Structure-Activity Relationship in the Leucettine Family of Kinase Inhibitors.

The protein kinase DYRK1A is involved in Alzheimer's disease, Down syndrome, diabetes, viral infections, and leukemia. Leucettines, a family of 2-aminoimidazolin-4-ones derived from the marine sponge alkaloid Leucettamine B, have been developed as pharmacological inhibitors of DYRKs (dual specificity, tyrosine phosphorylation regulated kinases) and CLKs (cdc2-like kinases). We report here on the synthesis and structure-activity relationship (SAR) of 68 Leucettines.

Deprotonative metalation of functionalized aromatics using mixed lithium-cadmium, lithium-indium, and lithium-zinc species.

In situ mixtures of CdCl(2)TMEDA (0.5 equiv; TMEDA = N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine) or InCl(3) (0.33 equiv) with [Li(tmp)] (tmp = 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidino; 1.

Deprotonative cadmation of functionalized aromatics.

This communication describes the deproto-metalation of a large range of aromatics including heterocycles using a newly developed lithium-cadmium base; the reaction proceeds at room temperature with an excellent chemoselectivity and efficiency, and proved to be regioselective in most cases.

Deprotonative metalation of five-membered aromatic heterocycles using mixed lithium-zinc species.

Deprotonation of benzoxazole, benzothiazole, benzo[b]thiophene, benzo[b]furan, N-Boc-protected indole and pyrrole, and N-phenylpyrazole using an in situ mixture of ZnCl(2).TMEDA (0.5 equiv) and lithium 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidide (1.