Stereochemical modification of geminal dialkyl substituents on pantothenamides alters antimicrobial activity.

Pantothenamides are N-substituted pantothenate derivatives which are known to exert antimicrobial activity through interference with coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis or downstream CoA-utilizing proteins. A previous report has shown that replacement of the ProR methyl group of the benchmark N-pentylpantothenamide with an allyl group (R-anti configuration) yielded one of the most potent antibacterial pantothenamides reported so far (MIC of 3.2 μM for both sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

Exploring structural motifs necessary for substrate binding in the active site of Escherichia coli pantothenate kinase.

The coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthetic enzymes have been used to produce various CoA analogues, including mechanistic probes of CoA-dependent enzymes such as those involved in fatty acid biosynthesis. These enzymes are also important for the activation of the pantothenamide class of antibacterial agents, and of a recently reported family of antibiotic resistance inhibitors. Herein we report a study on the selectivity of pantothenate kinase, the first and rate limiting step of CoA biosynthesis.

A matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem mass spectrometry method for direct screening of small molecule mixtures against an aminoglycoside kinase.

Aminoglycoside phosphotransferase 3'IIIa (APH3'IIIa) is a bacterial enzyme involved in antibiotic resistance through phosphorylation of aminoglycosides, which can potentially be overcome by co-administration of an APH3'IIIa inhibitor with the antibiotic. Current assay methods for discovery of APH3'IIIa inhibitors suffer from low specificity and high false positive/negative hit rates. Here, we describe a method for screening APH3'IIIa inhibitors based on direct detection of kanamycin A phosphorylation using MALDI-MS/MS, which is more rapid than conventional assays and does not require secondary assays or sample cleanup.

Synthesis of substituted isoquinolines via Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling approaches.

Palladium complexes incorporating ligands based on a 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-2,4,8-trioxa-6-phosphaadamantanyl scaffold were used to catalyze the arylation of ethyl cyanoacetate, malononitrile, and various ketones. The products from these reactions can be elaborated to substituted β-arylethylamines and used in microwave-assisted Pictet-Spengler reactions. The protocol developed is suitable for the synthesis of libraries of substituted isoquinolines.

Development of methods for the synthesis of libraries of substituted maleimides and α,β-unsaturated-γ-butyrolactams.

Synthetic methods for the preparation of maleimide and α,β-unsaturated-γ-butyrolactam compound collections are described. These routes take advantage of Pd cross-coupling and conjugate addition/elimination reactions to permit the facile production of bisaryl-maleimides, anilinoaryl-maleimides, and bisanilino-maleimides while allowing control over the synthesis of symmetrical or nonsymmetrical derivatives. Similarly, the chemistry developed allows for the generation of bisaryl substituted α,β-unsaturated-γ-butyrolactams.

Strategies and synthetic methods directed toward the preparation of libraries of substituted isoquinolines.

Strategies for the production of substituted isoquinoline libraries were developed and explored. Routes involving microwave-assisted variants of the Bischler-Napieralski or Pictet-Spengler reaction allowed for cyclization of substituted beta-arylethylamine derivatives. The dihydroisoquinolines and tetrahydroisoquinolines thus generated could then be oxidized to their corresponding isoquinoline analogues.

Access to flavones via a microwave-assisted, one-pot Sonogashira-carbonylation-annulation reaction.

Palladium complexes of 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-2,4,8-trioxa-6-phenyl-6-phosphaadamantane are shown to be effective catalytic systems facilitating the sequential application of a microwave-assisted Sonogashira and carbonylative annulation reaction for the preparation of substituted flavones.