Directing GDNF-mediated neuronal signaling with proactively programmable cell-surface saccharide-free glycosaminoglycan mimetics.

A significant barrier to harnessing the power of cell-surface glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) to modulate glial cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) signaling is the difficulty in accessing key GAG structures involved. Here, we report tailored GDNF signaling using synthetic polyproline-based GAG mimetics (PGMs). PGMs deliver the much needed proactive programmability for GDNF recognition and effectively modulate GDNF-mediated neuronal processes in a cellular context.

Enantioselective Copper-Catalyzed Arylation-Driven Semipinacol Rearrangement of Tertiary Allylic Alcohols with Diaryliodonium Salts.

A copper-catalyzed enantioselective arylative semipinacol rearrangement of allylic alcohols using diaryliodonium salts is reported. Chiral Cu(II)-bisoxazoline catalysts initiate an electrophilic alkene arylation, triggering a 1,2-alkyl migration to afford a range of nonracemic spirocyclic ketones with high yields, diastereo- and enantioselectivities.