Total synthesis of didemnins A, B, and C

Endophytic and epiphytic microbes as "sources" of bioactive agents

Beginning with the report by Stierle and Strobel in 1993 on taxol^(R) production by an endophytic fungus (Stierle et al., 1993), it is possible that a number of the agents now used as leads to treatments of diseases in man, are not produced by the plant or invertebrate host from which they were first isolated and identified. They are probably the product of a microbe in, on or around the macroorganism. At times there is an intricate “dance” between a precursor produced by a microbe, and interactions within the macroorganism, or in certain cases, a fungus, that ends up with the production of a novel agent that has potential as a treatment for a human disease. This report will give examples from insects, plants, and marine invertebrates.

"Head-to-side-chain" cyclodepsipeptides of marine origin

Since the late 1980s, a large number of depsipeptides that contain a new topography, referred to as "head-to-side-chain" cyclodepsipeptides, have been isolated and characterized. These peptides present a unique structural arrangement that comprises a macrocyclic region closed through an ester bond between the C-terminus and a β-hydroxyl group, and terminated with a polyketide moiety or a more simple branched aliphatic acid. This structural pattern, the presence of unique and complex residues, and relevant bioactivity are the main features shared by all the members of this new class of depsipeptides, which are reviewed herein.

Total synthesis of Lys(3) tamandarin M: a potential affinity ligand

The synthesis of Lys(3) tamandarin M is described. This analogue can be used as a protein affinity ligand to probe the mechanism of action of this unique class of molecules.

An efficient synthesis of the tamandarin B macrocycle

A reliable, high yielding cyclization protocol for the macrocycle of tamandarin B is presented. This strategy will facilitate the synthesis of side chain analogues.

Asymmetric syntheses and Wnt signal inhibitory activity of melleumin A and four analogues of melleumins A and B

Guided by nature: A flexible and epimerization-free approach for the asymmetric syntheses of melleumin A and four analogues of melleumins A and B was developed, which allowed confirming the stereochemistry at C-4 of melleumin A, and revealed that the unnatural 4-epi-melleumin B possesses a modest inhibitory activity on Wnt signaling. The first total synthesis of melleumin A and four analogues of melleumins A and B is described. The N-acyl L-Thr-Gly/beta-hydroxy-gamma-amino acid coupling/macrolactamization strategy allowed the efficient assembly of the three segments being free of epimerization. While the Jouin-Castro method with minor modification allows a rapid entrance to the key syn-beta-hydroxy-gamma-amino acid segment, required for the synthesis of melleumin A, an extension of our malimide-based methodology using a changed N-protecting group affords a flexible access to several anti-beta-hydroxy-gamma-amino acids, and hence analogues of melleumins A and B. Among them, unnatural 4-epi-melleumin B (2 a) exhibits a modest inhibitory activity on Wnt signaling. The total synthesis of melleumin A allowed confirmation of its full structure.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of tamandarin B analogues

[structure: see text]. The synthesis of two tamandarin B analogues in which the N,O-Me2Tyr5 unit was replaced by N-Me-phenylalanine (N-MePhe5) and (S)-2-(methylamino)-3-(naphthalen-2-yl)propanoic acid (N-MeNaphth5) is described. The choice of the macrocyclization site was crucial to achieve satisfactory macrolactamization. Coupling between norstatine (Nst1) and threonine (Thr6) afforded only a 15% yield, while lactamization between proline (Pro4) and the aromatic moiety could be achieved in 65% yield.

Asymmetric, anti-Selective Scandium-Catalyzed Sakurai Additions to Glyoxyamide. Applications to the Syntheses of N-Boc d-Alloisoleucine and d-Isoleucine

[reaction: see text] An enantio- and diastereoselective Sakurai-Hosomi reaction, catalyzed by chiral scandium pyridyl-bis(oxazoline) (pybox) complexes, has been developed. Both alkyl- and aryl-substituted allylsilanes are effective coupling partners with N-phenylglyoxamide. Applications of this reaction to the asymmetric syntheses of N-Boc D-alloisoleucine and D-isoleucine are described.

Marine natural products

This review covers the literature published in 2004 for marine natural products, with 693 citations (491 for the period January to December 2004) referring to compounds isolated from marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, green algae, brown algae, red algae, sponges, coelenterates, bryozoans, molluscs, tunicates and echinoderms. The emphasis is on new compounds (716 for 2004), together with their relevant biological activities, source organisms and country of origin. Biosynthetic studies (8), and syntheses (80), including those that lead to the revision of structures or stereochemistries, have been included.

Natural products as probes of cell biology: 20 years of didemnin research

The discovery of the didemnin family of marine depsipeptides launched an exciting and intriguing chapter in natural product chemistry. The unusual structure of the didemnin congeners has led to several total syntheses by research groups from around the world. The impressive in vitro and in vivo biological activities of the didemnins resulted in the first human clinical trials in the U.S. of a marine natural product against cancer, and additional clinical trials of a second-generation didemnin, dehydrodidemnin B (aplidine), are underway. As we mark the 20-year anniversary of the discovery of the didemnins, this class of natural products continues to stimulate active research in fields ranging from synthetic and medicinal chemistry to clinical oncology and cell biology. While some progress was made in dissecting the molecular mechanism of action and in establishing structure-activity relationships, there are still more questions than answers. This review covers the recent didemnin literature, highlighting the work directed towards understanding how this group of natural products interact with fundamental processes such as cell proliferation, protein biosynthesis, and apoptosis. The didemnin field illustrates how natural product chemistry may be used as a critical tool for the study of cell biology.

Aziridine ring-opening reactions with chiral enolates. Stereocontrolled synthesis of 5-substituted-3-methyl-pyrrolidin-2-ones

A procedure for performing stereocontrolled aziridine ring-opening reactions with chiral enolates derived from (S,S)-(+)-pseudoephedrine amides has been developed leading to gamma-aminoamides in good yields. The diastereoselectivity of the reaction becomes controlled by the presence of the chiral auxiliary on the enolate, although the stereogenic center contained in the structure of the aziridine has a striking influence on the stereochemical course of the reaction which results in the presence of the corresponding matched and mismatched combinations. Besides, the sense of the asymmetric induction of the chiral auxiliary has resulted to be the opposite to the one found with other type of electrophiles, although it is in good agreement with the trend observed in the reaction of the same kind of enolates with epoxides. Finally, the obtained gamma-aminoamide adducts were converted into enantiopure gamma-amino acids, gamma-aminoesters, and pyrrolidin-2-ones using easy to perform and high yielding reactions.

Analysis of aplidine (dehydrodidemnin B), a new marine-derived depsipeptide, in rat biological fluids by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Aplidine (dehydrodidemnin B) is a new marine-derived depsipeptide with a powerful cytotoxic activity, which is under early clinical investigation in Europe and in the US. In order to investigate the pharmacokinetic properties of this novel drug, an HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of aplidine in biological samples. Didemnin B, a hydroxy analogue, was used as internal standard. After protein precipitation with acetonitrile and extraction with chloroform, aplidine was chromatographed with a RP octadecylsilica column using a water-acetonitrile linear gradient in the presence of formic acid at the flow-rate of 500 microliters/min. The method was linear over a 5-100 ng/ml range (LOD = 0.5 ng/ml) in plasma and over a 1.25-125 ng/ml range (LOD = 0.2 ng/ml) in urine with precision and accuracy below 14.0%. The intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy were below 12.5%. The extraction procedure recoveries for aplidine and didemnin B were 69% and 68%, respectively in plasma and 91% and 87%, respectively in urine. Differences in linearity, LOQ, LOD and recoveries between plasma and urine samples seem to be matrix-dependent. The applicability of the method was tested by measuring aplidine in rat plasma and urine after intravenous treatment.

Synthesis and cytostatic activities of didemnin derivatives

The highly cytostatic didemnins contain a 23-membered cyclopeptolide with a side chain attached to the backbone through the amine group of threonine. Thirty-six derivatives varying the side chain were prepared, but only compounds with D-MeLeu attached to threonine show remarkable biological activities. To protect the macrocycle from degradation by lipases the two ester bonds were replaced successively by amide bonds. Although these variations have a major effect on the conformation and rigidity of the ring, the compound which contains exclusively amide bonds is highly active, equivalent to acetyl-didemnin A.

Crystal and molecular structure of didemnin A, an antiviral depsipeptide

The molecular structure of didemnin A, the parent compound of a series of antiviral cytotoxic depsipeptides extracted from a marine tunicate Trididemnum solidum of the family of Didemnidae, has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In the crystal, didemnin A molecules form pseudo-symmetric dimeric pair. The two molecules in the dimer are held together by strong N--H center dot center dot center dot O and N--H center dot center dot center dot N hydrogen bonds. A chloride ion, placed almost symmetrically between the dimeric pair, forms N--H center dot center dot center dot Cl hydrogen bonds (3.19 and 3.23 Angstrom) with both the molecules. The two independent molecules in the structure have closely similar geometry. For each molecule, the 23-membered depsipeptide ring assumes a folded conformation in the shape of a 'bent figure-of-eight' similar to that observed in the didemnin B crystal structure. The major conformational differences in the macrocycle of didemnin A and didemnin B are around the Hip residue. The root mean-square (RMS) difference of 20 of the 23 endocyclic torsion angles for the two structures is less than 10 degrees, while the three bond torsions in the Hip residue vary by about 50 degrees. The macrocycle conformation is stabilized by a transannular N--H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bond linking the isostatine amide group with the leucine carbonyl group. The truncated linear chain is folded back toward the macrocyclic ring and is held by a N--H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bond between the leucine amide group and Me-Leu carbonyl group. The transannular hydrogen bond in the didemnin A structure (N4--H center dot center dot center dot O3 = 2.83 Angstrom in both molecule a and molecule b) is noticeably stronger than that observed in the didemnin B structure (3.02 Angstrom). The X-ray structure of didemnin A is generally consistent with that obtained by NMR studies. Within the crystal, the molecules are packed in zig-zag chains formed by intermolecular O--H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bonds. The crystal structure and packing of didemnin A are quite different from that of the didemnin B structure.

Preparative reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography in the synthesis of viscosin, a cyclic depsipeptide

The importance of peptides in biochemical research and the facility with which they can be prepared by solid-phase techniques highlights the need for continuing research in the chromatographic purification of these molecules on a preparative scale. In this regard, synthesis of the cyclic depsipeptide antibiotic, viscosin, has provided the opportunity to demonstrate the use of radial compression cartridge technology in the reversed-phase purification of three key peptide intermediates on a scale of several hundred milligrams. Superior resolution of linear and cyclic peptide mixtures on a Bondapak C18 radial compression cartridge by using an aqueous acetonitrile solvent system containing 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid contributed significantly to the first total synthesis of viscosin, and demonstrates the applicability of this system to the purification of peptide mixtures.