Structural insights into drug transport by an aquaglyceroporin.

Pentamidine and melarsoprol are primary drugs used to treat the lethal human sleeping sickness caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei. Cross-resistance to these two drugs has recently been linked to aquaglyceroporin 2 of the trypanosome (TbAQP2). TbAQP2 is the first member of the aquaporin family described as capable of drug transport; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we present cryo-electron microscopy structures of TbAQP2 bound to pentamidine or melarsoprol. Our structural studies, together with the molecular dynamic simulations, reveal the mechanisms shaping substrate specificity and drug permeation. Multiple amino acids in TbAQP2, near the extracellular entrance and inside the pore, create an expanded conducting tunnel, sterically and energetically allowing the permeation of pentamidine and melarsoprol. Our study elucidates the mechanism of drug transport by TbAQP2, providing valuable insights to inform the design of drugs against trypanosomiasis.

Expanding the antibacterial selectivity of polyether ionophore antibiotics through diversity-focused semisynthesis.

Polyether ionophores are complex natural products capable of transporting cations across biological membranes. Many polyether ionophores possess potent antimicrobial activity and a few selected compounds have the ability to target aggressive cancer cells. Nevertheless, ionophore function is believed to be associated with idiosyncratic cellular toxicity and, consequently, human clinical development has not been pursued. Here, we demonstrate that structurally novel polyether ionophores can be efficiently constructed by recycling components of highly abundant polyethers to afford analogues with enhanced antibacterial selectivity compared to a panel of natural polyether ionophores. We used classic degradation reactions of the natural polyethers lasalocid and monensin and combined the resulting fragments with building blocks provided by total synthesis, including halogen-functionalized tetronic acids as cation-binding groups. Our results suggest that structural optimization of polyether ionophores is possible and that this area represents a potential opportunity for future methodological innovation.

Ionophore antibiotic X-206 is a potent inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro.

Pandemic spread of emerging human pathogenic viruses, such as the current SARS-CoV-2, poses both an immediate and future challenge to human health and society. Currently, effective treatment of infection with SARS-CoV-2 is limited and broad spectrum antiviral therapies to meet other emerging pandemics are absent leaving the World population largely unprotected. Here, we have identified distinct members of the family of polyether ionophore antibiotics with potent ability to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication and cytopathogenicity in cells. Several compounds from this class displayed more than 100-fold selectivity between viral-induced cytopathogenicity and inhibition of cell viability, however the compound X-206 displayed >500-fold selectivity and was furthermore able to inhibit viral replication even at sub-nM levels. The antiviral mechanism of the polyether ionophores is currently not understood in detail. We demonstrate, e.g. through unbiased bioactivity profiling, that their effects on the host cells differ from those of cationic amphiphiles such as hydroxychloroquine. Collectively, our data suggest that polyether ionophore antibiotics should be subject to further investigations as potential broad-spectrum antiviral agents.

Chemical Syntheses and Chemical Biology of Carboxyl Polyether Ionophores: Recent Highlights.

A central goal of chemical biology is to develop molecular probes that enable fundamental studies of cellular systems. In the hierarchy of bioactive molecules, the so-called ionophore class occupies an unflattering position in the lower branches, with typical labels being "non-specific" and "toxic". In fact, the mere possibility that a candidate molecule possesses "ionophore activity" typically prompts its removal from further studies; ionophores-from a chemical genetics perspective-are molecular outlaws. In stark contrast to this overall poor reputation of ionophores, synthetic chemistry owes some of its most amazing achievements to studies of ionophore natural products, in particular the carboxyl polyethers renowned for their intricate molecular structures. These compounds have for decades been academic battlegrounds where new synthetic methodology is tested and retrosynthetic tactics perfected. Herein, we review the most exciting recent advances in carboxyl polyether ionophore (CPI) synthesis and in addition discuss the burgeoning field of CPI chemical biology.

Enantioselective synthesis of α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids via direct catalytic asymmetric addition of acetonitrile to α-iminoesters.

α,α-Disubstituted α-amino acids have attracted increasing interest due to their potential utility as building blocks of unnatural peptides. Herein we document an enantioselective entry to this class of compounds through the direct catalytic addition of acetonitrile to α-iminoesters bearing an N-thiophosphinoyl group. Chiral N-heterocyclic carbene complexes of [Ir(cod)(OMe)]2 catalytically rendered the catalytic generation of α-cyanocarbanions from acetonitrile in combination with Barton's base, followed by enantioselective addition to the imino carbonyl group, delivering a variety of enantioenriched α-cyanomethylated α,α-disubstituted α-amino acid derivatives.

Direct Catalytic Asymmetric Mannich-type Reaction of α,ß-Unsaturated γ-Butyrolactam with Ketimines.

We report a direct catalytic asymmetric Mannich-type addition of α,ß-unsaturated γ-butyrolactam to α-ethoxycarbonyl ketimines promoted by a soft Lewis acid/Brønsted base cooperative catalyst. A thiophosphinoyl group on the nitrogen of ketimines was crucial for both electrophilic activation and α-addition of γ-butyrolactams. The obtained aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman-type products bear an α-amino acid architecture with a tetra-substituted stereogenic center.

Catalytic asymmetric mannich-type reaction of N-alkylidene-α-aminoacetonitrile with ketimines.

Optically active vicinal diamines are versatile chiral building blocks in organic synthesis. A soft Lewis acid/hard Brønsted base cooperative catalyst allows for an efficient stereoselective coupling of N-alkylidene-α-aminoacetonitrile and ketimines to access this class of compounds bearing consecutive tetra- and trisubstituted stereogenic centers. The strategic use of a soft Lewis basic thiophosphinoyl group for ketimines is the key to promoting the reaction, and aliphatic ketimines serve as suitable substrates with as little as 3 mol % catalyst loading.

Iterative direct aldol strategy for polypropionates: enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-membrenone A and B.

An iterative direct aldol reaction using a C3 propionate unit as an aldol donor offers expeditious access to polyketide assembly in a highly diastereo- and enantioselective manner. An all-syn polyketide array with four consecutive stereogenic centers was efficiently constructed by an aldol reaction of thiopropionamide via soft Lewis acid/hard Brønsted base cooperative catalysis. This iterative aldol strategy led to an enantioselective synthesis of (-)-membrenone A and B.

Direct catalytic asymmetric vinylogous conjugate addition of unsaturated butyrolactones to α,ß-unsaturated thioamides.

Soft Lewis acid/Brønsted base cooperative catalysts have enabled direct catalytic asymmetric vinylogous conjugate addition of α,ß- and ß,γ-unsaturated butyrolactones to α,ß-unsaturated thioamides with perfect atom economy. When using α-angelica lactone and its derivatives as pronucleophiles, as little as 0.5 mol% catalyst loading was sufficient to complete the reaction necessary to construct consecutive tri- and tetrasubstituted stereogenic centers in a highly diastereo- and enantioselective fashion.