Short Synthesis of (+)-Actinobolin: Simple Entry to Complex Small-Molecule Inhibitors of Protein Synthesis.

We report a concise synthesis of the naturally occurring protein synthesis inhibitor (+)-actinobolin (1). The densely functionalized and stereochemically complex molecular structure of 1 was assembled from (-)-quinic acid, L-threonine, and L-alanine as the principal components. Our route is based around a convergent strategy that features conjugate addition of an α-amino radical in the key fragment-coupling step. The dramatically simplified synthesis of (+)-actinobolin proceeding in 9 steps with 18 % overall yield has practical implications for analog preparation, as demonstrated herein.

Stereocontrolled Synthesis of Pseurotin A2.

We report synthesis of two diastereomeric structures previously proposed for the complex secondary metabolite pseurotin A2. Both structures were accessed from the same building blocks taking advantage of a stereodivergent nickel(II)-diamine-catalyzed 1,4-addition of a chiral 2-alkoxycarbonyl-3(2H)-furanone. Late-stage Csp-Csp3 cross-coupling of a highly functionalized bromoalkyne featured in the pseurotin A2 side-chain assembly. The work supports the 2016 stereochemical revision of pseurotin A2 and represents the first chemical synthesis of this natural product.