Covalent modification of a melanoma-derived antigenic peptide with a natural quinone methide. Preliminary chemical, molecular modelling and immunological evaluation studies.

A LigandFit shape-directed docking methodology was used to identify the best position at which the melanoma-derived MHC class-I HLA-A2-binding antigenic peptide ELAGIGILTV could be modified by attaching a small molecule capable of fitting at the interface of complementary determining regional (CDR) loops of a T-cell receptor (TCR) while triggering T-cell responses. The small molecule selected here for determining the feasibility of this alternative track to chemical alteration of antigenic peptides was the electrophilic quinone methide (+)-puupehenone (), a natural product that belongs to a family of marine metabolites capable of expressing immunomodulatory activities. A preliminary chemical reactivity model study revealed the efficacy of the thiol group of a cysteine (C) side-chain in its nucleophilic addition reaction with in a regio- and diastereoselective manner.

Methyl transfer reaction from monomethyltin reagent under palladium(0) catalysis: a versatile method for labelling with carbon-11.

The 11C-monomethylstannate prepared from [11C]-methyl iodide and Lappert's stannylene, was subject to a palladium-mediated cross-coupling reaction with an aryl halide under ligand-free conditions, to afford easily purified 11C-methyl(hetero)arenes in high radiochemical yields.