A new strategy for the synthesis of cyclopeptides containing diaminoglutaric acid.

A new synthesis of orthogonally protected diaminoglutaric acid containing peptides using the Ugi four component condensation is presented. To demonstrate that this method is useful to replace cystine by diaminoglutaric acid in biologically interesting peptides, we built up two cyclic somatostatin analogues deriving from Sandostatin and from TT-232. A photolytically cleavable amine derivative of the nitroveratryl type is used for the Ugi four component condensation. Because of a racemic build up of the new stereocentre of the diaminoglutaric acid, and racemization of the isonitrile component, four diastereomeric peptides resulted that were separated by HPLC. The stereochemistry of the cyclopeptides could be easily and unambiguously assigned by chiral gas chromatography and a reference sample of enantiomerically pure (2S,4S)-diaminoglutaric acid.     

Biosynthesis of the sulfonolipid 2-amino-3-hydroxy-15-methylhexadecane-1-sulfonic acid in the gliding bacterium Cytophaga johnsonae

The biosynthesis of the sulfonolipid 2-amino-3-hydroxy-15-methylhexadecane-1-sulfonic acid (capnine) was studied by measuring the incorporation of possible precursors into the lipid by cells grown in the presence of precursors which were labeled with stable isotopes. Cells grown on yeast extract in the presence of DL-[3,3-2H2]serine contained 40.1 mol% of the protein-bound serine and 5.0 mol% of the protein-bound cysteine derived from the labeled serine. Cells grown in the presence of DL-[3,3-2H2]cystine acid contained 86.4 mol% of the molecules that had two deuteriums. These results are consistent with the possibility that biosynthesis of capnine occurs by the condensation of 13-methylmyristoyl-coenzyme A with cysteic acid, in a reaction analogous to the condensation of a palmitoyl-coenzyme A with serine to form 3-keto-sphinganine during the biosynthesis of sphingolipids.     

Synthesis of Nh-acyl-α-aminoamides on rink resin: Inhibitors of the hematopoietic protein tyrosine phosphatase (HePTP)

Cinnamic acid derivatives were prepared on Rink resin using tert-butyl-4-carboxycinnamate in a four-component Ugi condensation. Inhibition of the hematopoietic protein tyrosine phosphatase (HePTP) by these small molecules is reported. An IC₅₀ value of 3.9 μM was determined for the most potent inhibitor discovered.     

Synthesis, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities evaluation of some mono, bi and tricyclic pyrimidine derivatives

3-Aminobenzonitrile and 2-amino-4-phenyl thiazole on condensation with 4-isothiocyanato-4-methyl pentane-2-one gave condensed monocyclic pyrimidine derivatives 1 and 2, 3, respectively. Condensation of 3-aminopropyl imidazole with 3-isothiocyantobutanal gave condensed monocyclic pyrimidine derivative 4. Bicyclic pyrimidine derivatives 5a and 5b have been synthesized by the condensation of diaminomaleonitrile with 4-isothiocyanto-4-methylpentane-2-one and 3-isothiocyanatobutanal, respectively. Condensation of 4-isothiocyanato-4-methyl pentane-2-one with 2,3-diaminopropionic acid hydrochloride yielded another bicyclic compound 7. 4-Isothiocyanato-4-methyl pentane-2-one, 3-isothiocyanatobutanal and 4-isothiocyanatobutan-2-one on condensation with 2-amino-4-nitro phenol gave tricyclic pyrimidine derivatives 8a, 8b and 8c, respectively. Structures of all the synthesized pyrimidine derivatives are supported by correct IR, 1H NMR and mass spectral data. The anti-inflammatory activity evaluation was carried out using carrageenin-induced paw oedema assay, and compounds 1, 3 and 5b exhibited good anti-inflammatory activity, that is, 27.9, 34.5 and 34.3% at 50 mg/kg po, respectively. Analgesic activity evaluation was carried out using phenylquinone writhing assay and compounds 5a, 5b and 8b showed good analgesic activity, that is, 50, 70 and 50% at 50 mg/kg po, respectively.     

Isolation of some precursors of 2-methylpyrrole in the Elson–Morgan reaction

1-C-(1-Acetylacetonyl)-2-deoxy-2-(1-methyl-3-oxobut-1-enyl)amino -d-galactitol is obtained from the condensation of 2-amino-2-deoxy-d-galactose with pentane-2,4-dione in anhydrous solvent. On treatment with hot alkali it gives 2-methylpyrrole with 37% yield. By acid hydrolysis under mild conditions the compound loses the N substituent and from the resulting unstable derivative 2-methylpyrrole is obtained (52% yield). It is concluded that derivatives of aminohexoses substituted at C-1 with a dioxopentyl chain are the precursors of 2-methylpyrrole in the Cessi & Serafini-Cessi (1963) modification of the Elson-Morgan reaction. As demonstrated previously, products of condensation of aminohexoses with pentane-2,4-dione at the amino group are not converted directly into 2-methylpyrrole, but this step provides protection of the amino group during condensation at C-1.     

Multicomponent synthesis of 4,4-dimethyl sterol analogues and their effect on eukaryotic cells

Most sterols, such as cholesterol and ergosterol, become functional only after the removal of the two methyl groups at C-4 from their biosynthetic precursors. Nevertheless, some findings suggest that 4,4-dimethyl sterols might be involved in specific physiological processes. In this paper we present the synthesis of a collection of analogues of 4,4-dimethyl sterols with a diamide side chain and a preliminary analysis of their in vitro activity on selected biological systems. The key step for the synthesis involves an Ugi condensation, a versatile multicomponent reaction. Some of the new compounds showed antifungal and cytotoxic activity.     

An abbreviated synthesis of tetrahydropteridines

5,6,7,8-Tetrahydrobiopterin, the naturally occurring essential cofactor for the enzymatic hydroxylations of phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan, and its synthetic analog 2-amino-6-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4(3H)-pteridinone, have been synthesized in good yield by the direct hydrogenation of 1-(2-amino-1,6-dihydro-5-nitro-6-oxopyrimidin-4-yl-amino)-1,5-dide oxy-L- erythro-pentulose and 2-amino-6-hydroxy-5-phenylazo-4-pyrimidylamino-acetone, respectively. The reactions were carried out at room temperature in trifluoroacetic acid over a platinum catalyst at 2 atm and the products, each containing a mixture of the two possible C-6 isomers, were isolated by precipitation. The simplicity of the preparative method suggests the procedure may be applied generally to the synthesis of all tetrahydropteridines derived from similar pyrimidine precursors.     

Multicomponent synthesis of novel amino acid-nucleobase chimeras: a versatile approach to PNA-monomers

This paper describes a multicomponent approach to novel totally protected precursors of PNA-monomers via Ugi 4CC. The obtained bisamides are converted into several partially protected PNA-monomers or derivatives thereof using three different procedures. Methods for hydrolysis are shown to be dependent on the nature of the isocyano component required for Ugi 4CC. Several novel monomers suitable for oligomer synthesis are prepared demonstrating the high versatility of the reaction sequence.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of (2S)- and (2R)-2-(3'-phosphonobicyclo[1.1.1]pentyl)glycines as novel group III selective metabotropic glutamate receptor ligands

The synthesis of (2S)- and (2R)-2-(3'-phosphonobicyclo[1.1.1]pentyl)glycine isomers (10 and 11), characterized by the bioisosteric replacement of the distal carboxylic group of 2-(3'-carboxybicyclo[1.1.1]pent-1-yl)glycine by the phosphonate moiety, was accomplished by a stereoselective Ugi condensation. The two isomers were tested for their activity against an array of metabotropic glutamate receptors, and the S-isomer (10) turned out to be a moderately potent and selective mGluR4 agonist.     

Synthesis and characterization of nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes with tetradentate Schiff base ligands

The 1:1 condensation of 1,2-diaminopropane and 1-phenylbutane-1,3-dione at high dilution gives a mixture of two positional isomers of terdentate mono-condensed Schiff bases 6-amino-3-methyl-1-phenyl-4-aza-2-hepten-1-one (HAMPAH) and 6-amino-3,5-dimethyl-1-phenyl-4-aza-2-hexen-1-one (HADPAH). The mixture of the terdentate ligands has been used for further condensation with pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde or 2-acetylpyridine to obtain the unsymmetrical tetradentate Schiff base ligands. The tetradentate Schiff bases are then allowed to react with the methanol solution of copper(II) and nickel(II) perchlorate separately. The X-ray diffraction confirms the structures of two of the complexes and shows that the condensation site of the diamine with 1-phenylbutane-1,3-dione is the same.     

Synthesis, X-ray crystal structural study, antiviral and cytostatic evaluations of the novel unsaturated acyclic and epoxide nucleoside analogues

A series of the novel purine and pyrimidine nucleoside analogues were synthesised in which the sugar moiety was replaced by the 4-amino-2-butenyl (2-6 and 10-18) and oxiranyl (8 and 20) spacer. The Z- (2-6) and E-isomers (10-18) of unsaturated acyclic nucleoside analogues were synthesized by condensation of 2- and 6-substituted purine and 5-substituted uracil bases with Z- (1) or E-phthalimide (9) precursors. The oxiranyl nucleoside analogues (8 and 20) were obtained by epoxidation of 1 and 9 with m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid and subsequent coupling with adenine. The new compounds were evaluated for their antiviral and antitumor cell activities. Among the olefinic nucleoside analogues, Z-isomer of adenine containing 4-amino-2-butenyl side chain (6) exhibited the best cytostatic activities, particularly against colon carcinoma (SW 620, IC50 = 26 microM). Its E-isomer 15 did not show any antiproliferative activity against malignant tumor cell lines, except for a slight inhibition of colon carcinoma (SW 620, IC50 = 56.5 microM) cells. In general, Z-isomers showed better cytostatic activities than the corresponding E-isomers. (Z)-4-Amino-2-butenyl-adenine nucleoside analogue 6 showed albeit modest but selective activity against HIV-1 (EC50 = 4.83 microg mL(-1)).     

An efficient one-pot synthesis of polyphenolic amino acids and evaluation of their radical-scavenging activity

A simple and efficient procedure for the synthesis of N-acyl 4-hydroxy, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy and 3,4-dihydroxy phenylglycine amides by a strategy based on the multicomponent Ugi reaction is proposed. Hydroxybenzaldehyde derivatives were reacted with 4-methoxybenzylamine, cyclohexyl isocyanide and benzoic acid or 2-naphthylacetic acid to give Ugi adducts that were treated with trifluoroacetic acid yielding N-acyl hydroxyphenylglycine amides in good yields. The same procedure using as acid component protocatechuic acid or hydrocaffeic acid gave N-catechoyl 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycine amides. The use of N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine as acid component allowed the preparation of a 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycyl dipeptide derivative. Radical-scavenging activity studies of the polyphenolic amino acid derivatives showed a sharp increase in activity with the increase in number of hydroxyl or catechol groups present. Cyclic voltammetry experiments established a correlation between oxidation peak potentials and the radical-scavenging activity.     

Characterization of the Escherichia coli uracil-DNA glycosylase.inhibitor protein complex.

The Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage PBS2 uracil-DNA glycosylase inhibitor (Ugi) protein was characterized and shown to form a stable complex with Escherichia coli uracil-DNA glycosylase (Ung). As determined by mass spectrometry, the Ugi protein had a molecular weight of 9,474. We confirmed this value by sedimentation equilibrium centrifugation and determined that Ugi exists as a monomeric protein in solution. Amino acid analysis performed on both Ugi and Ung proteins was in excellent agreement with the amino acid composition predicted from the respective nucleotide sequence of each gene. The Ung.Ugi complex was resolved from its constitutive components by nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and shown to possess a 1:1 stoichiometry. Analytical ultracentrifugation studies revealed that the Ung.Ugi complex had a molecular weight of 35,400, consistent with the complex containing one molecule each of Ung and Ugi. The acidic isoelectric points of the protein species were 6.6 (Ung) and 4.2 (Ugi), whereas the Ung.Ugi complex had an isoelectric point of 4.9. Dissociation of the Ung.Ugi complex by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed no apparent alteration in the molecular weight of either polypeptide subsequent to binding. Furthermore, when the Ung.Ugi complex was treated with urea and resolved by urea-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, both uracil-DNA glycosylase and inhibitor activities were recovered from the dissociated complex. Thus, the complex seems to be reversible. In addition, we demonstrated that the Ugi interaction with Ung prevents enzyme binding to DNA and dissociates uracil-DNA glycosylase from a preformed DNA complex.     

Biosynthesis of peptide inhibitor MR-387 by Streptomyces neyagawaensis

Biosynthesis of MR-387 by Streptomyces neyagawaensis SL-387 was studied by testing the incorporation of radio-active precursors and the detection of biosynthetic enzyme. L-Phenylalanine, L-valine, L-proline, and acetic acid were efficiently incorporated into MR-387, but phenylethylamine and oxalic acid were not. These results suggest that the (2 S,3 R)-3-amino-2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutanoic acid moiety of MR-387 is synthesized from phenylalanine and acetic acid but not directly via the phenylethylamine. Synthesis of MR-387 is mediated by a peptide synthetase with a novel activity.     

Phosphonopyruvic acid: A probable precursor of phosphonic acids in cell-free preparation of Tetrahymena.

1. In cell-free preparations of Tetrahymena, doubly labelled [32P]phosphoenol-[3-14C]pyruvate gives rise to 2-aminoethylphosphonate and 2-amino-3-phosphonopropionate, labelled with the two isotopes in the same ratio as the starting compound. The result is consistent with an intra-molecular rearrangement of phosphoenolpyruvate in the biosynthetic sequence of carbon-phosphorus bond formation. 2. Incubation of [32P]phosphoenolpyruvate with the same preparation, followed by treatment with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, yielded labelled hydrazones. When these were subjected to hydrogenolysis, the radioactivity was recovered in 2-aminoethylphosphonate and 2-amino-3-phosphonopropionate, suggesting that 2-phosphonoacetaldehyde and 3-phosphonopyruvic acid were probable precursors of the aminoalkylphosphonic acids. 3. Radioactivity from 2-amino-3-phosphono-[3-14C]propionic acid was incorporated into 2-aminoethylphosphonic acid, but incorporation of the radioactivity into lipids was negligible.     

A novel coupled enzyme assay reveals an enzyme responsible for the deamination of a chemically unstable intermediate in the metabolic pathway of 4-amino-3-hydroxybenzoic acid in Bordetella sp. strain 10d.

2-amino-5-carboxymuconic 6-semialdehyde is an unstable intermediate in the meta-cleavage pathway of 4-amino-3-hydroxybenzoic acid in Bordetella sp. strain 10d. In vitro, this compound is nonenzymatically converted to 2,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid. Crude extracts of strain 10d grown on 4-amino-3-hydroxybenzoic acid converted 2-amino-5-carboxymuconic 6-semialdehyde formed from 4-amino-3-hydroxybenzoic acid by the first enzyme in the pathway, 4-amino-3-hydroxybenzoate 2,3-dioxygenase, to a yellow compound (epsilonmax = 375 nm). The enzyme in the crude extract carrying out the next step was purified to homogeneity. The yellow compound formed from 4-amino-3-hydroxybenzoic acid by this purified enzyme and purified 4-amino-3-hydroxybenzoate 2,3-dioxygenase in a coupled assay was identified as 2-hydroxymuconic 6-semialdehyde by GC-MS analysis. A mechanism for the formation of 2-hydroxymuconic 6-semialdehyde via enzymatic deamination and nonenzymatic decarboxylation is proposed based on results of spectrophotometric analyses. The purified enzyme, designated 2-amino-5-carboxymuconic 6-semialdehyde deaminase, is a new type of deaminase that differs from the 2-aminomuconate deaminases reported previously in that it primarily and specifically attacks 2-amino-5-carboxymuconic 6-semialdehyde. The deamination step in the proposed pathway differs from that in the pathways for 2-aminophenol and its derivatives.     

Evidence for the participation of aspartate aminotransferase in hepatic glucose synthesis in the suckling newborn rat.

Inhibition of liver aspartate aminotransferase by L-2-amino-4-methoxy-trans-3-butenoic acid in the suckling newborn rat causes a decrease in all gluconeogenic precursors from phosphoenolpyruvate to glucose and an accumulation of lactate but not of pyruvate. This suggests that the aspartate shuttle is operative and confirms the quantitative importance of lactate as a gluconeogenic precursor at this time during development.     

Novel 4-thiogalactofuranosyl-containing disaccharides with nitrogen in the interglycosidic linkage

The syntheses of three novel disaccharides containing a 4-thiogalactofuranosyl residue as the non-reducing unit and a nitrogen in the interglycosidic linkage are described. Acid-catalyzed condensation reactions of 4-thio-alpha/beta-D-galactofuranose with either methyl 3-amino-3-deoxy-alpha-D-mannopyranoside, methyl 2-amino-2-deoxy-alpha-D-mannopyranoside, or methyl 2-acetamido-6-amino-2,6-dideoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside gave methyl 3-amino-3-deoxy-3-N-(4-thio-alpha/beta-D-galactofuranosyl)-alpha-D-manno pyranoside, methyl 2-amino-2-deoxy-2-N-(4-thio-alpha/beta-D-galactofuranosyl)-alpha-D-manno pyranoside, or methyl 2-acetamido-6-amino-2,6-dideoxy-6-N-(4-thio-alpha/beta-D-galactofuranosy l)-beta-D-glucopyranoside.     

Biosynthesis of an unusual amino acyl moiety contained in bestatin

The biosynthetic pathway of an unusual amino acyl [(2S,3R)-3-amino-2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutanoyl (AHP)] moiety which is contained in bestatin has been studied by testing the incorporation of potential precursors. L-[U-14C]-Phenylalanine, L-[U-14C]leucine, and [U-14C]acetic acid were efficiently incorporated into bestatin, but the radioactivity of L-[1-14C]phenylalanine, [1-14C]glyoxylic acid, and [14C]oxalic acid were not incorporated. Incorporation of acetic acid into 1- and 2-carbon of the AHP moiety was confirmed by incorporation of [13C]acetic acid. Thus, the AHP moiety was shown to be biosynthesized from L-phenylalanine and two carbon atoms of acetic acid, accompanied by decarboxylation of the phenylalanine.