1,2-O-Trichloroethylidene acetal group protected 3,5-dieno-1,4-furanose derivatives

The preparation of 3,5-(E)-dieno-3,5,6,8-tetradeoxy-(S)-1,2-O-trichloroethylidene-alpha-D-glycero-octo-1,4-furano-7-ulose starting from either 1,2-O-(S)-trichloroethylidene-alpha-D-glucofuranose (beta-chloralose) or 1,2-O-(S)-trichloroethylidene-alpha-D-galactofuranose (galactochloralose) and the preparation of methyl 3,5-(E)-dieno-3,5,6-trideoxy-(S)-1,2-O-trichloroethylidene-alpha-D-glycero-hepta-1,4-furano-uronate starting from beta-chloralose are described. Endocyclic double bond formations were realised by the elimination of 3-acetoxy groups using DMF-sodium bicarbonate. This elimination was not successful when the starting compound was 1,2-O-(R)-trichloroethylidene-alpha-D-glucofuranose (alpha-chloralose), where the trichloromethyl group occupies the endo position.     

Synthesis and antimicrobial activities of two novel amino sugars derived from chloraloses

The synthesis of 5-amino-5-deoxy-1,2-O-(S)-trichloroethylidene-β-l-arabinofuranose and 6-amino-6-deoxy-1,2-O-(S)-trichloroethylidene-α-d-glucofuranose is described by a simple three- or four-step route. Antibacterial potency of the new compounds was determined using an inhibition zone diameter test. The results show that these compounds have a broad-spectrum activity against Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and Candida albicans.     

Tricyclic furanoid dichloroacetyl orthoesters of D-mannose from 1,2-O-trichloroethylidene-beta-D-mannofuranose

1,2-O-(R)-Trichloroethylidene-beta-D-mannofuranose (1) was obtained from the reaction of D-mannose with chloral. Reaction of 1 with potassium tert-butoxide (3 Mequiv) gave the thermodynamically stable 1,2,5-O-orthodichloroacetyl-beta-D-mannofuranose as the sole product whereas 1.5 Mequiv of reagent gave the kinetically controlled 1,2,3-O-orthodichloroacetyl-beta-D-mannofuranose (10) as the main product. Orthoester 10 gave the 5,6-isopropylidene derivative, which was also obtained from the reaction of 5,6-O-isopropylidene-1,2-O-(R)-trichloroethylidene-beta-D-mannofuranose with potassium tert-butoxide (1.5 Mequiv). These novel orthoesters are expected to prove useful as protecting groups and as building blocks in the formations of new mannofuranisidic units.     

Synthesis of 2,3- or 1,2-unsaturated derivatives of 2-deoxy-2-trifluoromethylhexopyranoses

The attempted conversion, by treatment with CsF/TBFA in MeCN, of acetylated derivatives of 2-chlorodifluoromethyl-2-deoxyhexopyranoses into their corresponding 2-trifluoromethyl derivatives was always accompanied by an elimination reaction. Thus, representative educts with the D-gluco- and D-manno-configuration gave derivatives of 2,3-dideoxy-2-trifluoromethyl-D-erythro-hex-2-enopyranose and 1,5-anhydro-2-deoxy-2-trifluoromethyl-d-arabino-hex-1-enitol, respectively. X-ray analyses are given for 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-2-chlorodifluoromethyl-2-deoxy-alpha-D-mannopyranose and 4,6-di-O-acetyl-2,3-dideoxy-2-trifluoromethyl-alpha-D-erythro-hex-2-enopyranose.     

Studies for the transformation of carbocycles into carbohydrates: approach toward the synthesis of higher sugar derivatives

A highly stereocontrolled synthesis of a beta-D-ribo-hept-6-ulopyranosuronamide derivative, a useful intermediate for the synthesis of other higher sugars, has been developed using naturally occurring (-)-quinic acid as a chiral starting material. The transformation of carbocycle to carbohydrate, a key step in this sequence, occurred in a one-pot reaction: an ozonolysis carried out under mild conditions.     

Production of itaconic acid from pentose sugars by Aspergillus terreus

Itaconic acid (IA), an unsaturated 5‐carbon dicarboxylic acid, is a building block platform chemical that is currently produced industrially from glucose by fermentation with Aspergillus terreus. However, lignocellulosic biomass has potential to serve as low‐cost source of sugars for production of IA. Research needs to be performed to find a suitable A. terreus strain that can use lignocellulose‐derived pentose sugars and produce IA. One hundred A. terreus strains were evaluated for the first time for production of IA from xylose and arabinose. Twenty strains showed good production of IA from the sugars. Among these, six strains (NRRL strains 1960, 1961, 1962, 1972, 66125, and DSM 23081) were selected for further study. One of these strains NRRL 1961 produced 49.8 ± 0.3, 38.9 ± 0.8, 34.8 ± 0.9, and 33.2 ± 2.4 g IA from 80 g glucose, xylose, arabinose and their mixture (1:1:1), respectively, per L at initial pH 3.1 and 33°C. This is the first report on the production of IA from arabinose and mixed sugar of glucose, xylose, and arabinose by A. terreus. The results presented in the article will be very useful in developing a process technology for production of IA from lignocellulosic feedstocks. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:1059–1067, 2017     

Development of cyclic peptide derivatives from the N-terminal region of LANA for targeting the nucleosome acidic patch

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is known to be a carcinogenic agent that causes AIDS-associated Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS). When KSHV infects host’s cells, one of the virus’s proteins, latency-associated nuclear antigen 1 (LANA), binds to the host’s nucleosomes to retain episomes and create latency circumstances. Although the infectious mechanism of KSHV is partly elucidated, the development of drug candidates for targeting KS is ongoing. In this study, we developed cyclic peptides corresponding to an N-terminal LANA sequence that disrupt the LANA–nucleosome interaction. The cyclic peptides showed a different secondary structure compared to their corresponding linear peptide derivatives, which suggests that our cyclization strategy imitates the N-terminal LANA binding conformation on nucleosomes.     

The Wittig-cyclization procedure: acid promoted intramolecular formation of 3-C-branched-chain 3,6-anhydro furano sugars via 2'-oxopropylene derivatives

Some olefinic Wittig products, 3-deoxy-5,6-O-isopropylidene-3-C-(2'-oxopropylene)-1,2-O-alkylidene hexofuranose derivatives were converted to the branched-chain 3,6-anhydro-3-C-(2'-oxopropyl) derivatives on treatment with ion exchange resin Amberlite 120 (H(+)) in methanol-water at room temperature. Hydrolysis of 5,6-isopropylidene groups and intramolecular ring-closures took place in one pot reactions.     

The synthesis of deoxy-alpha-Gal epitope derivatives for the evaluation of an anti-alpha-Gal antibody binding

Alpha-Gal epitopes (also termed as alpha-Gal) are carbohydrate structures bearing the alpha-D-Gal-(1-->3)-beta-D-Gal terminus 1 and are known to be the antigen responsible for antibody-mediated hyperacute rejection in xenotransplantation. Terminal 2-, 3-, 4-, and 6-deoxy-Gal derivatives of alpha-Gal were synthesized. Inhibition ELISA using mouse laminin was established to determine the binding affinity of the synthesized alpha-Gal derivatives. 4-Deoxy-alpha-Gal derivative 7 showed a significant reduction in antibody recognition. The IC(50) value was 15-fold poorer than the standard alpha-Gal epitopes alpha-D-Gal-(1-->3)-beta-D-Gal-(1-->4)-beta-D-Glc-NHAc (39) and alpha-D-Gal-(1-->3)-beta-D-Gal-(1-->4)-beta-D-Glc-OBn (40). A similar observation was seen with 2-deoxy-alpha-Gal derivative 5, whose IC(50) value was nearly tenfold higher than the standards. Interestingly, substitution at the terminal 3-position resulted in only a fourfold decrease in antibody recognition, suggesting a possible point of future derivation. Finally, 6-deoxy-alpha-Gal derivative 8 exhibited similar antibody recognition to both alpha-Gal epitope 39 and alpha-Gal epitope 40. This strongly suggests that derivatization at the 6-position can be accomplished without loss of antibody recognition. These findings can be utilized for the future design of other alpha-Gal derivatives.     

温泉宏基因组来源的D-来苏糖异构酶性质研究*

目的: 从高温温泉宏基因组中挖掘能够高效催化合成稀有糖的新耐高温D-来苏糖异构酶。方法: 从云南昌宁鸡飞温泉底泥中提取宏基因组DNA并进行高通量测序,经基因注释及序列比对鉴定D-来苏糖异构酶基因,构建大肠杆菌异源表达载体并诱导表达,通过亲和层析纯化重组蛋白并对其性质研究。结果: 从温泉底泥宏基因组测序结果中鉴定得到8个D-来苏糖异构酶基因,选择4个基因进行异源表达,其中JF-LI1和JF-LI4在大肠杆菌中成功表达并检测到酶活性。研究表明,JF-LI1和JF-LI4的最适温度分别为70℃和75℃。JF-LI4具有较宽的作用温度和良好的热稳定性,在30~100℃的温度范围内剩余40%以上的酶活力。JF-LI1和JF-LI4的最适pH分别为7.0和7.5,在中性偏酸性条件下具有较高的活力和较强的稳定性。重组JF-LI1和JF-LI4具有较宽的底物谱,除了对D-来苏糖活性最高外,对L-核糖、L-核酮糖、D-果糖和D-甘露糖均具有活性。重组JF-LI1和JF-LI4对L-核糖的催化效率分别为0.56 L/(mmol·s^-1)和0.61 L/(mmol·s^-1),是目前已知的D-来苏糖异构酶中最高的。结论: 从高温温泉宏基因组中获得8个新的D-来苏糖异构酶基因,对JF-LI1和JF-LI4进行异源表达和性质研究,具有pH稳定性好、热稳定性强以及底物特异性宽泛的特点,在制药、食品、化妆品等工业领域有重要的应用潜力。     

Hamamelose and its derivatives as chemotaxonomic markers in the genus Primula

About 550 species of vascular plants as well as a few mosses were checked for the occurrence of hamamelose, the corresponding alcohol hamamelitol and a galactoside of the latter, clusianose. Hamamelose was found in most of the species investigated. It provides therefore no useful character for chemotaxonomic purposes. Hamamelitol, however, could only be detected in the genus Primula and was therefore more useful. Small amounts of hamamelitol were found in the leaves of species from the subgenera Auganthus, Aleuritia and Auricula but not from Primula and Sphondylia. Clusianose and large amounts of hamamelitol are produced by species of 4 subsections of the section Auricula, but not by species of the subsections Auricula and Erythrodrosum. A taxonomic separation of the two latter from the 4 former subsections is suggested. The taxonomic position of Primula allionii should be reconsidered, since neither clusianose nor hamamelitol could be demonstrated in this species, whereas the other species of the subsection Rhopsidium do contain these carbohydrates.     

Regioselective synthesis of 6-S-alkyl and 6-S-glycosyl-6-thio-D-mannofuranose derivatives from 5,6-O-cyclic sulfate precursors

C-6 opening of 5,6-cyclic sulfate derivatives of mannofuranose with a thiolate anion followed by acidic hydrolysis of the acyclic sulfate gave 6-S-alkyl derivatives in good yields (70-95%) and short reaction times (10-15min). This methodology was applied to the synthesis of methyl 2,3-O-isopropylidene-6-S-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-d-glucopyranosyl)-6-thio-alpha-d-mannofuranoside (70%), 2,3-O-isopropylidene-6-S-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-d-glucopyranosyl)-6-thio-alpha-d-mannofuranose (87%) and 2,3-O-isopropylidene-6-S-(1,2:3,4-di-O-isopropylidene-alpha-d-galactopyranos-6-yl)-6-thio-alpha-d-mannofuranose (87%).     

果糖及葡萄糖混合物为底物的丙酮丁醇发酵

旨在以果糖和葡萄糖混合物模拟能源作物菊芋块茎水解液发酵生产丁醇。在培养基初始pH 5.5,发酵过程不控制pH的混合糖发酵中,出现了发酵提前终止现象,终点残糖浓度达23.26 g/L,而丁醇产量仅5.51 g/L。进一步对比混合糖及葡萄糖、果糖不控制pH的发酵结果表明,导致这一现象的原因可能是有机酸毒性太大和pH太低。全程控制pH的混合糖发酵结果表明,高pH条件有利于提高糖利用率,但产酸多,丁醇产量较低;而低pH条件下发酵残糖较多,但丁醇产量相对较高。基于此,文中采用阶段性pH调控策略,即将发酵初期的pH控     

Chemical composition of lipopolysaccharide from Azospirillum lipoferum

Abstract The lipopolysaccharide isolated from Azospirillum lipoferum strain SpBr17 (ATCC29709) was proven to be composed from 7 neutral sugars, two of which, rhamnose and glucose, were the major constituents. Two heptoses, l -glycero- d -mannoheptose and d -glycero- l -mannoheptose were identified. Among 8 fatty acids isolated from the lipopolysaccharide only 3-hydroxypalmitic acid was amide-bound. The approximate molar ratios of the constituents 3-deoxy- l -mannooctulosonic acid : glucosamine : amide-linked fatty acids : ester-linked fatty acids : phosphate were 0.8 : 4 : 2 : 4 : 2.5.     

The alternative oxidase in roots of poa annua after transfer from high-light to low-light conditions

The activity of the alternative pathway can be affected by a number of factors, including the amount and reduction state of the alternative oxidase protein, and the reduction state of the ubiquinone pool. To investigate the importance of these factors in vivo, we manipulated the rate of root respiration by transferring the annual grass Poa annua L. from high-light to low-light conditions, and at the same time from long-day to short-day conditions for four days. As a result of the low-light treatment, the total respiration rate of the roots decreased by 45%, in vitro cytochrome c oxidase capacity decreased by 49%, sugar concentration decreased by 90% and the ubiquinone concentration increased by 31%, relative to control values. The absolute rate of oxygen uptake via the alternative pathway, as determined using the 18O-isotope fractionation technique, did not change. Conversely, the cytochrome pathway activity decreased during the low-light treatment; its activity increased upon addition of exogenous sugars to the roots. Interestingly, no change was observed in the concentration of the alternative oxidase protein or in the reduction state of the protein. Also, there was no change in the reduction state of the ubiquinone pool. In conclusion, the concentration and activity of the alternative oxidase were not changed, even under severe light deprivation.     

Organoiridium complexes: efficient catalysts for the formation of sugar acetals and ketals

[Cp^∗IrCl₂]₂ is used as an efficient promoter for the synthesis of sugar acetals and ketals with good to excellent yields. The catalyst is found to be general for a wide range of sugars.     

Synthesis, SAR, and X-ray structure of human BACE-1 inhibitors with cyclic urea derivatives

We describe synthesis and evaluation of a series of cyclic urea derivatives with hydroxylethylamine isostere. Modification of P3, P1, and P2′ and combination of SAR display a >100-fold increase in potency with good cellular activity (IC₅₀ = 0.15 μM) relative to the previously reported compound 3.     

De-icers derived from corn steep water

Corn steep water (CSW) and other byproducts derived from fermentations and sugar productions are presently forming the base of compositions for de-icing and anti-icing materials. Since the de-icing and anti-icing values are in part a colligative property, increase in the molar concentration of ionic species has been frequently necessary to decrease further the freezing point of this byproducts stream. In the present study this has been achieved by the generation of biodegradable organic acid salts in situ, without the use of chloride or other inorganic salts, by the alkaline degradation of reducing sugars added to corn steep water, which alone is not an efficient de-icer. Reducing sugars, such as glucose, react with alkali metal hydroxides to produce principally hydroxy carboxylic acids that react with the alkali metal hydroxide to form a mixture of organic acid salts. The ionic strength of the resulting solution is increased since each sugar molecule produces nearly two acid molecules upon degradation. The ionic strength necessary to achieve the desired freezing point depression is determined by the amount and concentration of the alkali metal hydroxide used, with the necessary counter anions being derived from the degradation of the reducing sugar. The amount of the sugar used is that required to result in a near to neutral final solution. The well-known anti-corrosive property of CSW is used in the de-icer preparations, either by conducting the alkaline degradation of the sugar in this medium, or by using water for the degradation of the sugar followed by dilution of the resulting solution with CSW to adjust the viscosity of the final solution to meet the requirements for spraying. The monovalent metal hydroxides are more efficient in producing de-icer solutions than the divalent metal hydroxides.