Tf2O-Mediated P(O)-N Bond Formation of Either P(O)-OH or P(O)-H Reagents with Multitype Amines

We have developed a Tf2O-mediated approach for the direct amination of either P(O)-OH or P(O)-H reagents with a variety of aliphatic or aromatic amines. Without the requirement of precious metals and toxic reagents, this protocol provides an alternative route to various phosphinamides and phosphoramides. The reaction proceeds under simple and mild conditions and can be effectively scaled up with similar efficiency.

Chemodivergent Staudinger Reactions of Secondary Phosphine Oxides and Application to the Total Synthesis of LL-D05139β Potassium Salt

Unprecedented Staudinger reaction modes of secondary phosphine oxides (SPO) and organic azides are herein disclosed. By the application of various additives, selective nitrogen atom exclusion from the azide group has been achieved. Chlorotrimethylsilane mediates a stereoretentive Staudinger reaction with a 2-N exclusion which provides a valuable method for the synthesis of phosphinic amides and can be considered complementary to the stereoinvertive Atherton-Todd reaction. Alternatively, a 1-N exclusion pathway is promoted by acetic acid to provide the corresponding diazo compound. The effectiveness of this protocol has been further demonstrated by the total synthesis of the diazo-containing natural product LL-D05139β, which was prepared as a potassium salt for the first time in 6 steps and 26.5 % overall yield.

Bioorthogonal Reactions of Triarylphosphines and Related Analogues

Bioorthogonal phosphines were introduced in the context of the Staudinger ligation over 20 years ago. Since that time, phosphine probes have been used in myriad applications to tag azide-functionalized biomolecules. The Staudinger ligation also paved the way for the development of other phosphorus-based chemistries, many of which are widely employed in biological experiments. Several reviews have highlighted early achievements in the design and application of bioorthogonal phosphines. This review summarizes more recent advances in the field. We discuss innovations in classic Staudinger-like transformations that have enabled new biological pursuits. We also highlight relative newcomers to the bioorthogonal stage, including the cyclopropenone-phosphine ligation and the phospha-Michael reaction. The review concludes with chemoselective reactions involving phosphite and phosphonite ligations. For each transformation, we describe the overall mechanism and scope. We also showcase efforts to fine-tune the reagents for specific functions. We further describe recent applications of the chemistries in biological settings. Collectively, these examples underscore the versatility and breadth of bioorthogonal phosphine reagents.

Tunable Polymeric Scaffolds for Enzyme Immobilization

The number of methodologies for the immobilization of enzymes using polymeric supports is continuously growing due to the developments in the fields of biotechnology, polymer chemistry, and nanotechnology in the last years. Despite being excellent catalysts, enzymes are very sensitive molecules and can undergo denaturation beyond their natural environment. For overcoming this issue, polymer chemistry offers a wealth of opportunities for the successful combination of enzymes with versatile natural or synthetic polymers. The fabrication of functional, stable, and robust biocatalytic hybrid materials (nanoparticles, capsules, hydrogels, or films) has been proven advantageous for several applications such as biomedicine, organic synthesis, biosensing, and bioremediation. In this review, supported with recent examples of enzyme-protein hybrids, we provide an overview of the methods used to combine both macromolecules, as well as the future directions and the main challenges that are currently being tackled in this field.

Developing bioorthogonal probes to span a spectrum of reactivities

Bioorthogonal chemistries enable researchers to interrogate biomolecules in living systems. These reactions are highly selective and biocompatible and can be performed in many complex environments. However, like any organic transformation, there is no perfect bioorthogonal reaction. Choosing the "best fit" for a desired application is critical. Correspondingly, there must be a variety of chemistries-spanning a spectrum of rates and other features-to choose from. Over the past few years, significant strides have been made towards not only expanding the number of bioorthogonal chemistries, but also fine-tuning existing reactions for particular applications. In this Review, we highlight recent advances in bioorthogonal reaction development, focusing on how physical organic chemistry principles have guided probe design. The continued expansion of this toolset will provide more precisely tuned reagents for manipulating bonds in distinct environments.

Multifluorinated Aryl Azides for the Development of Improved H2 S Probes, and Fast Strain-promoted Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition and Staudinger Reactions

The development of advanced bioorthogonal reactions for detection and labeling of biomolecules is significant in chemical biology. Recently, researchers have found that multifluorinated aryl azides hold great potential for the development of improved bioorthogonal reactions. The fluorine atom can be a perfect substituent group because of its properties of excellent electronegativity and small steric hindrance. In this Minireview, we discuss recent developments of improved hydrogen sulfide (H₂ S) fluorescence probes, fast strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition (SPAAC) and nonhydrolysis Staudinger reactions based on the use of multifluorinated aryl azides. Additionally, kinetic studies and biological applications of these reactions are also presented.

Stapling of two PEGylated side chains increases the conformational stability of the WW domain via an entropic effect

Hydrocarbon stapling and PEGylation are distinct strategies for enhancing the conformational stability and/or pharmacokinetic properties of peptide and protein drugs. Here we combine these approaches by incorporating asparagine-linked O-allyl PEG oligomers at two positions within the β-sheet protein WW, followed by stapling of the PEGs via olefin metathesis. The impact of stapling two sites that are close in primary sequence is small relative to the impact of PEGylation alone and depends strongly on PEG length. In contrast, stapling of two PEGs that are far apart in primary sequence but close in tertiary structure provides substantially more stabilization, derived mostly from an entropic effect. Comparison of PEGylation + stapling vs. alkylation + stapling at the same positions in WW reveals that both approaches provide similar overall levels of conformational stability.

Intracellular Catalysis with Selected Metal Complexes and Metallic Nanoparticles: Advances toward the Development of Catalytic Metallodrugs

Platinum-containing drugs (e.g., cisplatin) are among the most frequently used chemotherapeutic agents. Their tremendous success has spurred research and development of other metal-based drugs, with notable achievements. Generally, the vast majority of metal-based drug candidates in clinical and developmental stages are stoichiometric agents, i.e., each metal complex reacts only once with their biological target. Additionally, many of these metal complexes are involved in side reactions, which not only reduce the effective amount of the drug but may also cause toxicity. On a separate note, transition metal complexes and nanoparticles have a well-established history of being potent catalysts for selective molecular transformations, with examples such as the Mo- and Ru-based catalysts for metathesis reactions (Nobel Prize in 2005) or palladium catalysts for C-C bond forming reactions such as Heck, Negishi, or Suzuki reactions (Nobel Prize in 2010). Also, notably, no direct biological equivalent of these transformations exists in a biological environment such as bacteria or mammalian cells. It is, therefore, only logical that recent interest has focused on developing transition-metal based catalytic systems that are capable of performing transformations inside cells, with the aim of inducing medicinally relevant cellular changes. Because unlike in stoichiometric reactions, a catalytically active compound may turn over many substrate molecules, only very small amounts of such a catalytic metallodrug are required to achieve a desired pharmacologic effect, and therefore, toxicity and side reactions are reduced. Furthermore, performing catalytic reactions in biological systems also opens the door for new methodologies to study the behavior of biomolecules in their natural state, e.g., via in situ labeling or by increasing/depleting their concentration at will. There is, of course, an art to the choice of catalysts and reactions which have to be compatible with biological conditions, namely an aqueous, oxygen-containing environment. In this review, we aim to describe new developments that bring together the far-distant worlds of transition-metal based catalysis and metal-based drugs, in what is termed "catalytic metallodrugs". Here we will focus on transformations that have been performed on small biomolecules (such as shifting equilibria like in the NAD⁺/NADH or GSH/GSSG couples), on non-natural molecules such as dyes for imaging purposes, or on biomacromolecules such as proteins. Neither reactions involving release (e.g., CO) or transformation of small molecules (e.g., ¹O₂ production), degradation of biomolecules such as proteins, RNA or DNA nor light-induced medicinal chemistry (e.g., photodynamic therapy) are covered, even if metal complexes are centrally involved in those. In each section, we describe the (inorganic) chemistry involved, as well as selected examples of biological applications in the hope that this snapshot of a new but quickly developing field will indeed inspire novel research and unprecedented interactions across disciplinary boundaries.

One-Pot Synthesis of P(O)-N Containing Compounds Using N-Chlorosuccinimide and Their Influence in Thermal Decomposition of PU Foams

Synthesis of intermediate containing P(O)-Cl bonds is the key to converting P(O)-H bonds to P(O)-N. In this work we have performed chlorination reactions of different H-phosphinates and H-phosphonates using N-chlorosuccinimide as an environmentally-benign chlorinating agent. The chlorination reaction showed high yield and high selectivity for transformation of P(O)-H bonds into P(O)-Cl analogues, resulting in an easily separable succinimide as the by-product. Using a one-pot synthesis methodology, we have synthesized a series of P(O)-N containing derivatives whose synthesis was found to be dependent on the reaction solvents and the starting materials. The synthesized P(O)-N compounds were incorporated in flexible polyurethane foam (FPUF) and screened for their influence in thermal decomposition of FPUFs using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and a microscale combustion calorimeter (MCC). All solid P(O)-N compounds influenced the first-stage decomposition of FPUFs, which resulted in an accelerated decomposition or temporary stabilization of this stage. However, the liquid P(O)-N derivatives volatilize at an earlier stage and could be active in the gas phase. In addition, they also work in condensed phase via acid catalyzed decomposition for FPUFs.

Chemoselective triazole-phosphonamidate conjugates suitable for photorelease

Herein, we describe a new method for the conjugation of azide-containing target compounds that can be readily released as amines by irradiation with near UV light. This concept is based on a two-step protocol employing the chemoselective CuAAC and Staudinger-phosphonite reactions to deliver photo-cleavable phosphonamidate conjugates in high yields starting from 2-nitrobenzyl substituted phosphonites.

Iridium-catalyzed C–H phosphoramidation of N-aryl-7-azaindoles with phosphoryl azides

An iridium-catalyzed C–H phosphoramidation of N-aryl-7-azaindoles with phosphoryl azides was developed, affording a series of 7-azaindole phenylphosphoramidates.

Stabilization of bacterially expressed erythropoietin by single site-specific introduction of short branched PEG chains at naturally occurring glycosylation sites

The covalent attachment of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to therapeutic proteins can improve their physicochemical properties. In this work we utilized the non-natural amino acid p-azidophenylalanine (pAzF) in combination with the chemoselective Staudinger-phosphite reaction to install branched PEG chains to recombinant unglycosylated erythropoietin (EPO) at each single naturally occurring glycosylation site. PEGylation with two short 750 or 2000 Da PEG units at positions 24, 38, or 83 significantly decreased unspecific aggregation and proteolytic degradation while biological activity in vitro was preserved or even increased in comparison to full-glycosylated EPO. This site-specific bioconjugation approach permits to analyse the impact of PEGylation at single positions. These results represent an important step towards the engineering of site-specifically modified EPO variants from bacterial expression with increased therapeutic efficacy.

Direct access to site-specifically phosphorylated-lysine peptides from a solid-support

Phosphorylation is a key process for changing the activity and function of proteins. The impact of phospho-serine (pSer), -threonine (pThr) and -tyrosine (pTyr) is certainly understood for some proteins. Recently, peptides and proteins containing N-phosphorylated amino acids such as phosphoarginine (pArg), phosphohistidine (pHis) and phospholysine (pLys) have gained interest because of their different chemical properties and stability profiles. Due to its high intrinsic lability, pLys is the least studied within this latter group. In order to gain insight into the biological role of pLys, chemical and analytical tools, which are compatible with the labile P(=O)-N bond, are highly sought-after. We recently reported an in-solution synthetic approach to incorporate pLys residues in a site-specific manner into peptides by taking advantage of the chemoselectivity of the Staudinger-phosphite reaction. While the in-solution approach allows us to circumvent the critical TFA cleavage, it still requires several transformations and purification steps to finally deliver pLys peptides. Here we report the synthesis of site-specific pLys peptides directly from a solid support by using a base labile resin. This straightforward and highly efficient approach facilitates the synthesis of various site-specific pLys-containing peptides and lays the groundwork for future studies about this elusive protein modification.

Expansion of bioorthogonal chemistries towards site-specific polymer–protein conjugation

Bioorthogonal chemistries have been used to achieve polymer-protein conjugation with the retained critical properties.

Bis(arylmethyl)-substituted unsymmetrical phosphites for the synthesis of lipidated peptides via Staudinger-phosphite reactions

With this study we introduce new unsymmetrical phosphites to obtain lipidated peptide-conjugates starting from easily accessible azide-modified amino acid or peptide precursors.

Polymerization of Ethylene Oxide, Propylene Oxide, and Other Alkylene Oxides: Synthesis, Novel Polymer Architectures, and Bioconjugation

The review summarizes current trends and developments in the polymerization of alkylene oxides in the last two decades since 1995, with a particular focus on the most important epoxide monomers ethylene oxide (EO), propylene oxide (PO), and butylene oxide (BO). Classical synthetic pathways, i.e., anionic polymerization, coordination polymerization, and cationic polymerization of epoxides (oxiranes), are briefly reviewed. The main focus of the review lies on more recent and in some cases metal-free methods for epoxide polymerization, i.e., the activated monomer strategy, the use of organocatalysts, such as N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) and N-heterocyclic olefins (NHOs) as well as phosphazene bases. In addition, the commercially relevant double-metal cyanide (DMC) catalyst systems are discussed. Besides the synthetic progress, new types of multifunctional linear PEG (mf-PEG) and PPO structures accessible by copolymerization of EO or PO with functional epoxide comonomers are presented as well as complex branched, hyperbranched, and dendrimer like polyethers. Amphiphilic block copolymers based on PEO and PPO (Poloxamers and Pluronics) and advances in the area of PEGylation as the most important bioconjugation strategy are also summarized. With the ever growing toolbox for epoxide polymerization, a "polyether universe" may be envisaged that in its structural diversity parallels the immense variety of structural options available for polymers based on vinyl monomers with a purely carbon-based backbone.

Cotranslational incorporation of non-standard amino acids using cell-free protein synthesis

Over the last years protein engineering using non-standard amino acids has gained increasing attention. As a result, improved methods are now available, enabling the efficient and directed cotranslational incorporation of various non-standard amino acids to equip proteins with desired characteristics. In this context, the utilization of cell-free protein synthesis is particularly useful due to the direct accessibility of the translational machinery and synthesized proteins without having to maintain a vital cellular host. We review prominent methods for the incorporation of non-standard amino acids into proteins using cell-free protein synthesis. Furthermore, a list of non-standard amino acids that have been successfully incorporated into proteins in cell-free systems together with selected applications is provided.

The recent developments and applications of the traceless-Staudinger reaction in chemical biology study

Bioorthogonal reactions are one of the most important topics in chemical biology. Traceless-Staudinger reaction/ligation has been investigated and widely applied in life science. Herein, the current developments, mechanism studies, and biological applications are summarized.

Site-specific PEGylation of proteins: recent developments

The attachment of linear polyethylene glycol (PEG) to peptides and proteins for their stabilization for in vivo applications is a milestone in pharmaceutical research and protein-drug development. However, conventional methods often lead to heterogeneous PEGylation mixtures with reduced protein activity. Current synthetic efforts aim to provide site-specific approaches by chemoselective targeting of canonical and noncanonical amino acids and to improve the PEG architecture. This synopsis highlights recent work in this area, which also resulted in improved pharmacokinetics of peptide and protein therapeutics.

Site-specifically phosphorylated lysine peptides

Protein phosphorylation controls major processes in cells. Although phosphorylation of serine, threonine, and tyrosine and also recently histidine and arginine are well-established, the extent and biological significance of lysine phosphorylation has remained elusive. Research in this area has been particularly limited by the inaccessibility of peptides and proteins that are phosphorylated at specific lysine residues, which are incompatible with solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) due to the intrinsic acid lability of the P(═O)-N phosphoramidate bond. To address this issue, we have developed a new synthetic route for the synthesis of site-specifically phospholysine (pLys)-containing peptides by employing the chemoselectivity of the Staudinger-phosphite reaction. Our synthetic approach relies on the SPPS of unprotected ε-azido lysine-containing peptides and their subsequent reaction to phosphoramidates with phosphite esters before they are converted into the natural modification via UV irradiation or basic deprotection. With these peptides in hand, we demonstrate that electron-transfer dissociation tandem mass spectrometry can be used for unambiguous assignment of phosphorylated-lysine residues within histone peptides and that these peptides can be detected in cell lysates using a bottom-up proteomic approach. This new tagging method is expected to be an essential tool for evaluating the biological relevance of lysine phosphorylation.

Heart regeneration: opportunities and challenges for drug discovery with novel chemical and therapeutic methods or agents

Following a heart attack, more than a billion cardiac muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) can be killed, leading to heart failure and sudden death. Much research in this area is now focused on the regeneration of heart tissue through differentiation of stem cells, proliferation of existing cardiomyocytes and cardiac progenitor cells, and reprogramming of fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes. Different chemical modalities (i.e. methods or agents), ranging from small molecules and RNA approaches (including both microRNA and anti-microRNA) to modified peptides and proteins, are showing potential to meet this medical need. In this Review, we outline the recent advances in these areas and describe both the modality and progress, including novel screening strategies to identify hits, and the upcoming challenges and opportunities to develop these hits into pharmaceuticals, at which chemistry plays a key role.

Irreversible site-specific hydrazinolysis of proteins by use of sortase

Sortase-mediated hydrazinolysis of proteins with hydrazine or its derivatives was developed for the production of recombinant protein hydrazides. This process provides an alternative approach for protein semisynthesis through the use of recombinant protein hydrazides as thioester surrogates. It also provides an alternative method for C-terminal modification of proteins with functional units as well as for the preparation of C-to-C fusion proteins.