Sugar analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic studies showed that both polysaccharides contain D-GlcNAc, 2-acetamido-2,6-dideoxy-L-glucose (L-2-acetamido-2,6-dideoxyglucose (N-acetylquinovosamine)) and 2-acetamido-3-O-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-2-deoxy-D-glucose (N-acetylisomuramic acid) and have the following structure: [carbohydrate structure: see text] where (S)-1-carboxyethyl [a residue of (S)-lactic acid] (S-Lac) is an ether-linked residue of (S)-lactic acid. The O-polysaccharide studied is structurally similar to that of P. penneri 26, which differs only in the absence of S-Lac from the GlcNAc residue. Based on the O-polysaccharide structures and serological data of the LPS, it was suggested classifying these strains in one Proteus serogroup, O31, as two subgroups: O(31a), 31b for P. penneri 28 and P. vulgaris PrK 55/57 and O31a for P. penneri 26. A serological relatedness of the LPS of Proteus O(31a), 31b and P. penneri 62 was revealed and substantiated by sharing epitope O31b, which is associated with N-acetylisomuramic acid. It was suggested that a cross-reactivity of P. penneri 28 O-antiserum with the LPS of several other P. penneri strains is due to a common epitope(s) on the LPS core.     

Structure of the O-specific polysaccharide of Providencia rustigianii O14 containing N(epsilon)-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-N(alpha)-(D-galacturonoyl)-L-lysine

The O-specific polysaccharide of Providencia rustigianii O14 was obtained by mild acid degradation of the LPS and studied by chemical methods and NMR spectroscopy, including 2D 1H,(1)H COSY, TOCSY, NOESY, and 1H,(13)C HSQC experiments. The polysaccharide was found to contain N (epsilon)-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-N(alpha)-(D-galacturonoyl)-L-lysine ('alaninolysine', 2S,8S-AlaLys). The amino acid component was isolated by acid hydrolysis and identified by 13C NMR spectroscopy and specific optical rotation, using synthetic diastereomers for comparison. The following structure of the trisaccharide repeating unit of the polysaccharide was established:Anti-P. rustigianii O14 serum was found to cross-react with O-specific polysaccharides of Providencia and Proteus strains that contains amides of uronic acid with N(epsilon)-[(R)-1-carboxyethyl]-L-lysine and L-lysine.     

In Vivo Synthesis of Crown Gall-specific Agrobacterium tumefaciens-directed Derivatives of Basic Amino Acids

Several kinds of primary sunflower (Helianthus annuus) crown gall tissues were established in tissue culture and then labeled in vivo with either [¹⁴C]arginine, [¹⁴C]histidine, [³H]lysine, or [³H]ornithine. Crown gall tissues incited by Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains that utilize octopine as a sole source of carbon or nitrogen for growth synthesized the four members of the N²-(1-carboxyethyl)-amino acid family: octopine, histopine, lysopine, and octopinic acid. Those tissues incited by A. tumefaciens strains that utilize nopaline synthesized nopaline and two new compounds, a lysine and an ornithine derivative (ornaline). A normal tissue culture, a habituated tissue culture, and a crown gall culture from a strain of the bacteria unable to utilize either octopine or nopaline did not synthesize any of the amino acid derivatives. We could not detect any other crown gall-specific derivatives of the four basic amino acids.     

Functionalised 2,3-dimethyl-3-aminotetrahydrofuran-4-one and N-(3-oxo-hexahydrocyclopenta[b]furan-3a-yl)acylamide based scaffolds: synthesis and cysteinyl proteinase inhibition

A stereoselective synthesis of functionalised (2R,3R)-2,3-dimethyl-3-amidotetrahydrofuran-4-one, its (2S,3R)-epimer and (3aR,6aR)-N-(3-oxo-hexahydrocyclopenta[b]furan-3a-yl)acylamide cysteinyl proteinase inhibitors has been developed using Fmoc-protected scaffolds 6-8 in a solid-phase combinatorial strategy. Within these scaffolds, the introduction of an alkyl substituent alpha to the ketone affords chiral stability to an otherwise configurationally labile molecule. Preparation of scaffolds 6-8 required stereoselective syntheses of suitably protected alpha-diazomethylketone intermediates 9-11, derived from appropriately protected alpha-methylthreonines (2R,3R)-12, (2R,3S)-13 and a protected analogue of (1R,2R)-1-amino-2-hydroxycyclopentanecarboxylic acid 14. Application of standard methods for the preparation of amino acid alpha-diazomethylketones, through treatment of the mixed anhydride or pre-formed acyl fluorides of intermediates 12-14 with diazomethane, proved troublesome giving complex mixtures. However, the desired alpha-diazomethylketones were isolated and following a lithium chloride/acetic acid promoted insertion reaction provided scaffolds 6-8. Elaboration of 6-8 on the solid phase gave alpha,beta-dimethyl monocyclic ketone based inhibitors 38a-f, 39a,b,d,e,f and bicyclic inhibitors 40a-e that exhibited low micromolar activity against a variety of cysteinyl proteinases.     

In vitro Dimroth rearrangement of 1-(2-carboxyethyl) adenine to N6-(2-carboxyethyl)adenine in single-stranded calf thymus DNA.

The new adduct N6-(2-carboxyethyl)adenine (N6-CEA) was prepared from 1-(2-carboxyethyl)adenine (1-CEA) by base catalyzed (Dimroth) rearrangement of 1-CEA. The structure of N6-CEA was assigned on the basis of UV spectra and electron impact and isobutane chemical ionization mass spectra. When the carcinogen beta-propiolactone was reacted in vitro with calf thymus DNA, 1-CEA but not N6-CEA was detected on paper chromatograms following acid hydrolysis of the DNA. When BPL-reacted single-stranded DNA was incubated at pH 11.7 (37 degrees C, 18 h) prior to acid hydrolysis, it was found that 1-CEA was completely converted to N6-CEA in DNA by Dimroth rearrangement, whereas no conversion occurred at pH 7.5. The extent of Dimroth rearrangement at various pHs and temperatures was determined for 1-CEA, 1-methyladenine (1-MeA), 1-(2-carboxyethyl)-deoxyadenosine-5'-monophosphoric acid (1-CEdAdo5'P) and the phosphodiester 5'-O-(2-carboxyethyl)phosphono-1-(2-carboxyethyl)deoxyadenosine (1-CE-Ado-5'-P-CE).     

Enantioseparation of racemic 4-aryl-3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-pyrimidones on chiral stationary phases based on 3,5-dimethylanilides of N-(4-alkylamino-3,5-dinitro)benzoyl L-alpha-amino acids

Three novel chiral packing materials for high-performance liquid chromatography were prepared by covalently binding of (2S)-N-(3,5-dimethylphenyl)-2-[(4-chloro-3,5-dinitrophenyl)carbonylamino]propan-amide (7), (2S)-N-(3,5-dimethylphenyl)-2-[(4-chloro-3,5-dinitrophenyl)carbonylamino]-4-methylpentanamide (8), and (2S)-N-(3,5-dimethylphenyl)-2-[(4-chloro-3,5-dinitrophenyl)carbonyl-amino]-2-phenylacetamide (9) to aminopropyl silica. The resulting chiral stationary phases (CSPs 1-3) proved effective for the resolution of racemic 4-aryl-3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-pyrimidone derivatives (TR 1-14). The mechanism of their enantioselection, supported by the elution order of (S)-TR 13 and (R)-TR 13 and molecular modeling of the complex of the slower running (S)-TR 13 with CSP 1 is discussed.     

Isolation, purification and characterization of histidino-threosidine, a novel Maillard reaction protein crosslink from threose, lysine and histidine

We isolated a novel acid-labile yellow chromophore from the incubation of lysine, histidine and d-threose and identified its chemical structure by one and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy combined with LC-tandem mass spectrometry. This new cross-link exhibits a UV absorbance maximum at 305 nm and a molecular mass of 451 Da. The proposed structure is 2-amino-5-(3-((4-(2-amino-2-carboxyethyl)-1H-imidazol-1-yl)methyl)-4-(1,2-dihydroxyethyl)-2-formyl-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)pentatonic acid, a cross-link between lysine and histidine with addition of two threose molecules. It was in part deduced and confirmed through synthesis of the analogous compound from n-butylamine, imidazole and d-threose. We assigned the compound the trivial name histidino-threosidine. Systemic incubation revealed that histidino-threosidine can be formed in low amounts from fructose, glyceraldehyde, methylglyoxal, glycolaldehyde, ascorbic acid, and dehydroascorbic acid, but at a much higher yield with degradation products of ascorbic acid, i.e. threose, erythrose, and erythrulose. Bovine lens protein incubated with 10 and 50 mM threose for two weeks yielded 560 and 2840 pmol/mg histidino-threosidine. Histidino-threosidine is to our knowledge the first Maillard reaction product known to involve histidine in a crosslink.     

Structure of an acidic O-specific polysaccharide from marine bacterium Shewanella fidelis KMM 3582T containing Nepsilon-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-Nalpha-(D-galacturonoyl)-L-lysine

The O-specific polysaccharide was isolated by mild acid degradation of the lipopolysaccharide of the marine bacterium Shewanella fidelis type strain KMM 3582T and studied by sugar analysis along with 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy including one-dimensional NOE in difference mode and two-dimensional experiments. The polysaccharide was found to consist of linear tetrasaccharide repeating units containing Nepsilon-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-Nalpha-(D-galacturonoyl)-L-lysine and having the following structure: [See text.] The amide of D-galacturonic acid with Nepsilon-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-L-lysine ('alaninolysine', 2S,8S-AlaLys) was found for the first time in nature as a component of the O-specific polysaccharide of Providencia rustigianii O14 (Carbohydr. Res. 2003, 338, 1009-1016).     

Total synthesis and identification of two diastereoisomers of 1-methyl-2-[N-(p-tolylsulfonyl)-2-pyrrolidinyl]ethyl beta-L-fucopyranoside

The reaction of a racemic mixture of (2R,2'S)- and (2S,2'R)-N-(p-tolylsulfonyl)-2-pyrrolidinyl-2-propanol, prepared from (S)-proline, with 2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-alpha-L-fucopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate led to both diastereoisomers of the title compound after O-deacetylation.     

Agrobactin, a siderophore from Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

A siderophore (microbial iron transport compound) was isolated from low iron cultures of Agrobacterium tumefaciens B6. The substance was characterized as a threonyl peptide of spermidine acylated with 3 residues of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid, the carbonyl group of 1 residue of the latter participating in an oxazoline ring with the beta-hydroxyl of the threonine moiety. The compound, N-[3-(2,3-dihydroxybenzamido)propyl]-N-[4-(2,3-dihydroxybenzamido)butyl]-2-(2,3-dihydroxyphenyl)-trans-5-methyl-oxazoline-4-carboxamide, was given the trivial name agrobactin. Exposure to acid opened the oxazoline ring to afford agrobactin A. Ferric agrobactin A and agrobactin A itself, but not agrobactin or its ferric complex, had some capacity to feed iron to enterobactin-deficient strains of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. Agrobactin was produced by A. tumefaciens in response to iron deficiency and was able to reverse the iron starvation in this organism precipitated by the presence of a ferric complexing agent not utilized by the cells.     

黑柄炭角菌的化学成分

从黑柄炭角菌(Xylaria nigripe)子实体中分离得到10个化合物,通过波谱分析等方法分别鉴定为(22E,24R)-麦角甾-5,7,22-三烯-3β-醇(1)、5α,8α-过氧-(22E,24R)-麦角甾-6,22-二烯-3β-醇(2)、脑苷酯B(3)、脑苷酯D(4)、stearic acid(5)、甘油的亚油酸三酯(trilinolein,6)、α-kojibiose(7)、D-阿洛糖醇(8)、L-氨基丙酸(9)和尿囊素(10)。所有化合物均为首次从该子实体中分离得到。     

Preparation and properties of 99mTc(CO)3+-labeled N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-4-aminobutyric acid

Labeling biomolecules with (99m)Tc(CO)(3)(+) ((99m)Tc tricarbonyl) is attracting increasing attention. Although histidine is often considered an ideal bifunctional chelator for (99m)Tc (or (188)Re) tricarbonyl, the family of dipicolylamine carboxylate chelators may be a useful alternative because of the expected ease of synthesis and because the structure provides a pendent carboxylate for potential conjugation to biomolecules. The dipicolylamine chelator N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-4-aminobutyric acid (BPABA) was synthesized using 4-aminobutyric acid in place of glycine or aminopropionic acid in the literature, to avoid possible involvement of the carboxylate in the complex formation process by forming five- or six-membered chelation rings. Using a commercial tricarbonyl kit (Mallinckrodt), the complex formation properties of both BPABA and commercial histidine with (99m)Tc tricarbonyl were investigated, and the in vitro complex stabilities in saline and in serum were compared. Stability in vivo was also examined following i.v. administration to normal mice. BPABA was synthesized simply and quantitatively by reacting picolyl chloride with aminobutyric acid in one step. On RP HPLC, the product eluted essentially in one peak and the structure was confirmed by ESI-MS. After labeling, both BPABA and histidine were shown by RP HPLC to form tricarbonyl complexes. In both cases, after incubation at 100 degrees C for 20 min, only one predominant peak of (99m)Tc(CO)(3)(+)-histidine or (99m)Tc(CO)(3)(+)-BPABA was apparent, and both complexes were stable at room temperature in saline for at least 24 h. After incubation for 24 h in 37 degrees C serum, by SE HPLC, 20% of the (99m)Tc(CO)(3)(+)-histidine was bound to serum protein compared to less than 10% for (99m)Tc(CO)(3)(+)-BPABA. A 5000 molar excess of histidine at 100 degrees C for 6 h was unable to dissociate (99m)Tc(CO)(3)(+)-BPABA. By contrast, BPABA easily dissociated (99m)Tc(CO)(3)(+)-histidine under the same conditions. Both complexes were stable in vivo in mice, and (99m)Tc(CO)(3)(+)-BPABA showed rapid and specific hepatobiliary clearance while (99m)Tc(CO)(3)(+)-histidine was cleared through the kidneys. In conclusion, BPABA was easily synthesized and was shown to possess properties comparable to histidine for labeling of biomolecules with (99m)Tc tricarbonyl. However, it was found that the chelator concentration required for quantitative (99m)Tc tricarbonyl labeling with both BPABA and histidine were 2 orders higher than that required with more conventional labeling using MAG(3). Finally, the complex (99m)Tc(CO)(3)(+)-BPABA itself was found to clear exclusively via the hepatobiliary pathway and may have value as a potential hepatobiliary imaging agent.     

Structural studies of the extracellular polysaccharide produced by Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens strain H10b

The extracellular polysaccharide produced by Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens strain H10b, when grown under strictly anaerobic conditions with glucose as carbohydrate source, has been studied by chemical and spectroscopic techniques. The results demonstrate that the polysaccharide consists of hexasaccharide repeating units with the following structure: [structure: see text] The isolated polysaccharide was found to be approximately 65% acetylated at O-2 of the 3-O-[(S)-1-carboxyethyl]-beta-D-Glcp residue. The absolute configuration of the 1-carboxyethyl groups was determined by circular dichroism.     

Lactones of methyl 3-O

Lactones of methyl 3-O-[(R)- and (S)-1-carboxyethyl]-alpha-D-gluco-, galacto- and manno-pyranoside were prepared by treatment of the sugar derivatives in acetic acid. The lactones were formed between the 1-carboxyethyl substituent and 2-OH or 4-OH in different proportions depending on the stereochemistry of the parent compounds. Relative formation rates in acetic acid-d4 and hydrolysis rates in buffered D2O solutions at pD 2.4, 4.6 and 7.4 were estimated. Hydrolysis of the formed lactones is relatively slow in D2O at pD 4.6, which permitted characterization of the lactones by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy in buffered D2O solutions. Hydrolysis of the lactones in 1 M aqueous NaOH at 80 degrees C gave no detectable isomerization of the alpha-carbon. The set of lactones formed from the 1-carboxyethyl substituted methyl glycosides used in this study showed large similarities in the NMR shifts (delta delta values). Deviations from the observed shift pattern were found for two lactones. Our findings strongly suggest that those two lactones differ from the rest by adopting a boat-like conformation, whereas the others adopt pseudo-chair conformations.     

A new class of potent antiproliferative glycolipids.

The synthesis and biological activities of a new class of antiproliferative glycolipids with an unexpected broad spectrum of activity, including a human multidrug resistant cell line, are described. Chemically these compounds are glycolipids derived from N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and glycyrrhetinic acid (beta-aglycone). Peptidation of the glucoacids allyl 3 beta-[[2-acetamido-3-O-[(R)-1-carboxyethyl]- 2-deoxy-4,6-O-isopropylidene-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]oxy]-11-oxo-12- oleanen-30-oate and (R,S)-2-methoxy-3-(octadecyloxy)propyl-2-acetamido-3-O-[(R)-1-carb oxyethyl]- 2-deoxy-4,6-O-isopropylidene-beta-D-glucopyranoside was successfully achieved after activation with O-benzotriazolyl-N,N,N',N' -tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate.