Discovery of the Streptoketides by Direct Cloning and Rapid Heterologous Expression of a Cryptic PKS II Gene Cluster from Streptomyces sp. Tü 6314.

Genome sequencing and bioinformatic analysis have identified numerous cryptic gene clusters that have the potential to produce novel natural products. Within this work, we identified a cryptic type II PKS gene cluster (skt) from Streptomyces sp. Tü 6314. Facilitated by linear plus linear homologous recombination-mediated recombineering (LLHR), we directly cloned the skt gene cluster using the Streptomyces site-specific integration vector pSET152. Direct cloning allowed for rapid heterologous expression in Streptomyces coelicolor, leading to the identification and structural characterization of six polyketides (three known compounds and new streptoketides), four of which exhibit anti-HIV activities. Our study shows that the pSET152 vector can be directly used for LLHR, expanding the Rec/ET direct cloning toolbox and providing the possibility for rapid heterologous expression of gene clusters from Streptomyces.

Ancistrosecolines A-F, Unprecedented seco-Naphthylisoquinoline Alkaloids from the Roots of Ancistrocladus abbreviatus, with Apoptosis-Inducing Potential against HeLa Cancer Cells.

Ancistrosecolines A-F (8-13) are the first seco-type naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids discovered in Nature. In all these novel compounds, the tetrahydroisoquinoline ring is cleaved, with loss of C-1. They were isolated from the root bark of Ancistrocladus abbreviatus (Ancistrocladaceae), along with 1-nor-8-O-demethylancistrobrevine H (14), which is the first naturally occurring naphthylisoquinoline lacking the otherwise generally present methyl group at C-1. The stereostructures of the new alkaloids were established by HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR, oxidative degradation, and experimental and quantum-chemical ECD investigations. Ancistrosecolines A-F (8-13) and 1-nor-8-O-demethylancistrobrevine H (14) are typical Ancistrocladaceae-type metabolites, i.e., oxygenated at C-6 and S-configured at C-3, belonging to the subclasses of 7,1'- and 7,8'-coupled alkaloids. The biaryl linkages of 8-14 are rotationally hindered due to bulky ortho-substituents next to the axes. Owing to the constitutionally unsymmetric substitution patterns on each side of the axis, this C-C single bond represents an element of chirality in 1-nor-8-O-demethylancistrobrevine H (14) and in ancistrosecolines A-D (8-11). In ancistrosecolines E (12) and F (13), however, the likewise rotationally hindered biaryl axes do not constitute chiral elements, due to a symmetric substitution pattern, with its identical two methoxy functions at C-6 and C-8 in the phenyl subunit. And these two methoxy groups are, for the first time, not constitutionally heterotopic, but diastereotopic to each other. Ancistrosecoline D (11) exhibits strong cytotoxicity against HeLa cervical cancer cells. As visualized by Hoechst nuclei staining and by real-time imaging experiments, 11 induced massive nuclei fragmentation in HeLa cells, leading to apoptotic cell death.

Release of Melamine and Formaldehyde from Melamine-Formaldehyde Plastic Kitchenware.

The release of melamine and formaldehyde from kitchenware made of melamine resins is still a matter of great concern. To investigate the migration and release behavior of the monomers from melamine-based food contact materials into food simulants and food stuffs, cooking spoons were tested under so-called hot plate conditions at 100 °C. Release conditions using the real hot plate conditions with 3% acetic acid were compared with conditions in a conventional migration oven and with a release to deionized water. Furthermore, the kinetics of the release were studied using Arrhenius plots giving an activation energy for the release of melamine of 120 kJ/mol. Finally, a correlation between quality of the resins, specifically the kind of bridges between the monomers, and the release of melamine, was confirmed by CP/MAS 13C-NMR measurements of the melamine kitchenware. Obviously, the ratio of methylene bridges and dimethylene ether bridges connecting the melamine monomers during the curing process can be directly correlated with the amount of the monomers released into food.

Polyketides from Marine-Derived Aspergillus porosus: Challenges and Opportunities for Determining Absolute Configuration.

Fungal natural products have inspired and enabled countless modern therapeutics. During a survey of the secondary metabolites of endophytic fungi, we found that Aspergillus porosus produces new polyketides with interesting structural features named porosuphenols A-D (1, 2, 3a, and 3b). The structural elucidation of these metabolites was performed with 1D and 2D NMR techniques, Mosher ester analysis, J-based conformational analysis, and isotope exchange studies. The absolute configuration of these compounds was determined using typical approaches including comparative analysis of experimental NMR and electronic circular dichroism spectra with DFT calculations. However, these efforts did not provide conclusive results for porosuphenol A (1). To resolve this issue, we applied a strategy in which NMR data guide the conformer search. Herein are presented the structure elucidation of porosuphenols A-D as a case study in the challenges and opportunities for determination of absolute configuration. Lastly, bioassay-guided fractionation of cytotoxic fractions resulted in the additional isolation of pimarane diterpenes, sphaeropsidin A (4), and aspergiloid E (5).

Ealamines A-H, a Series of Naphthylisoquinolines with the Rare 7,8'-Coupling Site, from the Congolese Liana Ancistrocladus ealaensis, Targeting Pancreatic Cancer Cells.

From the twigs and leaves of the Central African liana Ancistrocladus ealaensis (Ancistrocladaceae), a series of ten 7,8'-coupled naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids were isolated, comprising eight new compounds, named ealamines A-H (4a, 4b, 5-10), and two known ones, 6-O-demethylancistrobrevine A (11) and yaoundamine A (12), which had previously been found in related African Ancistrocladus species. Only one of the new compounds within this series, ealamine H (10), is a typical Ancistrocladaceae-type alkaloid, with 3S-configuration at C-3 and an oxygen function at C-6, whereas seven of the new alkaloids are the first 7,8'-linked "hybrid-type" naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids, i.e., 3R-configured and 6-oxygenated in the tetrahydroisoquinoline part. The discovery of such a broad series of 7,8'-coupled naphthyltetrahydroisoquinolines is unprecedented, because representatives of this subclass of alkaloids are normally found in Nature quite rarely. The stereostructures of the new ealamines were assigned by HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR, oxidative degradation, and experimental and quantum-chemical ECD investigations, and-in the case of ealamine A (4a)-also confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. Ealamines A-D exhibited distinct-and specific-antiplasmodial activities, and they displayed pronounced preferential cytotoxic effects toward PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells in nutrient-deprived medium, without causing toxicity under normal, nutrient-rich conditions, with ealamine C (5) as the most potent agent.

Vibrational Optical Activity of BODIPY Dimers: The Role of Magnetic-Electric Coupling in Vibrational Excitons.

The vibrational exciton (VE) interpretation of intense bisignated couplets in vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra of a pair of atropisomeric BODIPY (boron dipyrrin) dimers is discussed. The role of intrinsic magnetic moments is crucial to reproduce the different behaviors of quasi-isomeric BODIPY dimers with different aryl junction.

Jozilebomines A and B, Naphthylisoquinoline Dimers from the Congolese Liana Ancistrocladus ileboensis, with Antiausterity Activities against the PANC-1 Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell Line.

Two new naphthylisoquinoline dimers, jozilebomines A (1a) and B (1b), were isolated from the roots of the Congolese plant Ancistrocladus ileboensis, along with the known dimer jozimine A2 (2). These compounds are Dioncophyllaceae-type metabolites, i.e., lacking oxygen functions at C-6 and with an R-configuration at C-3 in their tetrahydroisoquinoline moieties. The dimers 1a and 1b consist of two 7,1'-coupled naphthylisoquinoline monomers linked through an unprecedented 3',6″-coupling in the binaphthalene core and not, as in 2, via the C-3-positions of the two naphthalene units. Thus, different from the C2-symmetric jozimine A2 (2), the new jozilebomines are constitutionally unsymmetric. The central biaryl axis of each of the three dimers is rotationally hindered, so that 1a, 1b, and 2 possess three consecutive chiral axes. The two jozilebomines have identical constitutions and the same absolute configurations at all four stereogenic centers, but differ from each other in their axial chirality. Their structural elucidation was achieved by HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR, oxidative degradation, and experimental and calculated ECD data. They exhibited distinct and specific antiplasmodial activities. All dimers showed potent cytotoxicity against HeLa human cervical cancer cells and preferential cytotoxicity against PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells under nutrition-deprived conditions. Furthermore, these dimers significantly inhibited the colony formation of PANC-1 cells, even when exposed to noncytotoxic concentration for a short time. Jozilebomines A (1a) and B (1b) and jozimine A2 (2) represent novel potential candidates for future drug development against pancreatic cancer.

Trangmolins†A-F with an Unprecedented Structural Plasticity of the Rings†A and B: New Insight into Limonoid Biosynthesis.

The absolute stereostructures of trangmolins A-F (1-6), limonoids with three new and one known topologies of the rings A and B, were unambiguously determined by NMR spectroscopic investigations, single-crystal XRD analysis, and quantum-chemical electronic circular dichroism calculations. Compounds 1-3 contain a hexahydro-1H-inden-4-one motif, compound 4 comprises a hexahydro-2,6-methanobenzofuran-7-one cage, and compound 5 consists of a hexahydro-2H-2,8-epoxychromene scaffold. The C1-C30 linkage in 1-3 and the C3-C30 connection in 4 form two unprecedented types of ring A/B-fused carbobicyclic cores: viii and ix. The oxidative cleavage of the C2-C3 bond in 5 and heterocyclization in 4 and 5 constitute the unprecedented tricyclic 6/6/5 ring A/B(1) /B(2) - and 6/5/6 ring A(1) A(2) /B-fused topologies, respectively, which are uncovered, for the first time, in the construction of limonoid architectures. The diverse cyclization patterns of 1-6 reveal an unparalleled structural plasticity of rings A and B in limonoid biosynthesis.

Circularly Polarized Luminescence from Axially Chiral BODIPY DYEmers: An Experimental and Computational Study.

With our new home-built circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) instrument, we measured fluorescence and CPL spectra of the enantiomeric pairs of two quasi-isomeric BODIPY DYEmers 1 and 2, endowed with axial chirality. The electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and CPL spectra of these atropisomeric dimers are dominated by the exciton coupling between the main π-π* transitions (550-560 nm) of the two BODIPY rings. Compound 1 has strong ECD and CPL spectra (glum =4×10-3 ) well reproduced by TD-DFT and SCS-CC2 (spin-component scaled second-order approximate coupled-cluster) calculations using DFT-optimized ground- and excited-state structures. Compound 2 has weaker ECD and CPL spectra (glum =4×10-4 ), partly due to the mutual cancellation of electric-electric and electric-magnetic exciton couplings, and partly to its conformational freedom. This compound is computationally very challenging. Starting from the optimized excited-state geometries, we predicted the wrong sign for the CPL band of 2 using TD-DFT with the most recommended hybrid and range-separated functionals, whereas SCS-CC2 or a DFT functional with full exact exchange provided the correct sign.

Axial, Helical, and Planar Chirality in Directly Linked Basket-Handle Porphyrin Arrays.

The single-electron oxidative dimerization of basket-handle porphyrins (BHPs) with different coordinated metal ions [Cu(II), Ni(II), Pd(II), Zn(II)] yielded directly meso-meso linked dimers in excellent yields. The synthetic protocol is suited for coupling substrates with different meso-substituents (H, Br, aryl, alkyl) opposite to the coupling site. Experimental findings concerning reactivities and selectivities were in good agreement with theoretical investigations using ALIE calculations. The dimers, which all are axially chiral, were resolved into their enantiomers by HPLC on a chiral phase. ECD spectra were measured in the stopped-flow mode and compared with results from quantum-chemical ECD calculations to assign the absolute configuration. One directly linked dimer was further oxidized to a fused system, which possessed a stable helical chirality. Its absolute configuration was again assigned by ECD investigations. Furthermore, functionalized BHPs and tetraarylporphyrins were coupled under Suzuki conditions to give dimers and trimers with either ß-meso or ß-ß linkages. Because of the steric shielding of one of the BHP hemispheres, the products were formed with full diastereoselectivity regarding all porphyrin-porphyrin axes. The stereostructures of these arrays were investigated by quantum-chemical calculations (DFT-D3, TD DFT, and sTD DFT), and the absolute configurations were assigned for all chiral representatives.

Good Computational Practice in the Assignment of Absolute Configurations by TDDFT Calculations of ECD Spectra.

Quantum-mechanical calculations of chiroptical properties have rapidly become the most popular method for assigning absolute configurations (AC) of organic compounds, including natural products. Black-box time-dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT) calculations of electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra are nowadays readily accessible to nonexperts. However, an uncritical attitude may easily deliver a wrong answer. We present to the Chirality Forum a discussion on what can be called good computational practice in running TDDFT ECD calculations, highlighting the most crucial points with several examples from the recent literature. Chirality 28:466-474, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Origin of the regioselective reduction of chlorins.

The reduction of a free-base chlorin generally forms a bacteriochlorin (BC), while the reduction of the corresponding metallochlorin forms a metalloisobacteriochlorin (M-iBC). This regioselectivity has been long known but was never fully rationalized. In the free-base case, this regioselectivity can be explained using resonance arguments, but the explanations for the regioselectivity in the metallochlorin reactions requires a more sophisticated approach. A combination of DFT-calculated average local ionization energies (ALIEs), thermodynamics of the products, and the transition-state trajectories of reduction reactions of meso-tetraaryl- and ß-octaethylchlorins, as their free bases and zinc complexes, now fully delineate the theoretical basis of the reduction regioselectivity. The reactions are kinetically controlled. Steric effects originating in the conformational flexibility of the chlorin macrocycle direct the reactions toward the formation of iBCs. Only when electronic effects are strong enough to override the steric effects are BCs formed. Depending on the substituents present on the chlorin, this regioselectivity may change, but ALIE calculations provide reliable guidelines to predict this. The practical value of this work lies in the presentation of a simple predictive method toward synthetic tetrahydroporphyrins by reduction of chlorins.

Monomeric Chiral and Achiral Basket-Handle Porphyrins: Synthesis, Structural Features, and Arrested Tautomerism.

Chiral and achiral basket-handle porphyrins (BHPs) with different p-xylene straps and peripheral solubilizing groups were synthesized using a previously established synthetic approach. Subsequent modification, functionalization, and metalation of the tetrapyrrolic macrocycle yielded more than 80 BHPs. The chiral representatives were resolved into their enantiomers, whose absolute configurations were determined by comparison of their ECD spectra with other experimental or quantum chemically calculated spectra. NMR studies and coupled-cluster calculations proved that the free base BHPs, although highly symmetric, exhibited the phenomenon of "arrested tautomerism". Comparison of the solid-state structures of three metalated BHPs offered detailed insight into their three-dimensional shape. Finally, directly linked dimeric porphyrins with a BHP subunit were synthesized from functionalized BHPs to prove their value as synthetic building blocks.

Singlet oxygen oxidation products of biliverdin IXα dimethyl ester.

Biliverdin IXα is a naturally occurring linear tetrapyrrolic product of the enzymatic oxidative ring cleavage of heme. Evidence is mounting that biliverdin possesses antioxidant properties in mammals but its mode of action is unclear. We present the single crystal X-ray structure analysis of two regioisomeric biladien-1,19-diones-ab that are derived from biliverdin IXα dimethyl ester by addition of two vicinal trans-methoxy groups to the 4,5- or 15,16-double bonds, respectively. The compounds were likely formed by photosensitized singlet oxygen addition, followed by Lewis acid-catalyzed methanol-induced ring-opening of the intermediate epoxide, and OH-to-OMe substitution. We thus present structural evidence for a possible reaction mechanism by which biliverdin can act as an antioxidant.

The origin of the absorption spectra of porphyrin N- and dithiaporphyrin S-oxides in their neutral and protonated states.

meso-Tetraphenylporphyrin N-oxide (1) and meso-tetraphenyl-21,23-dithiaporphyrin S-oxide (3) possess optical spectra that are distinctly different from their parent porphyrins, meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (2) and meso-tetraphenyl-21,23-dithiaporphyrin (4), respectively. The hyperporphyrin spectra were reproduced and classified using TD CAM-B3LYP and SCS-CC2 computational methods. Calculations revealed the electronic and conformational influences of the N- and S-oxide functionalities. While the N-oxide under acidic conditions forms a dication with a UV-vis spectrum that is nearly indistinguishable from that of the diprotonated parent porphyrin, the diprotonated S-oxide possesses a much different UV-vis spectrum from diprotonated parent dithiaporphyrin. A computational study of the protonation events revealed the site and degree of protonation and rationalized the regular and hyperporphyrin UV-vis spectra of the neutral and protonated species, respectively. The study illuminates the electronic effects of the relatively rare modification of the inner porphyrin heteroatoms. It also illustrates a case in which TD CAM-B3LYP reaches its limits to make reliable predictions about the optical properties of a porphyrinoid, making the use of higher methods essential.

Stereoisomeric Composition of Natural Myrtucommulone A.

Myrtucommulone A (MC A) (1), isolated from Myrtus communis (myrtle), shows the same pharmacological activity for inhibition of inflammation and induction of apoptosis as synthetic MC A, which consists of three stereoisomers, i.e., two enantiomers and one meso form. This led to the question of whether the natural MC A is a pure stereoisomer or a mixture of stereoisomers. The specific rotation and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data of natural MC A (1) as well as of a pentacyclic derivative 4 revealed that naturally occurring MC A (1) consists of the racemate and the meso form in a 1:1 ratio. A probable precursor of MC A (1), nor-semimyrtucommulone (5), was also isolated from myrtle as a racemate. The absolute configurations of the enantiomers of 1 and 5 were determined using a combination of experimental and quantum-chemical calculated ECD spectra.

Antiviral Limonoids Including Khayanolides from the Trang Mangrove Plant Xylocarpus moluccensis.

Eight new khayanolides, named thaixylomolins G-N (1-8), two new phragmalins (9 and 10), and two new mexicanolides (11 and 12) were obtained from the seeds of the Trang mangrove plant Xylocarpus moluccensis. The absolute configurations of these limonoids, except for the stereocenter at C-6 of 11 and 12, were assigned by experimental and TDDFT calculated electronic circular dichroism spectra. The khayanolides may be classified into two subclasses, one of which has a C-2 carbonyl and a 3ß-acetoxy group, whereas the other possesses a 2ß-acetoxy and a C-3 carbonyl function. Khayanolides, rearranged phragmalin-type limonoids, are reported for the first time from plants of the mangrove genus Xylocarpus. The structure of moluccensin J, a known 30-ketophragmalin containing a Δ(8(14)) double bond, was revised to be a khayanolide, named thaixylomolin K. The antiviral activities of the isolates against pandemic influenza A virus (subtype H1N1) were tested by the assay of cytopathic effect inhibition. Three khayanolides, viz., thaixylomolins I, K, and M, exhibited moderate anti-H1N1 activities. The most potent one, thaixylomolin I (IC50 = 77.1 ± 8.7 µM), showed stronger inhibitory activity than that of the positive control, ribavirin (IC50 = 185.9 ± 16.8 µM).

C,C- and N,C-coupled dimers of 2-aminotetraphenylporphyrins: regiocontrolled synthesis, spectroscopic properties, and quantum-chemical calculations.

ß,ß'-Bisporphyrins are intrinsically chiral porphyrin dimers with fascinating properties. The configurational stability at their axes can be directed by variation of the central metal atoms. Herein, we present a regioselective functionalization of the monomeric 2-amino-tetraphenyl-porphyrin as a versatile substrate for dimerization by oxidative coupling. By simple variation of the reaction conditions (solvent and oxidant), the oxidation selectively gave either the axially chiral C,C-coupled diaminobisporphyrin in high yields or, under Ullmann conditions, the twofold N,C-linked achiral dimer, also in good yields. A generalized mechanism for the coupling reaction is proposed based on DFT calculations. The axially chiral ß,ß'-coupled porphyrin dimers were isolated as racemic mixtures, but can be resolved by HPLC on a chiral phase. TDDFT and coupled-cluster calculations were used to explain the spectroscopic properties of the aminoporphyrins and their dimers and to elucidate the absolute configurations of the C,C-coupled bisporphyrins.

Nature's lab for derivatization: new and revised structures of a variety of streptophenazines produced by a sponge-derived Streptomyces strain.

Eight streptophenazines (A-H) have been identified so far as products of Streptomyces strain HB202, which was isolated from the sponge Halichondria panicea from the Baltic Sea. The variation of bioactivities based on small structural changes initiated further studies on new derivatives. Three new streptophenazines (I-K) were identified after fermentation in the present study. In addition, revised molecular structures of streptophenazines C, D, F and H are proposed. Streptophenazines G and K exhibited moderate antibacterial activity against the facultative pathogenic bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis and against Bacillus subtilis. All tested compounds (streptophenazines G, I-K) also showed moderate activities against PDE 4B.

Axially chiral BODIPY DYEmers: an apparent exception to the exciton chirality rule.

The exciton chirality method (ECM) is commonly recognized as one of the best approaches to assign the absolute configuration of biaryls. This paper reports the first exception to this method for a simple biaryl system. ECD and VCD measurements in combination with DFT (B3LYP/6-311G*), TDDFT (CAM-B3LYP/6-311G*), and Coupled-Cluster (RI-SCS-CC2) calculations were used to determine the absolute configurations of axially chiral BODIPY DYEmers. The ECM fails to predict the sign of the intense CD couplet at 500 nm of the 1,1'-coupled dimer. The odd behavior was rationalized by considering the strong transition magnetic dipole associated with the 500 nm transition, which leads to an unexpected dominance of the µm coupling at the expense of the µµ one in these compounds. This is the first case in which a strong µm coupling hampers the use of the ECM, but this behavior should not be restricted to the BODIPY chromophore.