4-(2,5-Dimethyl-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-N-(2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl) benzamide improves monoclonal antibody production in a Chinese hamster ovary cell culture.

There is a continuous demand to improve monoclonal antibody production for medication supply and medical cost reduction. For over 20 years, recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cells have been used as a host in monoclonal antibody production due to robustness, high productivity and ability to produce proteins with ideal glycans. Chemical compounds, such as dimethyl sulfoxide, lithium chloride, and butyric acid, have been shown to improve monoclonal antibody production in mammalian cell cultures. In this study, we aimed to discover new chemical compounds that can improve cell-specific antibody production in recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cells. Out of the 23,227 chemicals screened in this study, 4-(2,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-N-(2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl) benzamide was found to increase monoclonal antibody production. The compound suppressed cell growth and increased both cell-specific glucose uptake rate and the amount of intracellular adenosine triphosphate during monoclonal antibody production. In addition, the compound also suppressed the galactosylation on a monoclonal antibody, which is a critical quality attribute of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. Therefore, the compound might also be used to control the level of the galactosylation for the N-linked glycans. Further, the structure-activity relationship study revealed that 2,5-dimethylpyrrole was the most effective partial structure of 4-(2,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-N-(2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl) benzamide on monoclonal antibody production. Further structural optimization of 2,5-dimethylpyrrole derivatives could lead to improved production and quality control of monoclonal antibodies.

Molecular Wires with Controllable π-Delocalization Incorporating Redox-Triggered π-Conjugated Switching Units.

A perfluorobiphenyl-2,2'-diyl dication and its corresponding dihydrophenanthrene-type electron donor are interconvertible upon two-electron transfer. Redox-triggered C-C bond-formation/cleavage caused a drastic change in the torsion angle of the biphenyl unit. Thus, π-delocalization ON/OFF switching was observed as a change in the UV absorption upon electrolysis of the linearly extended analogue with two phenylethynyl groups. A further extended π-system with a molecular length of ca. 3.5 nm, which has two switching units, was synthesized. Spectroelectrograms as well as voltammetric analyses showed that the two units act nearly simultaneously because of the very small inter-unit electrostatic repulsion in the tetracationic state. Thus, the present pair is a promising candidate as a switching unit for "molecular wires" with controllable π-delocalization, in which a higher ON/OFF ratio of delocalization could be realized by incorporating multiple switching units.

Enhanced circular dichroism at elevated temperatures through complexation-induced transformation of a three-layer cyclophane with dualistic dynamic helicity.

When two planes stacked one above the other are twisted, they provide a dynamic pair of helical conformations with (M)- or (P)-helicity. We designed a three-layer cyclophane that consists of two such dynamic pairs: the top and middle planes, and the middle and bottom planes. Hence, several global conformations could be created for the overall molecule, e.g., double-helical forms with a pair with the same helicity [(M,M) or (P,P)], and a meso-like form with a pair with a different helicity (M,P). These conformations dynamically interconvert to each other in solution. Chiroptical properties were given by the helical-sense preference of the double-helical forms, which was brought about through complexation with a chiral hydrogen-bonding guest. In terms of the conformational energy in a complexed state, when a desirable relationship between double-helical and meso-like forms was attained, complexation-induced circular dichroism was enhanced at elevated temperatures and decreased at lowered temperatures.

Supramolecular chiroptical switching of helical-sense preferences through the two-way intramolecular transmission of a single chiral source.

We demonstrate a chiroptical switching system with a simple molecule. The molecule contains a pair of chromophores of diphenylacetylene that are linked with a diyne bond and arranged to exert exciton coupling in helically folded forms with (M)- or (P)-helicity. A tertiary amide group is attached to each end of the looped molecule. The amide carbonyls were used to capture a ditopic hydrogen-bonding guest. A chiral auxiliary group on the amide nitrogen acted as a chiral handle to control the helical-sense preference of dynamic helical forms of the loop. The helical-sense preference is brought about by an intramolecular transmission of point chirality associated with the loop. The preferred sense was switched upon complexation with an achiral additive through the formation of hydrogen bonds. In both states, before and after complexation, the helical-sense preferences were controlled through two-way transmission of the single chiral source.

Assembly of an Axially Chiral Dynamic Redox System with a Perfluorobiphenyl Skeleton into Dumbbell- or Tripod-type Electron Donors.

The incorporation of F atoms endows a diethenylbiphenyl-based electron donor with configurational stability and SN Ar reactivity. The former enables the dynamic redox pair of (Rax)-1/(Rax ,R,R)-1(2+) to exhibit drastic UV/Vis and CD spectral changes upon electrolysis, whereas the latter makes it possible for (Rax)-1 to serve as a useful chiral synthon for the production of larger assemblies [(Rax ,Rax)-2 d,p,m and (Rax ,Rax ,Rax)-3] containing two or three dyrex units. These dyads and triad also exhibit a clean electrochiroptical response with isosbestic points owing to one-wave multi-electron transfer.

Two-way chromic interconversion of the 2,2'-biphenol-6,6'-diyl dication with 5H,10H-dioxapyrene or 9H,10H-4,5-dihydroxyphenanthrene.

Two-proton or two-electron transfer of the title biphenolic dication proceeds nearly simultaneously to induce 2,6'/2',6- or 6,6'-bond formation to give dioxapyrene or dihydrophenanthrene derivatives, respectively, with vivid changes in color (halochromism and electrochromism).

Dynamic Figure Eight Chirality: Multifarious Inversions of a Helical Preference Induced by Complexation.

We demonstrate two types of inversion of a helical preference upon the 1:1 complexation of a dynamic figure eight molecule with a guest molecule through the controlled transmission of point chirality. We designed a series of macrocycles that prefer a nonplanar conformation with figure eight chirality. These macrocycles are composed of a chirality-transferring unit (terephthalamide) and a structure-modifying unit (two o-phenylene rings spaced with a varying number of triple bonds). The former unit provides a binding site for capturing a guest molecule through the formation of hydrogen bonds. The attachment of chiral auxiliaries to the former unit induces a helical preference for a particular sense through the intramolecular transmission of point chirality. For relatively small-sized macrocycles, the preferred sense was reversed upon complexation with an achiral guest. Contrary preferences before and after complexation were both seen for chiral auxiliaries associated with a figure eight host through two-way intramolecular transmission of the single chiral source. Alternatively, the helical preference induced in relatively large-sized macrocycles was reversed only when a figure eight host formed a 1:1 complex with a particular enantiomeric guest through the supramolecular transmission of point chirality in the guest. This stereospecific inversion of a helical preference is rare.

New insights into the hexaphenylethane riddle: formation of an α,o-dimer.

Upon reduction of a 1H-cyclobuta[de]naphthalene-4,5-diylbis(diarylmethylium) species, a new CC bond is formed between the Cα and Cortho atoms of the two chromophores, which presents an unprecedented coupling pattern for the dimerization of two trityl units. By attaching an annulated cyclobutane ring at the opposite peri position of the naphthalene core, the distance between the Cα  carbon atoms was elongated beyond the limit of σ-bond formation through "scissor effects". The suppression of Cα Cα bond formation, which would lead to hexaphenylethane-type compounds, is key to the first successful isolation of the α,o-adducts. The 5-diarylmethylene-6-triarylmethyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene unit in the α,o-adducts is stable, and isomerization of the cyclohexadiene unit into an aromatic system was not observed. The newly formed Cα Cortho bond was cleaved upon two-electron oxidation to regenerate the dicationic dye.

Controllability of dynamic double helices: quantitative analysis of the inversion of a screw-sense preference upon complexation.

We describe a quantitative analysis of the complexation-induced inversion of a screw-sense preference based on a conformationally dynamic double-helix structure in a macrocycle. The macrocycle is composed of two twisting units (terephthalamide), which are spaced by two strands (1,3-bis(phenylethynyl)benzene), and is designed to generate a double-helix structure through twisting about a C2 axis in a conrotatory manner. The attachment of chiral auxiliaries to the twisting units induces a helical preference for a particular sense of (M)- or (P)-helicity through the intramolecular transmission of chirality to dynamic double helices. The twisting unit can also act as a binding site for capturing a guest molecule, and, in a complexed state, the preferred screw sense of the dynamic double-helix structure is reversed to exhibit the contrary preference. We quantitatively monitored the complexation-induced inversion of the screw-sense preference using 1H NMR spectroscopy, which enabled us to observe independently two species with (M)- or (P)-helicity in both the absence and presence of a guest molecule. Inversion of the screw-sense preference was induced upon complexation with an achiral guest as well as a chiral guest.

Bis(10-methylacridinium)s as a versatile platform for redox-active functionalized dyes and novel structures.

10-Methylacridinium is a stable aromatic cation exhibiting yellow-orange color and strong green fluorescence (FL), and can be used as a versatile building block in constructing a wide variety of novel π-electron systems. The dications with the two chromophores connected by a proper π spacer undergo reversible "dyrex" (dynamic redox) behavior, and C-C bond formation/cleavage is accompanied by their redox reactions. The prototype is biphenyl-2,2'-diylbis(10-methylacridinium), which exhibits electrochromic response with ON/OFF switching of FL during the reversible interconversion with the di(spiroacridan)-type electron donor. Slight structural alteration under the concept of "MFMS" (maximum function on the minimum skeleton) endowed the dyrex system with metal-binding or chiroptical properties, which could be modified by the redox reactions. Some of the di(spiroacridan) derivatives generated from bis(10-methylacridinium)s have extreme structural parameters, such as the greatest C-C bond length ever reported.

Chiroptical molecular propellers based on hexakis(phenylethynyl)benzene through the complexation-induced intramolecular transmission of local point chirality.

We designed hexakis(phenylethynyl)benzene derivatives with a tertiary amide group on each blade to achieve a helically biased propeller arrangement through the complexation-induced intramolecular transmission of point chirality. A hydrogen-bonding ditopic guest was captured at two amide groups, and thus could pair two neighboring blades to form a supramolecular cyclic structure, in which an auxiliary chiral group associated with a blade acted as a chiral handle to control the helical bias, while the chiral auxiliary did not exert any helical influence on the dynamic helicity in the absence of a guest due to the high flexibility of each blade.

A foldable cyclic oligomer: chiroptical modulation through molecular folding upon complexation and a change in temperature.

A foldable cyclic oligomer 1 consisting of three terephthalamide units spaced with a 3-fold o-phenylene unit presented a dynamic pair of enantiomeric forms through molecular folding, to which the external chirality on a ditopic guest [(S,S)-2 or (R,R)-2] was supramolecularly transferred to prefer a particular sense of dynamic helicity [(M,M)-/(P,P)-1 and (M,M,P)-/(P,P,M)-1]. In the macrocycle, the terephthalamide units acted as exotopic binding sites to fold into helical forms upon complexation. The internal chirality associated with a host [(R,R,R,R,R,R)-1b] had no preference in a helical sense in the absence of a guest. Instead, the internal chirality was responsible for the signal modulation that it was cooperatively or competitively transferred in response to the external chirality on a guest (S,S)-2 or (R,R)-2. During the diastereomeric complexation, a particular sense of dynamic helicity was favored due to cooperative transmission of chirality when the helical preference was matched between the host and guest. Alternatively, the host complexed with an antipodal guest underwent a drastic change in conformation upon a change in temperature.

Controlled dynamic helicity of a folded macrocycle based on a bisterephthalamide with a twofold Z-shaped structure.

Dynamic helicity in a folded macrocycle and control of the helical preference are described. We designed macrocycle 1 with a dual mode of folding through the integration of two flexible units that are arranged twice to form a cyclic structure. As a folding unit, we used a terephthalamide skeleton and a Z-shaped hydrocarbon: the former acted as a control unit to induce a preference of a particular sense of dynamic helicity and the latter was just a spacer. A terephthalamide unit provided a binding site for capturing a ditopic hydrogen-bonding guest when it adopted helically folded syn forms (M/P). Thus, only the terephthalamide unit controlled the helical sense of dynamic helicity in a folded macrocycle through the supramolecular transmission of chirality upon complexation with a chiral ditopic guest. In addition, chirality on a host could also contribute to the control of the helical preference in a folded macrocycle, which led to exceptionally enhanced chiroptical signals.

Alkylbenzoquinone involved in development of cellular slime molds.

The structure of the prespore-cell-promoting factor from Dictyostelium discoideum was determined to be 2-hydroxy-5-methyl-6-pentylbenzoquinone. The synthetic compound has prespore-cell-promoting activity similar to the natural one, with half-maximal induction at a concentration as low as 40 pM. It was also found that the factor induces aggregation in an aggregation-deficient mutant of a related species, Polysphodilium violaceum. Both these activities are sensitive to positional isomerism with the 6-methyl-5-pentyl isomer showing no detectable activity.

Wurster's Blue-type cation radicals framed in a 5,10-dihydrobenzo[a]indolo[2,3-c]carbazole (BIC) skeleton: dual electrochromism with drastic changes in UV/Vis/NIR and fluorescence.

Electron-donating dihydrobenzindolocarbazoles (BICs) 1 a-c, which adopt planar disk-shaped geometries, were prepared by gold(I)-catalyzed cyclization as a key step. Due to the presence of a 1,4-phenylenediamine (PD) moiety in the framework, they undergo reversible one-electron oxidation to the corresponding Wurster's Blue (WB)-type species that exhibits NIR absorptions up to λ=1200 nm. In the case of the N,N'-dimethyl derivative, cation radical 1 c(+.) is stable enough to be isolated as a salt and X-ray analysis indicated paraquinoid-type bond alternation in the WB core unit, whereas the bond lengths in the peripheral benzene rings are identical to those in the neutral donor. Upon electrochemical interconversion, the redox pairs of 1 a-c and 1 a-c(+.) exhibited an electrochromic response in the UV/Vis/NIR region, which was accompanied by a drastic change in the fluorescence spectrum because only neutral donors 1 a-c are highly emissive (Φ(F) : 0.7-0.8).

Complexation-induced inversion of helicity by an organic guest in a dynamic molecular propeller based on a tristerephthalamide host with a two-layer structure.

A tristerephthalamide host exhibited two helical geometries with (M)- and (P)-helicity, respectively, in terms of the twisting direction of a two-layer structure, and the helical preference switched upon complexation with a ditopic guest. In both uncomplexed and complexed states, the intramolecular transmission of chirality was responsible for the control of helicity.

Preparation and structure of acenaphthylene-1,2-diyldi(9-acridine) derivatives with a long C=C bond.

Due to purely steric effects of acridine units, acenaphthylene-1,2-diyldi(9-acridine) has a long C=C bond [1.3789(19) Å] while maintaining its sp(2) hybridized nature and bond order.

Total synthesis of pectenotoxin-2.

Pectenotoxin-2 (PTX2) is a shellfish toxin and has a non-anomeric spiroacetal, which is not stabilized by an anomeric effect. The selective construction of the non-anomeric spiroacetal has been a major problem in the synthesis of PTX2. Described herein is the stereoselective total synthesis of PTX2 via the isomerization of anomeric spiroacetal pectenotoxin-2b (PTX2b). The synthesis of PTX2b was achieved by a simple process including sulfone-mediated assembly of spirocyclic and bicyclic acetals and subsequent macrocyclization by ring-closing olefin metathesis. Finally, the selective construction of PTX2 was accomplished by the early termination of a dynamic transition process to equilibrium in the acid-catalyzed isomerization of anomeric PTX2b. [6,6]-Spiroacetal pectenotoxin-2c (PTX2c) was also synthesized from PTX2b. The cytotoxicity assay of the synthetic compounds against HepG2 and Caco2 cancer cells showed a potency of the order: PTX2≫PTX2b>PTX2c.

A new variant of fused cyclic ether synthesis based on Ireland-Claisen rearrangement and RCM.

A new variant of fused cyclic ether synthesis based on Ireland-Claisen rearrangement and ring-closing olefin metathesis (RCM) was developed. The Ireland-Claisen rearrangement of a (Z)-3-alkoxyprop-2-en-1-yl glycolate ester having a cyclic ether on the oxygen at C3 of the (Z)-prop-2-en-1-yl group stereoselectively produced an anti-alpha,beta-dialkoxyester, which was successfully transformed to a fused bicyclic ether via a reaction sequence including RCM.

A C(3)-symmetric chiroptical molecular propeller based on hexakis(phenylethynyl)benzene with a threefold terephthalamide: stereospecific propeller generation through the cooperative transmission of point chiralities on the host and guest upon complexation.

Propeller-shaped dynamic helicity was generated in a hexakis(phenylethynyl)benzene framework that preferred a particular sense to afford a strong CD signal, which was realized by the cooperative transmission of point chiralities upon complexation with a chiral guest through a threefold binding site presented by a syn-formed terephthalamide.