Chemotherapeutics overcoming nonsense mutation-associated genetic diseases: medicinal chemistry of negamycin.

Nonsense mutations caused by the presence of an in-frame premature termination codon (PTC) account for ~10% of gene lesions that together cause over 1800 inherited human diseases. One approach to treating genetic diseases that stem from PTCs is selective promotion of translational readthrough in a PTC using 'readthrough compounds' that can lead to partial restoration of full-length functional protein expression. (+)-Negamycin, a natural dipeptide-like antibiotic, may restore some dystrophin expression in the skeletal muscles of mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and this compound has been recognized as a potential therapeutic agent for diseases caused by nonsense mutations. In an effort to develop new candidate molecules with improved activities, we established the efficient total synthesis in eight steps of (+)-negamycin using both achiral and chiral starting material. These routes provided a deamino derivative with in vivo readthrough activity with potential for long-term treatment. In a separate approach, we discovered two natural negamycin analogs, 3-epi-deoxynegamycin and its leucine derivative, which are potent readthrough compounds effective against nonsense mutations of eukaryotes but not prokaryotes. These compounds fail to display antimicrobial activity. More potent derivatives, whose structure is derived from 3-epi-deoxynegamycin, were identified and their chemistry is discussed in this review.

Poly(ectoine) Hydrogels Resist Nonspecific Protein Adsorption.

The development of nonfouling zwitterionic materials has a wide range of biomedical and engineering applications. This work delineates the design and synthesis of a new zwitterionic material based on a naturally occurring compatible solute, ectoine, which is known to possess additional protective properties that stabilize even whole cells against ultraviolet radiation or cytotoxins. These properties and applications of ectoine inspire us to design a functional monomer containing the natural zwitterion moiety of ectoine imparting nonfouling properties and the methacrylate moiety for polymerization. The synthesis route designed for the ectoine methacrylate monomer is simple with a high yield, which is characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. After monomer synthesis, we have prepared a poly(ectoine) hydrogel via thermal polymerization. The equilibrium water content, degree of cross-linking, mechanical strength, and nonfouling properties are determined for polyectoine hydrogels with different cross-linking conditions. Poly(ectoine) hydrogels are shown to have highly hydrated and excellent nonfouling properties and can be considered to be a promising biomaterial.

Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of anti-α,ß-Diamino Acid Derivatives.

A novel approach to chiral anti-α,ß-diamino acid derivatives through tandem orthogonal organocatalysis has been developed. Chiral phosphoric acid catalysts control the chemo-, regio-, and stereoselective addition of hydroxylamines to alkylideneoxazolones, while a phosphine catalyst promotes the isomerization of Z- alkylideneoxazolones to the more reactive E- alkylideneoxazolones.

δ,ε-Unsaturated α,ß-diamino acids as building blocks for the asymmetric synthesis of diverse α,ß-diamino acids.

A building block approach for the synthesis of α,ß-diamino acids is described, which involves the diastereodivergent preparation of two sets of orthogonally protected δ,ε-unsaturated α,ß-diamino acids as templates for the preparation of 12 new α,ß-diamino acids of biological relevance using simple techniques.

A total synthesis of (+)-negamycin through isoxazolidine allylation.

The ß-amino acid antibiotic (+)-negamycin has been synthesised in ten steps from epichlorohydrin via Sakurai allylation of an isoxazolidine intermediate. The key allylation reaction proceeded with complete trans-selectivity, which is attributed to electrostatic attraction between the chlorine atom and the iminium ion in the Sakurai intermediate.

Systems metabolic engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum for production of the chemical chaperone ectoine.

BACKGROUND: The stabilizing and function-preserving effects of ectoines have attracted considerable biotechnological interest up to industrial scale processes for their production. These rely on the release of ectoines from high-salinity-cultivated microbial producer cells upon an osmotic down-shock in rather complex processor configurations. There is growing interest in uncoupling the production of ectoines from the typical conditions required for their synthesis, and instead design strains that naturally release ectoines into the medium without the need for osmotic changes, since the use of high-salinity media in the fermentation process imposes notable constraints on the costs, design, and durability of fermenter systems. RESULTS: Here, we used a Corynebacterium glutamicum strain as a cellular chassis to establish a microbial cell factory for the biotechnological production of ectoines. The implementation of a mutant aspartokinase enzyme ensured efficient supply of L-aspartate-beta-semialdehyde, the precursor for ectoine biosynthesis. We further engineered the genome of the basic C. glutamicum strain by integrating a codon-optimized synthetic ectABCD gene cluster under expressional control of the strong and constitutive C. glutamicum tuf promoter. The resulting recombinant strain produced ectoine and excreted it into the medium; however, lysine was still found as a by-product. Subsequent inactivation of the L-lysine exporter prevented the undesired excretion of lysine while ectoine was still exported. Using the streamlined cell factory, a fed-batch process was established that allowed the production of ectoine with an overall productivity of 6.7 g L(-1) day(-1) under growth conditions that did not rely on the use of high-salinity media. CONCLUSIONS: The present study describes the construction of a stable microbial cell factory for recombinant production of ectoine. We successfully applied metabolic engineering strategies to optimize its synthetic production in the industrial workhorse C. glutamicum and thereby paved the way for further improvements in ectoine yield and biotechnological process optimization.

Enantioselective trapping of phosphoramidate ammonium ylides with imino esters for synthesis of 2,3-diaminosuccinic acid derivatives.

A highly enantioselective trapping of protic phosphoramidate ammonium ylides with α-imino esters is reported. The intriguing Rh2(OAc)4 and chiral Brønsted acid co-catalyzed three-component Mannich-type reaction of a diazo compound, a phosphoramidate, and an α-imino ester provides a rapid and efficient access to 2,3-diaminosuccinic acid derivatives with a high level control of diastereo- and enantioselectivity.

Memory of chirality (MOC) concept in imino-aldol reaction: enantioselective synthesis of α,ß-diamino esters and aziridines.

A simple strategy for the synthesis of chiral α,ß-diamino- and α-amino,ß-hydroxy ester derivatives in high yields with moderate to high ee has been developed via asymmetric imino-aldol and aldol reactions, respectively, starting from protected aminoesters employing memory of chirality concept for chiral induction. This strategy has been extended for the enantioselective synthesis of aziridines (ee up to 92%). The absolute configuration of the imino-aldol adducts has been determined. The stereochemical outcome of the products has been explained by a suitable mechanism and supported by computational studies.

Synthesis of gem-diamino acid derivatives by a Hofmann rearrangement.

Starting from commercially available N-protected L-α-amino acids, N,N'-protected gem-diaminic units were obtained by a two-step methodology. A Hofmann reaction performed using a primary alcohol as the solvent to trap the isocyanate intermediate represents the key step of the new synthetic procedure. Then, the methodology was applied to α-carbamoyl α'-carboxyl aziridines, also functionalized with L-α-amino esters and stable gem-diaminic units characterized by an aziridine ring and by a retro-peptide modification were obtained. The use of the latter units in the retro-peptide chemistry allows to obtain modified peptides containing an aziridine ring able to behave as an electrophilic site and as a biomimetic structural analog of proline.

A practical route to long-chain non-natural α,ω-diamino acids.

An efficient method for the synthesis of long-chain α,ω-diamino acids, starting from natural α-amino acids, has been developed. The long-chain skeleton has been generated through condensation between a protected aldehyde, derived from L-aspartic acid, and an ylide obtained from an ω-hydroxy-alkyl phosphonium salt. After conversion of the ω-hydroxy group into an amine, catalytic hydrogenation produced the N,N'-protected α,ω-diamino acid. The present route to α,ω-diamino acids allows the modulation of the chain length depending on the length of the ylide used for the Wittig olefination reaction.

Rhodium-catalyzed intramolecular formation of N-sulfamoyl 2,3-aziridino-γ-lactones and their use for the enantiospecific synthesis of α,ß-diamino acid derivatives.

4-Hydroxymethylbutenolide 4 was transformed into its sulfamoyl derivative 5, which upon treatment with iodosobenzene diacetate and magnesium oxide in the presence of a rhodium catalyst afforded the product of intramolecular aziridination 6. Reaction of 6 with primary or secondary amines in DMA led to regioselective opening of the aziridine ring at C2 to give the corresponding bicyclic derivatives 7a-7g in good to excellent yields. Methanolysis of the lactone ring of the N-benzyl-N-methyl derivative 7c followed by protection of the resulting secondary hydroxy group and treatment of the product with Boc anhydride provided the activated cyclic sulfamates 13 and 14. The latter then reacted with a second nucleophile (azide or thiophenol) to give the corresponding difunctionalized α,ß-diamino methyl esters 15-18, 20.

Synergistic chiral ion pair catalysts for asymmetric catalytic synthesis of quaternary α,ß-diamino acids.

The combination of a chiral phosphate anion with a silver ion has been demonstrated as a powerful and synergistic ion pair catalyst for the aza-Mannich reaction. A series of valuable quaternary α,ß-diamino acid derivatives was obtained in high yield, and with excellent diastereo- (up to 25:1 dr) and enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee). The adducts can be smoothly transformed into the corresponding protected chiral quaternary α,ß-diamino acids by a one-pot hydrolysis reaction.

Asymmetric synthesis of α,ß-diamino acid derivates via Mannich-type reactions of a chiral Ni(II) complex of glycine with N-tosyl imines.

A practical procedure composed of an asymmetric Mannich-type reaction between N-tosyl imine and a Ni(II) complex of glycine with (R)-o-[N-(N-benzylprolyl)amino]bezaophenone (BPB) as a chiral auxiliary catalyzed by Et(3)N in DMF to (R,2R,3S)-complexes, and decomposition of products with HCl to offer syn-(2R,3S)-α,ß-diamino acids, was developed. Stereochemical mechanism of the Mannich reaction was proposed and supported by determining the absolute configuration of the product of the Mannich reaction relying on X-ray analysis. This two-step approach to amino acids was a general method and adapted to large-scale preparation.

Access to ß,γ-diamino acids. Application to the synthesis of 3-deoxyaminostatine.

The synthesis of orthogonally protected diastereo- and enantiopure ß,γ-diamino acids starting from natural α-amino acids is described, as well as its application to the synthesis of fully protected 3-deoxyaminostatine.

Synthesis of 5-hydroxyectoine from ectoine: crystal structure of the non-heme iron(II) and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase EctD.

As a response to high osmolality, many microorganisms synthesize various types of compatible solutes. These organic osmolytes aid in offsetting the detrimental effects of low water activity on cell physiology. One of these compatible solutes is ectoine. A sub-group of the ectoine producer's enzymatically convert this tetrahydropyrimidine into a hydroxylated derivative, 5-hydroxyectoine. This compound also functions as an effective osmostress protectant and compatible solute but it possesses properties that differ in several aspects from those of ectoine. The enzyme responsible for ectoine hydroxylation (EctD) is a member of the non-heme iron(II)-containing and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases (EC 1.14.11). These enzymes couple the decarboxylation of 2-oxoglutarate with the formation of a high-energy ferryl-oxo intermediate to catalyze the oxidation of the bound organic substrate. We report here the crystal structure of the ectoine hydroxylase EctD from the moderate halophile Virgibacillus salexigens in complex with Fe(3+) at a resolution of 1.85 A. Like other non-heme iron(II) and 2-oxoglutarate dependent dioxygenases, the core of the EctD structure consists of a double-stranded beta-helix forming the main portion of the active-site of the enzyme. The positioning of the iron ligand in the active-site of EctD is mediated by an evolutionarily conserved 2-His-1-carboxylate iron-binding motif. The side chains of the three residues forming this iron-binding site protrude into a deep cavity in the EctD structure that also harbours the 2-oxoglutarate co-substrate-binding site. Database searches revealed a widespread occurrence of EctD-type proteins in members of the Bacteria but only in a single representative of the Archaea, the marine crenarchaeon Nitrosopumilus maritimus. The EctD crystal structure reported here can serve as a template to guide further biochemical and structural studies of this biotechnologically interesting enzyme family.

Most efficient routes for the synthesis of alpha,beta-diamino acid-derived compounds.

Alpha,beta-Diamino acids have attracted considerable attention recently due to their growing importance in pharmaceutical and biochemical research. For example, this special class of alpha,beta-diamino acids has become the components of enzyme inhibitors, and has been incorporated into peptides which are used to modulate secondary and tertiary structural conformations. Although their widely occurrence in nature, optically active diamino acids are hard to isolate and purify from available natural resources on large scale. Therefore, their asymmetric synthesis becomes a great interest for organic and medicinal chemists. However, there still exist great challenges for enantioselective synthesis of diamino acids, especially those with two vicinal chiral centers. This review highlights the recent promising methodologies for enantioselective synthesis of alpha,beta-diamino acids, with special emphasis on catalytic asymmetric reactions, as well as methods for natural chiral compound derivatization, and chiral auxiliaries.

Asymmetric aza-Mannich addition of oxazolones to N-tosyl aldimines: synthesis of chiral alpha-disubstituted alpha,beta-diamino acids.

An organocatalytic enantioselective addition of oxazolones to N-tosyl aldimines has been developed. The process is promoted by a readily prepared cinchona alkaloid ligand and affords a series of valuable alpha-disubstituted alpha,beta-diamino acid derivatives with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee) and diastereoselectivities (up to >30:1 dr). The adducts can be transformed into the corresponding protected chiral alpha-disubstituted alpha,beta-diamino acids by a one-pot hydrolyzed reaction smoothly.

Stereospecific synthesis of alpha-substituted syn-alpha,beta-diamino acids by the diaza-Cope rearrangement.

Diaza-Cope rearrangement is used to make a variety of alpha-substituted syn-alpha,beta-diamino acids. The rearrangement takes place with complete transfer of stereochemical integrity (>97% de and >98% ee) giving only one of four possible stereoisomers as determined by X-ray crystallography, (1)H NMR, and chiral HPLC. The observed stereospecificity can be explained in terms of DFT computation. This represents the first 1,4-diaza-Cope rearrangement with a ketone.