Enantioselective Total Synthesis of the Neurotoxin Caramboxin.

Herein, we report the first and efficient asymmetric total synthesis of the neurotoxin (-)-caramboxin. The key to success is the creation of a stereogenic center by using enantioselective catalytic phase-transfer α-alkylation of glycine imines, affording this unusual α-amino acid in good yields and up to 99% ee. This work validates the S configuration of the natural product.

Carbon Nucleophile-Initiated Rauhut-Currier Reaction: An Atom-Economical Synthesis of Highly Functionalized Carbocycles.

A Rauhut-Currier reaction cascade is achieved in the presence of carbon nucleophiles under mild conditions. This original atom-economical transformation enables an efficient one-pot synthesis of densely substituted carbocycles from readily accessible substrates. The key promoter role of the cesium cation in the cascade process was demonstrated.

Barbiturates Bind in the GLIC Ion Channel Pore and Cause Inhibition by Stabilizing a Closed State.

Barbiturates induce anesthesia by modulating the activity of anionic and cationic pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs). Despite more than a century of use in clinical practice, the prototypic binding site for this class of drugs within pLGICs is yet to be described. In this study, we present the first X-ray structures of barbiturates bound to GLIC, a cationic prokaryotic pLGIC with excellent structural homology to other relevant channels sensitive to general anesthetics and, as shown here, to barbiturates, at clinically relevant concentrations. Several derivatives of barbiturates containing anomalous scatterers were synthesized, and these derivatives helped us unambiguously identify a unique barbiturate binding site within the central ion channel pore in a closed conformation. In addition, docking calculations around the observed binding site for all three states of the receptor, including a model of the desensitized state, showed that barbiturates preferentially stabilize the closed state. The identification of this pore binding site sheds light on the mechanism of barbiturate inhibition of cationic pLGICs and allows the rationalization of several structural and functional features previously observed for barbiturates.

Access to Highly Functionalized Sulfonated Cyclopentanes by Acid-Promoted Rauhut-Currier Reaction with Sulfinamides.

An unexpected acid-mediated cascade reaction induced by conjugate addition of sulfinamides to dienediones has been developed. This highly efficient Rauhut-Currier reaction enables the rapid, high-yielding construction of sulfonated cyclopentanes with three contiguous stereogenic centers in a single operation starting from simple sulfinamides. This process constitutes the first example of sulfinamide-promoted cycloisomerization.

Two-Component Domino Reactions Initiated from Ketenes: Serendipitous Synthesis of Quinolizidinones Analogous to Chelated Lobeline's Conformation.

An original and efficient synthesis of quinolizidinones through a one-pot two-component cascade reaction of norlobelanine with in situ generated ketenes is reported. Functionalized fused azabicyclic scaffolds bearing multiple stereogenic centers were prepared with excellent diastereoselectivities. Mild optimized conditions involving a key "shuttle base" deprotonation strategy was applied to the synthesis, in a short sequence, of a constrained mimetic of the privileged H-bonded conformation of (-)-lobeline.

Metal-free synthesis of γ-ketosulfones through Brønsted acid-promoted conjugate addition of sulfinamides.

A straightforward and general metal-free method has been developed to add sufinamide-derived sulfone units on Michael acceptors under mild conditions. This reaction enables the preparation of a large variety of original γ-ketosulfones, of which only a few synthetic methods have been reported. The mild reaction conditions used tolerate a wide diversity of functional groups and empower the implementation of a late-stage functionalisation strategy.

Step-economical access to valuable Weinreb amide 2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidines by a sequential one-pot two-directional cross-metathesis/cyclizing aza-Michael process.

Double cross-metathesis of 1,5-hexadiene with a variety of electron-deficient alkenes including the reluctant Weinreb acrylamide has been successfully accomplished. It was found that the process is quite general, and microwave irradiation effectively accelerates cross-coupling metathesis. This promotes a very versatile and high yielding methodology for the synthesis of symmetric Michael acceptors, which can be transformed into 2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidines through a sequential one-pot two-directional cross-metathesis/ring-closing double aza-Michael process.

Solvent-free double aza-Michael under ultrasound irradiation: diastereoselective sequential one-pot synthesis of pyrrolidine Lobelia alkaloids analogues.

Novel 2,5-meso-pyrrolidines have been straightforwardly synthesized from readily available symmetrical double Michael acceptors. The key step rested on an aza-Michael addition of primary alkylamines to bis-enones. Competitive Rauhut-Currier and aza-Michael reactions have been highlighted in protic solvent. Ultrasound activation associated with solvent-free conditions led to the expected pyrrolidines in quantitative yields and excellent stereoselectivities. The optimized conditions have been extended to the sonochemical synthesis of pyrrolidine Lobelia alkaloids analogues in short sequences.

A facile and stereocontrolled synthesis of γ-substituted γ-fluoroglutamates by conjugate addition: conflicting effect between fluorinated enaminoester and hinderered Michael acceptor.

Asymmetric Michael addition of chiral 2-fluoroenaminoesters derived from (S)-1-phenylethylamine to α-substituted methyl acrylate leads to diastereomeric γ-substituted γ-fluoroglutamate precursors. The tertiary center bearing the amino acid function in its natural configuration is generated with a high level of stereocontrol in contrast to the quaternary carbon center. Diastereomeric γ-substituted γ-fluoroglutamates were efficiently separated and isolated as thioketal derivatives harboring very good enantioselectivity. The Michael addition diastereoselectivity was studied for the asymmetric conjugate addition of fluorinated chiral ß-enaminoester to methyl α-acetamidoacrylate by (19)F and (1)H NMR experiments as well as ab initio computations. An interfering conjunction between hindrance of the electrophile and a destabilizing effect of the fluorine atom borne by the nucleophile is revealed.

Identification of a pre-active conformation of a pentameric channel receptor.

Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) mediate fast chemical signaling through global allosteric transitions. Despite the existence of several high-resolution structures of pLGICs, their dynamical properties remain elusive. Using the proton-gated channel GLIC, we engineered multiple fluorescent reporters, each incorporating a bimane and a tryptophan/tyrosine, whose close distance causes fluorescence quenching. We show that proton application causes a global compaction of the extracellular subunit interface, coupled to an outward motion of the M2-M3 loop near the channel gate. These movements are highly similar in lipid vesicles and detergent micelles. These reorganizations are essentially completed within 2 ms and occur without channel opening at low proton concentration, indicating that they report a pre-active intermediate state in the transition pathway toward activation. This provides a template to investigate the gating of eukaryotic neurotransmitter receptors, for which intermediate states also participate in activation.