Probing phosphorylation by non-mammalian isoprenoid biosynthetic enzymes using (1)H-(31)P-(31)P correlation NMR spectroscopy.

The biogenesis of isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP) is accomplished by the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway in plants, bacteria and parasites, making it a potential target for the development of anti-infective agents and herbicides. The biosynthetic enzymes comprising this pathway catalyze intriguing chemical transformations on diphosphate scaffolds, offering an opportunity to generate novel analogs in this synthetically challenging compound class. Such a biosynthetic approach to generating new diphosphate analogs may involve transformation through discrete diphosphate species, presenting unique challenges in structure determination and characterization of unnatural enzyme-generated diphosphate products produced in tandem. We have developed (1)H-(31)P-(31)P correlation NMR spectroscopy techniques for the direct characterization of crude MEP pathway enzyme products at low concentrations (200 microM to 5 mM) on a room temperature (non-cryogenic) NMR probe. Coupling the 100% natural abundance of the (31)P nucleus with the high intrinsic sensitivity of proton NMR, (1)H-(31)P-(31)P correlation spectroscopy is particularly useful for characterization of unnatural diphosphate enzyme products in the MEP pathway. As proof of principle, we demonstrate the rapid characterization of natural enzyme products of the enzymes IspD, E and F in tandem enzyme incubations. In addition, we have characterized several unnatural enzyme products using this technique, including new products of cytidyltransferase IspD bearing erythritol, glycerol and ribose components. The results of this study indicate that IspD may be a useful biocatalyst and highlight (1)H-(31)P-(31)P correlation spectroscopy as a valuable tool for the characterization of other unnatural products in non-mammalian isoprenoid biosynthesis.

Mechanistic insights into the inhibition of prostate specific antigen by beta-lactam class compounds.

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is a biomarker used in the diagnosis of prostate cancer and to monitor therapeutic response. However, its precise role in prostate carcinogenesis and metastasis remains largely unknown. A number of studies arguing in the favor of an active role of PSA in prostate cancer development and progression have implicated this serine protease in the release and activation of growth factors such as insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) through cleavage of insulin like growth factor binding protein 3 and Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-beta) through cleavage of Latent TGF-beta. In contrast, other studies suggest that PSA activity might hinder tumor development and progression. In light of these contradictory findings, efficient inhibitors of PSA are needed for exploring its biological role in tumor development and metastasis. Towards the goal of developing potent inhibitors of PSA, we have explored the molecular mechanism of a series of beta-lactam based compounds on binding to PSA using activity assays, matrix assisted laser desorption ionization with a time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and GOLD docking methodology. The mass spectrometry experiments and the activity assays confirmed the time-dependent and covalent nature of beta-lactam binding. To gain insights on the reaction intermediates at the molecular level, we docked beta-lactam inhibitors to a homology modeled PSA using the GOLD docking program in noncovalent and covalent binding modes. The docking studies elucidated the molecular details of the early noncovalent Michaelis complex, the acyl-enzyme covalent complex, and the nature of conformational reorganization required for the long term stability of the covalent complex. Additionally, the molecular basis for the effect of stereochemistry of the lactam ring on the inhibitory potency was elucidated through docking of beta-lactam enantiomers. As a validation of our docking methodology, two novel enantiomers were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory potency using fluorogenic substrate based activity assays. Additionally, cis enantiomers of eight beta-lactam compounds reported in a previous study were docked and their GOLD scores and binding modes were analyzed in order to assess the general applicability of our docking results. The close agreement of our docking results with the experimental data validates the mechanistic insights revealed through the docking studies and paves the way for the design and development of potent and specific inhibitors of PSA.

Catalytic, enantioselective [4 + 2]-cycloadditions of ketene enolates and o-quinones: efficient entry to chiral, alpha-oxygenated carboxylic acid derivatives.

We report catalytic, enantioselective [4 + 2]-cycloadditions of o-quinones with ketene enolates (derived from readily available acid chlorides) using cinchona alkaloid derivatives as catalysts to produce products in high enantiomeric excess (ee) and good to excellent yields. The thermodynamic driving force for these reactions is due in part to the restoration of aromaticity to the products. The resulting chiral, bicycloadducts can be synthetically manipulated in a variety of useful ways, for example to provide a flexible synthesis of alpha-oxygenated carboxylic acid derivatives.

Bifunctional Lewis acid-nucleophile-based asymmetric catalysis: mechanistic evidence for imine activation working in tandem with chiral enolate formation in the synthesis of beta-lactams.

We report a mechanistically based study of bifunctional catalyst systems in which chiral nucleophiles work in conjunction with Lewis acids to produce beta-lactams in high chemical yield, diastereoselectivity, and enantioselectivity. Chiral cinchona alkaloid derivatives work best when paired with Lewis acids based on Al(III), Zn(II), Sc(III), and, most notably, In(III). Homogeneous bifunctional catalysts, in which the catalyst contains both Lewis acidic and Lewis basic sites, were also studied in detail. Mechanistic evidence allows us to conclude that the chiral nucleophiles form zwitterionic enolates that react with metal-coordinated imines. Alternative scenarios, which postulated metal-bound enolates, were disfavored on the basis of our observations.

Catalytic, asymmetric alpha-chlorination of acid halides.

We present a full account of a tandem catalytic, asymmetric chlorination/esterification process that produces highly optically enriched alpha-chloroesters from inexpensive, commercially available acid halides using cinchona alkaloid derivatives as catalysts and polychlorinated quinones as halogenating agents. We have performed kinetics and control experiments to investigate the reaction mechanism and establish conditions under which the reactions can be best performed. We have developed NaH and NaHCO3 shuttle base systems as the easiest and most cost-effective ways of conducting the reactions, rendering the methodology economically competitive with known chiral halogenation procedures. We have also demonstrated the utility of our reactions by converting the products to synthetically useful derivatives.

A multistage, one-pot procedure mediated by a single catalyst: a new approach to the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of beta-amino acids.

A catalytic asymmetric procedure for the preparation of beta-amino acids (specifically beta-substituted aspartic acid derivatives) is reported. The cinchona alkaloid catalyst benzoylquinine (BQ) mediates up to five distinct steps of a reaction pathway, all in one reaction vessel. The products of this reaction, highly optically enriched beta-substituted aspartic acid derivatives, were prepared from N-acyl-alpha-chloroglycine esters and acid chlorides in the presence of the catalyst. This approach was also amenable to the synthesis of small polypeptides containing beta-substituted aspartic acid units, including a non-natural fragment of the antibiotic lysobactin. The addition of Lewis acids to this system was found to accelerate the rate of specific steps in the reaction pathway. Mechanistic aspects of this reaction, such as imine formation and Lewis acid chelation to the beta-lactam intermediate, were investigated through comparison of IR, NMR, and other physical data.