Bespoke library docking for 5-HT receptor agonists with antidepressant activity.

There is considerable interest in screening ultralarge chemical libraries for ligand discovery, both empirically and computationally. Efforts have focused on readily synthesizable molecules, inevitably leaving many chemotypes unexplored. Here we investigate structure-based docking of a bespoke virtual library of tetrahydropyridines-a scaffold that is poorly sampled by a general billion-molecule virtual library but is well suited to many aminergic G-protein-coupled receptors.

Isomeric triazines exhibit unique profiles of bioorthogonal reactivity.

Expanding the scope of bioorthogonal reactivity requires access to new and mutually compatible reagents. We report here that 1,2,4-triazines can be tuned to exhibit unique reaction profiles with biocompatible strained alkenes and alkynes. Computational analyses were used to identify candidate orthogonal reactions, and the predictions were experimentally verified.

Rh(III)-Catalyzed Aryl and Alkenyl C-H Bond Addition to Diverse Nitroalkenes.

The transition metal catalyzed C-H bond addition to nitroalkenes has been developed. Very broad nitroalkene scope was observed for this Rh(III)-catalyzed method, including for aliphatic, aromatic and β,β-disubstituted derivatives. Additionally, various directing groups and both aromatic and alkenyl C-H bonds were effective in this transformation.

1,2,4-Triazines Are Versatile Bioorthogonal Reagents.

A new class of bioorthogonal reagents, 1,2,4-triazines, is described. These scaffolds are stable in biological media and capable of robust reactivity with trans-cyclooctene (TCO). The enhanced stability of the triazine scaffold enabled its direct use in recombinant protein production.

Building better bioorthogonal reactions.

Over the past two decades, there has been intense interest in designing and implementing selective (bioorthogonal) reactions for biomolecule tracking. Here we review the most widely used bioorthogonal chemistries in live cells and animals, drawing particular attention to the unique functional groups underlying these transformations. We also describe recent efforts to tune functional group reactivities and stabilities to access even more rapid and selective chemistries.

Isomeric cyclopropenes exhibit unique bioorthogonal reactivities.

Bioorthogonal chemistries have provided tremendous insight into biomolecule structure and function. However, many popular bioorthogonal transformations are incompatible with one another, limiting their utility for studies of multiple biomolecules in tandem. We identified two reactions that can be used concurrently to tag biomolecules in complex environments: the inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction of tetrazines with 1,3-disubstituted cyclopropenes, and the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile imines with 3,3-disubstituted cyclopropenes.

Functionalized cyclopropenes as bioorthogonal chemical reporters.

Chemical reporters are unique functional groups that can be used to label biomolecules in living systems. Only a handful of broadly applicable reporters have been identified to date, owing to the rigorous demands placed on these functional groups in biological settings. We describe here a new chemical reporter-cyclopropene-that can be used to target biomolecules in vitro and in live cells.