Acid-catalyzed chirality-transferring intramolecular Friedel-Crafts cyclization of α-hydroxy-α-alkenylsilanes.

Acid-catalyzed intramolecular Friedel-Crafts cyclization of optically active α-hydroxy-α-alkenylsilanes possessing a benzene ring (>99% ee) with TMSOTf as a Lewis acid gave enantio-enriched tetrahydronaphthalenes (up to 98% ee). The silyl group attached to the chiral carbon played a crucial role in the chirality transfer.

Structure-activity relationship study at C9 position of kaitocephalin.

Kaitocephalin (KCP) isolated from Eupenicillium shearii PF1191 is an unusual amino acid natural product in which serine, proline, and alanine moieties are liked with carbon-carbon bonds. KCP exhibits potent and selective binding affinity for one of the ionotropic glutamate receptor subtypes, NMDA receptors (Ki=7.8nM).

(7S)-Kaitocephalin as a potent NMDA receptor selective ligand.

A structure-activity relationship (SAR) study of kaitocephalin (KCP), known to be a potent naturally occurring NMDA receptor ligand, was performed. This study led us to the discovery of (7S)-kaitocephalin as a highly selective NMDA receptor ligand. It displayed a 22-fold higher degree of selectivity for the NMDA receptor over KCP, though the binding affinity of (7S)-KCP [Ki = 29 nM] was 3.

The stereoselective construction of E- and Z-Δ-Ile from E-dehydroamino acid ester: the synthesis of the phomopsin A tripeptide side chain.

The stereoselective synthesis of the phomopsin A tripeptide side chain was achieved by using methyl 2-(((benzyloxy)carbonyl)amino)-2-(diphenoxyphosphoryl)acetate as a common synthetic precursor for the synthesis of E-Δ-dehydroisoleucine and E-Δ-aspartate.

Short total synthesis of (-)-kainic acid.

A short total synthesis of (-)-kainic acid has been developed involving a novel diastereofacial differentiating Cu-catalyzed Michael addition-cyclization reaction, which provided access to a chiral pyrroline in a highly stereoselective manner. The chiral pyrroline was converted to (-)-kainic acid via the stereoselective 1,4-reduction of the pyrroline double bond in three steps.

Regioselective prins cyclization of allenylsilanes. Stereoselective formation of multisubstituted heterocyclic compounds.

The Prins cyclization of hydroxy or amino group-containing allenylsilanes with carbonyl compounds occurred at the allenic terminus in a regio- and stereoselective manner to give the di- or trisubstituted tetrahydrofurans, tetrahydropyrans, and pyrrolidines. During the reaction, the allenic axial chirality of the starting material was efficiently transferred to the newly formed carbon chiral centers of the product.

The structure of (-)-kaitocephalin bound to the ligand binding domain of the (S)-α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)/glutamate receptor, GluA2.

Glutamate receptors mediate the majority of excitatory synaptic transmission in the central nervous system, and excessive stimulation of these receptors is involved in a variety of neurological disorders and neuronal damage from stroke. The development of new subtype-specific antagonists would be of considerable therapeutic interest. Natural products can provide important new lead compounds for drug discovery.

Biological activities of juvenile hormone III skipped bisepoxide in last instar nymphs and adults of a stink bug, Plautia stali.

Juvenile hormone III skipped bisepoxide (JHSB(3)), methyl (2R,3S,10R)-2,3;10,11-bisepoxyfarnesoate was recently determined as a novel juvenile hormone (JH) in a stink bug, Plautia stali. To further confirm the biological function of JHSB(3) in this insect, its juvenilizing, reproduction-stimulating and diapause-terminating activities and the presence in the hemolymph were examined. Topical application of JHSB(3) to last instar nymphs inhibited their metamorphosis in a dose-dependent fashion.

Mass spectrometric analysis of peptides in brain neurosecretory cells and neurohemal organs in the adult blowfly, Protophormia terraenovae.

Neuropeptides in neurosecretory cells of the pars intercerebralis (PI) and pars lateralis (PL) in the brain, and those in the corpus cardiacum-hypocerebral ganglion complex (CC-HG) and corpus allatum (CA) were examined by mass spectrometry and immunocytochemistry in adult females of the blowfly, Protophormia terraenovae. By using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), and electrospray ionization quadrupole orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-Q-Tof MS) and MS/MS, 4 peptides (including myosuppressin and SIFamide) were detected in the PI, 12 peptides (including [Arg(7)]-corazonin and [Arg(7)]-corazonin(3)(-)(11)) in the PL, 13 peptides (including myosuppressin, [Arg(7)]-corazonin and [Arg(7)]-corazonin(3-11)) in the CC-HG, and 6 peptides in the CA. MALDI-TOF MS analysis of each tissue or organ was made in about 20 flies under diapause-inducing (LD 12:12 at 20 degrees C) and diapause-averting conditions (LD 18:6 at 25 degrees C).

Structure determination of a new juvenile hormone from a heteropteran insect.

The structure of the juvenile hormone (JH) in the suborder Heteroptera, order Hemiptera, has been known for a very long time to be different from the JH of other orders, but the structure has been a matter of controversy. The structure was first elucidated by an unprecedented approach involving the screening of a JH molecular library. The novel Heteroptera-specific JH (JHSB(3)) is a new category of JH that is featured by the skipped bisepoxide structure.

Efficient total synthesis of (-)-kaitocephalin.

A highly diastereoselective total synthesis of (-)-kaitocephalin, a novel antagonist of ionotropic glutamate receptors, was accomplished in 12 steps starting from 5-substituted proline ester via the aldol reaction with OBO-serine aldehyde, (E)-selective alpha,beta-dehydroamino acid synthesis using a new HWE reagent, and catalytic hydrogenation.

Concise asymmetric synthesis of configurationally stable 4-trifluoromethyl thalidomide.

Background: Thalidomide is one of the promising multidimensional drugs that possess high activity against serious diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, leprosy, AIDS and various cancers. However, its medicinal applications are plagued by its configurational instability, as it easily undergoes racemization under the physiological conditions (t(1/2) = 8 h at pH 7.1, 37°C in water).

Total synthesis of (-)-amathaspiramide F.

The stereoselective total synthesis of the marine alkaloid (-)-amathaspiramide F (1) was achieved from the alpha-hydoxy-alpha-ethynylsilane 2. The crucial steps in this synthesis involved not only the enolate Claisen rearrangement of the alpha-acyloxy-alpha-alkenylsilane 6 for the construction of the nitrogen-containing quaternary carbon center, but also the chemoselective formation of the azaspirohemiaminal 12 using heptamethyldisilazane as the methylamine equivalent and the regioselective dibromination of the phenol moiety of 12 using n-Bu(4)NBrCl(2).

Novel mastoparan and protonectin analogs isolated from a solitary wasp, Orancistrocerus drewseni drewseni.

Two novel biologically active peptides, Eumenine mastoparan-OD and Orancis-Protonectin, were isolated from a solitary wasp, Orancistrocerus drewseni drewseni (Eumeninae, Vespidae). MALDI-TOF MS analysis of a small amount of the crude venom gave two intensive molecular-related ion peaks at m/z 1269.9 and 1552.

A quinone isolated from the nest of Vespa simillima and its growth-inhibitory effect on rat liver cancer cells.

A biologically active quinone that exhibits a growth-inhibitory effect on rat liver cancer cells was isolated from the nest of a social wasp, Vespa simillima (Vespinae, Vespidae). The structure was unambiguously determined by NMR and synthetic experiments and identified as being 7,8-seco-para-ferruginone. The synthetic quinone showed potent growth-inhibitory effects on rat hepatoma cells (IC50 value=1.

Synthesis and absolute structure of manzacidin B.

[reaction: see text] Four possible stereoisomers of manzacidin B were synthesized using stereochemically defined synthetic routes via the azide 7 and oxazoline 11 starting with the (R)-alpha-methyl Garner aldehyde 5. Comparisons of the spectroscopic data of the synthetic isomers 4a-d with those of the natural manzacidin B revised the proposed structure 3 to (4S,5S,6R)-4d.

Novel biologically active peptides from the venom of Polistes rothneyi iwatai.

Four novel peptides, polistes-mastoparan-R1, 2, 3, and polistes-protonectin, were isolated from the venom of a paper wasp, Polistes rothneyi iwatai. MALDI-TOF MS analysis of a small amount of the crude venom gave six molecular-related ion peaks. Among them, m/z 1565 was expected to be a novel peptide.

Total synthesis of (-)-5,6,11-trideoxytetrodotoxin and its 4-epimer.

[reaction: see text] The first total synthesis of 5,6,11-trideoxytetrodotoxin (1) and its 4-epimer were achieved. The synthesis is characterized by the stereoselective construction of the quaternary amino carbon center at C8a by an asymmetric transferring Strecker synthesis and the highly efficient conversion of cyanohydrin 4 to 1 via intramolecular cyclization reactions.

Total synthesis of (-)-kaitocephalin.

[reaction: see text] Total synthesis of the potent AMPA/KA receptor antagonist (-)-kaitocephalin (1) and its three diastereomers has been accomplished. The synthesis features strictly substrate-controlled operations to alpha-formylglutamate 3 starting with alpha-hydroxymethylglutamate 4. The requisite 2R,3S,7R-stereocenters were efficiently constructed by manipulation of stereoselective reactions: dihydroxylation of 7 followed by azide substitution of the corresponding thionocarbonate 10 and Cu-mediated allylation of an acyliminium ion 21.

Indium-mediated asymmetric Barbier-type allylation of aldimines in alcoholic solvents: synthesis of optically active homoallylic amines.

[reaction: see text] Chiral aldimines derived from phenylglycinol were diastereoselectively allylated with indium powder/allyl bromide in alcoholic solvents. Both aliphatic and aromatic aldimines provided good yield of the desired products with high diastereoselectivity. A racemization-free protocol for removal of the phenylglycinol auxiliary was also developed.

Molecular components and toxicity of the venom of the solitary wasp, Anoplius samariensis.

The solitary spider wasp, Anoplius samariensis, is known to exhibit a unique long-term, non-lethal paralysis in spiders that it uses as a food source for its larvae. However, neither detailed venom components nor paralytic compounds have ever been characterized. In this study, we examined the components in the low molecular weight fraction of the venom and the paralytic activity of the high molecular weight fraction.