Swapping Interface Contacts in the Homodimeric tRNA-Guanine Transglycosylase: An Option for Functional Regulation.

The enzyme tRNA-guanine transglycosylase, a target to fight Shigellosis, recognizes tRNA only as a homodimer and performs full nucleobase exchange at the wobble position. Active-site inhibitors block the enzyme function by competitively replacing tRNA. In solution, the wild-type homodimer dissociates only marginally, whereas mutated variants show substantial monomerization in solution. Surprisingly, one inhibitor transforms the protein into a twisted state, whereby one monomer unit rotates by approximately 130°. In this altered geometry, the enzyme is no longer capable of binding and processing tRNA. Three sugar-type inhibitors have been designed and synthesized, which bind to the protein in either the functionally competent or twisted inactive state. They crystallize with the enzyme side-by-side under identical conditions from the same crystallization well. Possibly, the twisted inactive form corresponds to a resting state of the enzyme, important for its functional regulation.

Design and Synthesis of Aviram-Ratner-Type Dyads and Rectification Studies in Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) Films.

The design and synthesis of Aviram-Ratner-type molecular rectifiers, featuring an anilino-substituted extended tetracyanoquinodimethane (exTCNQ) acceptor, covalently linked by the σ-spacer bicyclo[2.2.2]octane (BCO) to a tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) donor moiety, are described. The rigid BCO spacer keeps the TTF donor and exTCNQ acceptor moieties apart, as demonstrated by X-ray analysis. The photophysical properties of the TTF-BCO-exTCNQ dyads were investigated by UV/Vis and EPR spectroscopy, electrochemical studies, and theoretical calculations. Langmuir-Blodgett films were prepared and used in the fabrication and electrical studies of junction devices. One dyad showed the asymmetric current-voltage (I-V) curve characteristic for rectification, unlike control compounds containing the TTF unit but not the exTCNQ moiety or comprising the exTCNQ acceptor moiety but lacking the donor TTF part, which both gave symmetric I-V curves. The direction of the observed rectification indicated that the preferred electron current flows from the exTCNQ acceptor to the TTF donor.

Replacement of water molecules in a phosphate binding site by furanoside-appended lin-benzoguanine ligands of tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (TGT).

The enzyme tRNA-guanine transglycosylase has been identified as a drug target for the foodborne illness shigellosis. A key challenge in structure-based design for this enzyme is the filling of the polar ribose-34 pocket. Herein, we describe a novel series of ligands consisting of furanoside-appended lin-benzoguanines. They were designed to replace a conserved water cluster and differ by the functional groups at C(2) and C(3) of the furanosyl moiety being either OH or OMe. The unfavorable desolvation of Asp102 and Asp280, which are located close to the ribose-34 pocket, had a significant impact on binding affinity. While the enzyme has tRNA as its natural substrate, X-ray co-crystal structures revealed that the furanosyl moieties of the ligands are not accommodated in the tRNA ribose-34 site, but at the location of the adjacent phosphate group. A remarkable similarity of the position of the oxygen atoms in these two structures suggests furanosides as a potential phosphate isoster.

Expanding the chemical structure space of opto-electronic molecular materials: unprecedented push-pull chromophores by reaction of a donor-substituted tetracyanofulvene with electron-rich alkynes.

The reaction of a 3,5-bis(N,N-dimethylanilino)-substituted 2,4,6,6-tetracyanopentafulvene (TCPF) with mono- and bis(N,N-dimethylanilino)acetylene provides facile access to push-pull chromophores with diverse new scaffolds. The starting TCPF reacts with bis(N,N-dimethylanilino)acetylene in a formal [2+2] cycloaddition at the exocyclic double bond, followed by retroelectrocyclization, to yield an ethenylene-extended push-pull pentafulvene. The transformation with 4-ethynyl-N,N-dimethylaniline also yields a similar extended pentafulvene as well as two other products that required X-ray analysis for their structure elucidation. One features an 8,8-dicyanoheptafulvene core formed by formal [2+2] cycloaddition, followed by ring opening via fragmentation. The second is a chiral cyclobutenylated tetrahydropentalene, resulting from a cascade of formal [6+2] and [2+2] cycloadditions. All new nonplanar push-pull chromophores display amphoteric redox behavior with both strong electron-donating and -accepting potency. Notably, the N,N-dimethylanilino-substituted extended pentafulvenes show remarkably low oxidation potentials (0.27/0.28 V vs Fc/Fc(+) reference) that are lower than those for N,N-dimethylaniline itself. The push-pull-substituted extended pentafulvenes feature intense electronic absorption bands, extending over the entire visible spectral range into the near infrared, and low highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gaps. These properties, together with high thermal stability and good solubility, suggest the potential use of the new chromophores as advanced materials in molecular electronics devices.

Potent inhibitors of malarial aspartic proteases, the plasmepsins, by hydroformylation of substituted 7-azanorbornenes.

The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant strains of the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum requires the urgent development of new therapeutic agents with novel modes of action. The vacuolar malarial aspartic proteases plasmepsin (PM) I, II, and IV are involved in hemoglobin degradation and play a central role in the growth and maturation of the parasite in the human host. We report the structure-based design, synthesis, and in vitro evaluation of a new generation of PM inhibitors featuring a highly decorated 7-azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane core. While this protonated central core addresses the catalytic Asp dyad, three substituents bind to the flap, the S1/S3, and the S1' pockets of the enzymes. A hydroformylation reaction is the key synthetic step for the introduction of the new vector reaching into the S1' pocket. The configuration of the racemic ligands was confirmed by extensive NMR and X-ray crystallographic analysis. In vitro biological assays revealed high potency of the new inhibitors against the three plasmepsins (IC(50) values down to 6 nM) and good selectivity towards the closely related human cathepsins D and E. The occupancy of the S1' pocket makes an essential contribution to the gain in binding affinity and selectivity, which is particularly large in the case of the PM IV enzyme. Designing non-peptidic ligands for PM II is a valid route to generate compounds that inhibit the entire family of vacuolar plasmepsins.

Intramolecular OH···FC hydrogen bonding in fluorinated carbohydrates: CHF is a better hydrogen bond acceptor than CF2.

An intramolecular bifurcated H-bond from the axial HO-2 group to the axial F-4 atom and to the O5 atom of α-D-hexopyranosides in apolar solvents is evidenced in (1)H NMR spectra. The H-accepting properties of the F atom are modulated by the orientation of the O-substituent at the C3 atom and by an additional F atom at the C4 atom.

Structure-activity relationships among the kanamycin aminoglycosides: role of ring I hydroxyl and amino groups.

The kanamycins form an important subgroup of the 4,6-disubstituted 2-deoxystreptamine aminoglycoside antibiotics, comprising kanamycin A, kanamycin B, tobramycin, and dibekacin. These compounds interfere with protein synthesis by targeting the ribosomal decoding A site, and they differ in the numbers and locations of amino and hydroxy groups of the glucopyranosyl moiety (ring I). We synthesized kanamycin analogues characterized by subtle variations of the 2' and 6' substituents of ring I. The functional activities of the kanamycins and the synthesized analogues were investigated (i) in cell-free translation assays on wild-type and mutant bacterial ribosomes to study drug-target interaction, (ii) in MIC assays to assess antibacterial activity, and (iii) in rabbit reticulocyte translation assays to determine activity on eukaryotic ribosomes. Position 2' forms an intramolecular H bond with O5 of ring II, helping the relative orientations of the two rings with respect to each other. This bond becomes critical for drug activity when a 6'-OH substituent is present.

Synthesis and Antiribosomal Activities of 4'-O-, 6'-O-, 4″-O-, 4',6'-O- and 4″,6″-O-Derivatives in the Kanamycin Series Indicate Differing Target Selectivity Patterns between the 4,5- and 4,6-Series of Disubstituted 2-Deoxystreptamine Aminoglycoside Antibiotics.

Chemistry for the efficient modification of the kanamycin class of 4,6-aminoglycosides at the 4'-position is presented. In all kanamycins but kanamycin B, 4'-O-alkylation is strongly detrimental to antiribosomal and antibacterial activity. Ethylation of kanamycin B at the 4″-position entails little loss of antiribosomal and antibacterial activity, but no increase of ribosomal selectivity. These results are contrasted with those for the 4,5-aminoglycosides, where 4'-O-alkylation of paromomycin causes only a minimal loss of activity but results in a significant increase in selectivity with a concomitant loss of ototoxicity.

Identification and evaluation of improved 4'-O-(alkyl) 4,5-disubstituted 2-deoxystreptamines as next-generation aminoglycoside antibiotics.

UNLABELLED: The emerging epidemic of drug resistance places the development of efficacious and safe antibiotics in the spotlight of current research. Here, we report the design of next-generation aminoglycosides. Discovery efforts were driven by rational synthesis focusing on 4' alkylations of the aminoglycoside paromomycin, with the goal to alleviate the most severe and disabling side effect of aminoglycosides-irreversible hearing loss. Compounds were evaluated for target activity in in vitro ribosomal translation assays, antibacterial potency against selected pathogens, cytotoxicity against mammalian cells, and in vivo ototoxicity. The results of this study produced potent compounds with excellent selectivity at the ribosomal target, promising antibacterial activity, and little, if any, ototoxicity upon chronic administration. The favorable biocompatibility profile combined with the promising antibacterial activity emphasizes the potential of next-generation aminoglycosides in the treatment of infectious diseases without the risk of ototoxicity. IMPORTANCE: The ever-widening epidemic of multidrug-resistant infectious diseases and the paucity of novel antibacterial agents emerging from modern screening platforms mandate the reinvestigation of established drugs with an emphasis on improved biocompatibility and overcoming resistance mechanisms. Here, we describe the preparation and evaluation of derivatives of the established aminoglycoside antibiotic paromomycin that effectively remove its biggest deficiency, ototoxicity, and overcome certain bacterial resistance mechanisms.

Expanding the chemical space for push-pull chromophores by non-concerted [2+2] and [4+2] cycloadditions: access to a highly functionalised 6,6-dicyanopentafulvene with an intense, low-energy charge-transfer band.

Non-concerted [2+2] and [4+2] cycloadditions between N,N-dimethylanilino-substituted 1,1,2,4,4-pentacyanobuta-1,3-diene and 4-ethynyl-N,N-dimethylaniline are controlled by solvent polarity and provide access to a highly functionalised 6,6-dicyanopentafulvene featuring an intense, low-energy charge-transfer band and to an unusual spirocyclic zwitterion, characterised by X-ray analysis.