Diastereoselective Construction of Tetrahydro-Dispiro[indolinone-3,2'-pyran-5',4″-pyrazolone] Scaffolds via an Oxa-Michael Cascade [4 + 2] Annulation Reaction.

A straightforward metal-free oxa-Michael cascade [4 + 2] annulation reaction was established between isatin-derived Morita-Baylis-Hillman (Is-MBH) alcohols with alkylidene pyrazolones to access structural diverse tetrahydro-dispiro[indolinone-3,2'-pyran-5',4″-pyrazolone] scaffolds bearing two tertiary and two quaternary stereocenters. The Is-MBH alcohol was utilized as an oxa-Michael donor for the first time as a new approach in highly atom-economical transformations. This method offered a wide range of bioinspired novel tetrahydro-dispirooxindole-pyran-pyrazolone derivatives in excellent yields (up to 96%) and diastereoselectivities (up to >20:1) in a shorter reaction time (15 min).

Diastereo- and Enantioselective Synthesis of 2,2-Disubstituted Benzofuran-3-one Bearing Adjacent Quaternary and Tertiary Stereocenters.

The first highly diastereo- and enantioselective synthesis of armeniaspirol analogues was achieved using L-proline derived bifunctional squaramide which outperformed commonly used organocatalysts. Excellent yield (up to 99%) with diastereoselectivity (up to 99:1) and enantioselectivity (up to 99%) were obtained for a wide range of substrates.

Chemical synthesis of the EPF-family of plant cysteine-rich proteins and late-stage dye attachment by chemoselective amide-forming ligations.

Chemical protein synthesis can provide well-defined modified proteins. Herein, we report the chemical synthesis of plant-derived cysteine-rich secretory proteins and late-stage derivatization of the synthetic proteins. The syntheses were achieved with distinct chemoselective amide bond forming reactions - EPF2 by native chemical ligation (NCL), epidermal patterning factor (EPF) 1 by the α-ketoacid-hydroxylamine (KAHA) ligation, and fluorescent functionalization of their folded variants by potassium acyltrifluoroborate (KAT) ligation. The chemically synthesized EPFs exhibit bioactivity on stomatal development in Arabidopsis thaliana. Comprehensive synthesis of EPF derivatives allowed us to identify suitable fluorescent variants for bioimaging of the subcellar localization of EPFs.

Chemical synthesis of Torenia plant pollen tube attractant proteins by KAHA ligation.

The synthesis of secreted cysteine-rich proteins (CRPs) is a long-standing challenge due to protein aggregation and premature formation of inter- and intramolecular disulfide bonds. Chemical synthesis provides reduced CRPs with a higher purity, which is advantageous for folding and isolation. Herein, we report the chemical synthesis of pollen tube attractant CRPs Torenia fournieri LURE (TfLURE) and Torenia concolor LURE (TcLURE) and their chimeric analogues via α-ketoacid-hydroxylamine (KAHA) ligation. The bioactivity of chemically synthesized TfLURE protein was shown to be comparable to E. coli expressed recombinant protein through in vitro assay. The convergent protein synthesis approach is beneficial for preparing these small protein variants efficiently.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Dihydrospiro[indoline-3,4'-pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole] Derivatives via Michael/Hemiketalization Reaction.

A new bifunctional squaramide organocatalyst derived from L-proline mediated the first enantioselective synthesis of dihydrospiro[indoline-3,4'-pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole] derivatives in excellent enantioselectivity by reacting pyrazolones with isatylidine ß,γ-unsaturated α-ketoester. This new catalyst outperformed widely used thioureas and squaramides in inducing enantioselectivity.

Palladium catalyzed asymmetric allylation of 3-OBoc-oxindoles: an efficient synthesis of 3-allyl-3-hydroxyoxindoles.

3-Allyl-3-hydroxyoxindoles were synthesized in very good enantio- (up to 97% ee) and diastereoselectivities (dr up to 7.6:1) with contiguous quaternary and tertiary stereogenic centers by employing tartrate derived bi(oxazoline) in Pd-catalyzed allylation of 3-OBoc-oxindole. Synthetic utility of 3-allyl-3-hydroxyoxindole was demonstrated by synthesizing a highly substituted spiro(oxindole-3,2'-tetrahydrofuran) derivative in good yield and stereoselectivity.