Selective P450BM3 Hydroxylation of Cyclobutylamine and Bicyclo[1.1.1]pentylamine Derivatives: Underpinning Synthetic Chemistry for Drug Discovery.

Achieving single-step syntheses of a set of related compounds divergently and selectively from a common starting material affords substantial efficiency gains when compared with preparing those same compounds by multiple individual syntheses. In order for this approach to be realized, complementary reagent systems must be available; here, a panel of engineered P450BM3 enzymes is shown to fulfill this remit in the selective C-H hydroxylation of cyclobutylamine derivatives at chemically unactivated sites. The oxidations can proceed with high regioselectivity and stereoselectivity, producing valuable bifunctional intermediates for synthesis and applications in fragment-based drug discovery. The process also applies to bicyclo[1.1.1]pentyl (BCP) amine derivatives to achieve the first direct enantioselective functionalization of the bridging methylenes and open a short and efficient route to chiral BCP bioisosteres for medicinal chemistry. The combination of substrate, enzyme, and reaction engineering provides a powerful general platform for small-molecule elaboration and diversification.

Two Total Syntheses of Trigoxyphins K and L.

Two total syntheses are presented for trigoxyphins K and L, tricyclic terpenoids from Trigonostemon xyphophylloides. The first proceeds via electrophlic cyclization in A/C-ring substrates to close the B ring at C4-C5 and then 1O2-mediated hydroxybutenolide formation to trigoxyphin L, with Luche reduction leading to trigoxyphin K. The second route develops from tetralone ring expansion to a B/C-ring intermediate that, by one-step O-demethylation-lactonization-isomerization, affords trigoxyphin K and then trigoxyphin L following enolate oxygenation.

Enzymatic Kinetic Resolution by Addition of Oxygen.

Kinetic resolution using biocatalysis has proven to be an excellent complementary technique to traditional asymmetric catalysis for the production of enantioenriched compounds. Resolution using oxidative enzymes produces valuable oxygenated structures for use in synthetic route development. This Minireview focuses on enzymes which catalyse the insertion of an oxygen atom into the substrate and, in so doing, can achieve oxidative kinetic resolution. The Baeyer-Villiger rearrangement, epoxidation, and hydroxylation are included, and biological advancements in enzyme development, and applications of these key enantioenriched intermediates in natural product synthesis are discussed.

Multi-Functional Oxidase Activity of CYP102A1 (P450BM3) in the Oxidation of Quinolines and Tetrahydroquinolines.

Tetrahydroquinoline, quinoline, and dihydroquinolinone are common core motifs in drug molecules. Screening of a 48-variant library of the cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP102A1 (P450BM3), followed by targeted mutagenesis based on mutation-selectivity correlations from initial hits, has enabled the hydroxylation of substituted tetrahydroquinolines, quinolines, and 3,4-dihydro-2-quinolinones at most positions around the two rings in good to high yields at synthetically relevant scales (1.5 g L-1 day-1 ). Other oxidase activities, such as C-C bond desaturation, aromatization, and C-C bond formation, were also observed. The enzyme variants, with mutations at the key active site residues S72, A82, F87, I263, E267, A328, and A330, provide direct and sustainable routes to oxy-functionalized derivatives of these building block molecules for synthesis and drug discovery.

Characterisation of the paramagnetic [2Fe-2S]+ centre in palustrisredoxin-B (PuxB) from Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009: g-matrix determination and spin coupling analysis.

Palustrisredoxin-B (PuxB) from Rhodopseudomonas palustris (CGA009) is a [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin which is able to accept electrons from NADH via the flavin-dependent palustrisredoxin reductase (PuR); these electrons can then be transferred to the P450 enzyme (CYP199A2). This work reports on the paramagnetic state of the [2Fe-2S](+) cluster in PuxB, both alone and in the PuR-PuxB complex. Aided by the X-ray crystal structure of PuxB, the protons nearest to the reduced [2Fe-2S](+) cluster were used as magnetic probes to quantify the g-matrix orientation and anisotropic magnetic moment of the paramagnetic centre. (1)H hyperfine couplings were measured with W-band Davies ENDOR and X-band HYSCORE spectroscopy and fitted to a model in which (1)H dipolar couplings were calculated assuming point magnetic moments located at the Fe ions, and bridging and coordinating cysteine sulfur atoms. The absolute sign of a (1)H hyperfine coupling was measured using a variable mixing time ENDOR experiment to confirm the assignment of the Fe(3+) and Fe(2+) ions. For the anti-ferromagnetically coupled cluster the magnetic moment is described in terms of spin projection factors, and our analysis yields values of K(exp)(A) = +2.33 to +1.85 (ferric site), and K(exp)(B) = -1.33 to -0.85 (ferrous site). These values are discussed in terms of the delocalisation of the spin density and hence the limitations of applying a local site spin coupling model to calculate the spin projection factors in a complex with considerable overlap of the α- and ß-spin magnetic oribitals. The accurate description of the g-matrix orientation and magnetic moment of this [2Fe-2S](+) cluster enable it to be utilised as a paramagnetic spin probe, for example, to measure electron-electron distances. In the pdb reference frame of PuxB (code ) the g(∥) axis vector is g(∥) = [-0.6524 ± 0.0248, -0.6269 ± 0.0115, 0.4259 ± 0.0405], with the principal g-values of g(⊥) = 1.9328 ± 0.0003, g(∥) = 2.0233 ± 0.0003.