An unusual carbon-carbon bond cleavage reaction during phosphinothricin biosynthesis.

Natural products containing phosphorus-carbon bonds have found widespread use in medicine and agriculture. One such compound, phosphinothricin tripeptide, contains the unusual amino acid phosphinothricin attached to two alanine residues. Synthetic phosphinothricin (glufosinate) is a component of two top-selling herbicides (Basta and Liberty), and is widely used with resistant transgenic crops including corn, cotton and canola.

In vitro characterization of a heterologously expressed nonribosomal Peptide synthetase involved in phosphinothricin tripeptide biosynthesis.

The late stages of biosynthesis of phosphinothricin tripeptide (PTT) involve peptide formation and methylation on phosphorus. The exact timing of these transformations is not known. To provide insight into this question, we developed a heterologous expression system for PhsA, one of three NRPS proteins in PTT biosynthesis.

cis-Beta-bis(carbonyl) ruthenium-salen complexes: X-ray crystal structures and remarkable catalytic properties toward asymmetric intramolecular alkene cyclopropanation.

cis-Beta-[Ru(II)(salen(A))(CO)(2)] (salen(A) = N,N'-bis(3-R(1)-5-R(2)-salicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexenediamine dianion; R(1) = R(2) = Bu(t), 1a; R(1) = Pr(i), R(2) = H, 1b; R(1) = Bu(t), R(2) = H, 1c) complexes were prepared by treating Ru(3)(CO)(12) with the respective H(2)salen(A) in 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. Complexes 1a-c catalyze intramolecular cyclopropanation of trans-allylic diazoacetates N(2)CHCO(2)CH(2)CH=CHR (3, R = Ph, 4-ClC(6)H(4), 4-BrC(6)H(4), 4-MeC(6)H(4), 4-MeOC(6)H(4), 2-MeC(6)H(4), 2-furanyl) under light irradiation to give cyclopropyl lactones 4 in up to 96% yield and up to 98% ee. DFT calculations on intramolecular cyclopropanation of 3a (R = Ph) with model catalyst cis-beta-[Ru(II)(salen(A0))(CO)(2)] (salen(A0) = N,N'-bis(salicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexenediamine dianion) reveal the intermediacy of both cis-beta- and trans-[Ru(salen(A0))(CHCO(2)CH(2)CH=CHPh)(CO)] bearing salen(A0) in a nonplanar and planar coordination mode, respectively, with the cis-beta-carbene species being a major intermediate in the catalytic carbenoid transfer reaction.

Biosynthesis of 2-hydroxyethylphosphonate, an unexpected intermediate common to multiple phosphonate biosynthetic pathways.

Phosphonic acids encompass a common yet chemically diverse class of natural products that often possess potent biological activities. Here we report that, despite the significant structural differences among many of these compounds, their biosynthetic routes contain an unexpected common intermediate, 2-hydroxyethyl-phosphonate, which is synthesized from phosphonoacetaldehyde by a distinct family of metal-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs). Although the sequence identity of the ADH family members is relatively low (34-37%), in vitro biochemical characterization of the homologs involved in biosynthesis of the antibiotics fosfomycin, phosphinothricin tripeptide, and dehydrophos (formerly A53868) unequivocally confirms their enzymatic activities.

Unusual transformations in the biosynthesis of the antibiotic phosphinothricin tripeptide.

Phosphinothricin tripeptide (PTT, phosphinothricylalanylalanine) is a natural-product antibiotic and potent herbicide that is produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus ATCC 21705 (ref. 1) and Streptomyces viridochromogenes DSM 40736 (ref. 2).

New insight into the mechanism of methyl transfer during the biosynthesis of fosfomycin.

Hydroxyethylphosphonate is a required intermediate in fosfomycin biosynthesis.

Efficient synthesis of suitably protected beta-difluoroalanine and gamma-difluorothreonine from L-ascorbic acid.

[reaction: see text] Fluorinated amino acids are useful building blocks for the preparation of biologically active peptides and peptidomimetics with increased metabolic stability. We report here the synthesis of two fluorinated amino acids, beta-difluoroalanine and gamma-difluorothreonine, as analogues of Ser and Thr, respectively. These compounds were suitably protected for Fmoc-based solid-phase peptide synthesis.

Asymmetric synthesis of multifunctionalized pyrrolines by a ruthenium porphyrin-catalyzed three-component coupling reaction.

[reaction: see text] Chiral multifunctionalized pyrrolines have been synthesized by a ruthenium porphyrin catalyzed three-component coupling reaction. In a one-pot reaction, ruthenium porphyrins catalyzed in situ generation of chiral azomethine ylides from chiral diazo esters and imines. Asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of the chiral azomethine ylides with dipolarophiles afforded the corresponding pyrrolines in good yields and high diastereoselectivity (up to 92% de).

Highly selective intra- and intermolecular coupling reactions of diazo compounds to form cis-alkenes using a ruthenium porphyrin catalyst.

[Ru(2,6-Cl(2)TPP)(CO)] catalyzed intramolecular coupling reactions of bisdiazoacetates and intermolecular coupling reactions of monodiazoacetates to afford the coupling products in up to 76% and 93% yields, respectively. Only the cis isomers were obtained from the reactions. Employing such a ruthenium-catalyzed coupling reaction of a diazo compound as a key step allowed the synthesis of Patulolide B in 67% yield with a ratio of >40:1 against its trans isomer.

Stereoselective synthesis of functionalized pyrrolidines by ruthenium porphyrin-catalyzed decomposition of alpha-diazo esters and cascade azomethine ylide formation/1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions.

[reaction: see text] Ruthenium porphyrins catalyze three-component coupling reaction of alpha-diazo esters with a series of N-benzylidene imines and alkenes to form functionalized pyrrolidines in excellent diastereoselectivities. The reaction proceeds via a reactive ruthenium-carbene intermediate and its subsequent reaction with imine to generate azomethine ylide, which reacts with alkenes via 1,3-diploar cycloaddition.