A Modular and Convergent Synthetic Route to Supramolecular Cyclic Dimers Based on Amidinium-Carboxylate Interactions.

We describe herein the optimized design and modular synthetic approach towards supramolecularly programmed monomers that can form discrete macrocyclic species of controllable size and shape through amidinium-carboxylate interactions in apolar and polar media.

Small Molecule-Peptide Conjugates as Dimerization Inhibitors of Trypanothione Disulfide Reductase.

Trypanothione disulfide reductase (TryR) is an essential homodimeric enzyme of trypanosomatid parasites that has been validated as a drug target to fight human infections. Using peptides and peptidomimetics, we previously obtained proof of concept that disrupting protein-protein interactions at the dimer interface of TryR TryR offered an innovative and so far unexploited opportunity for the development of novel antileishmanial agents. Now, we show that linking our previous peptide prototype to selected hydrophobic moieties provides a novel series of small-molecule-peptide conjugates that behave as good inhibitors of both TryR activity and dimerization.

Synthesis of Phosphoramidite Monomers Equipped with Complementary Bases for Solid-Phase DNA Oligomerization.

We describe the preparation of two monomers that bear complementary nucleobases at the edges (guanine-2'-deoxycytidine and 2-aminoadenine-2'-deoxyuridine) and that are conveniently protected and activated for solid-phase automated DNA synthesis. We report the optimized synthetic routes leading to the four nucleobase derivatives involved, their cross-coupling reactions into dinucleobase-containing monomers, and their oligomerization in the DNA synthesizer.