Xinqiang Fang

Enantioselective Diels–Alder Reactions of Enals and Alkylidene Diketones Catalyzed by N-Heterocyclic Carbenes

An electron-withdrawing group was introduced to the α-position of chalcones, and the resulting alkylidene diketones showed new reactivities with enals under the catalysis of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs). Selective activation of enals affords enolate equivalents that undergo highly enantioselective intermolecular Diels-Alder reactions with the alkylidene diketones. No products that might have resulted from typical homoenolate pathways were observed.

A Highly Regio- and Stereoselective Cascade Annulation of Enals and Benzodi(enone)s Catalyzed by N-Heterocyclic Carbenes†

The rapid catalytic construction of relatively complex molecules in a highly selective manner is an attractive goal in organic synthesis. In the area of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis, the unconventional NHC-mediated activation of enal compounds has led to a diverse set of new reactions, such as lactone and lactam formations, cycloaddition reactions, Michael reactions, and self-redox ester formations. 7] This diversity exists in the catalytic formation of multifarious intermediates that include activated carboxylates, enolates, and homoenolate equivalents. Of particular interest to us is the generation of three consecutive reactive carbon centers [Eq. (1)], which opens an opportunity for the

Enantioselective Stetter Reactions of Enals and Modified Chalcones Catalyzed by N‐Heterocyclic Carbenes

were largelysuppressedespeciallywhenb-alkylenalswereusedastheacylanion precursors and alkylidene diketones as the Michaelacceptors. Enals having two b substituents can also behave aseffective acyl anion precursors. A relevant and elegantenantioselective Stetter reaction between enals and nitro-alkenes using NHC and catechol cocatalysts was reported byRovis and co-workers recently.

A rationally designed pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase mutant with a broad substrate spectrum.

Together with tRNA(CUA)(Pyl), a rationally designed pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase mutant N346A/C348A has been successfully used for the genetic incorporation of a variety of phenylalanine derivatives with large para substituents into superfolder green fluorescent protein at an amber mutation site in Escherichia coli. This discovery greatly expands the genetically encoded noncanonical amino acid inventory and opens the gate for the genetic incorporation of other phenylalanine derivatives using engineered pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase-tRNA(CUA)(Pyl) pairs.

A Genetically Encoded Acrylamide Functionality

Nε-Acryloyl-l-lysine, a noncanonical amino acid with an electron deficient olefin, is genetically encoded in Escherichia coli using a pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase mutant in coordination with tRNACUAPyl. The acrylamide moiety is stable in cells, whereas it is active enough to perform a diverse set of unique reactions for protein modifications in vitro. These reactions include 1,4-addition, radical polymerization, and 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. We demonstrate that a protein incorporated with Nε-acryloyl-l-lysine is efficiently modified with thiol-containing nucleophiles at slightly alkali conditions, and the acrylamide moiety also allows rapid radical copolymerization of the same protein into a polyacrylamide hydrogel at physiological pH. At physiological conditions, the acrylamide functionality undergoes a fast 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction with diaryl nitrile imine to show turn-on fluorescence. We have used this observation to demonstrate site-specific fluorescent labeling of proteins incorporated with Nε-acryloyl-l-lysine both in vitro and in living cells. This critical development allows easy access to an array of modified proteins for applications where high specificity and reaction efficiency are needed.

Formal Diels–Alder Reactions of Chalcones and Formylcyclopropanes Catalyzed by Chiral N-Heterocyclic Carbenes

Highly enantioselective (formal) hetero-Diels-Alder reactions between chalcones and formylcyclopropanes are disclosed. The challenging N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-bounded enolate intermediates from formylcyclopropanes were captured for new C-C bond forming reactions. The reaction products were obtained with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities and could be easily transformed to optically pure multisubstituted cyclohexane derivatives.

Genetic incorporation of twelve meta-substituted phenylalanine derivatives using a single pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase mutant.

When coexpressed with its cognate amber suppressing tRNACUAPyl(CUA), a pyrrolysyltRNA synthetase mutant N346A/C348A is able to genetically incorporate 12 meta-substituted phenylalanine derivatives into proteins site-specifically at amber mutation sites in Escherichia coli. These genetically encoded noncanonical amino acids resemble phenylalanine in size and contain diverse bioorthogonal functional groups such as halide, trifluoromethyl, nitrile, nitro,ketone, alkyne, and azide moieties. The genetic installation of these functional groups in proteins provides multiple ways to site-selectively label proteins with biophysical and biochemical probes for their functional investigations. We demonstrate that a genetically incorporated trifluoromethyl group can be used as a sensitive 19F NMR probe to study protein folding/unfolding, and that genetically incorporated reactive functional groups such as ketone,alkyne, and azide moieties can be applied to site-specifically label proteins with fluorescent probes. This critical discovery allows the synthesis of proteins with diverse bioorthogonal functional groups for a variety of basic studies and biotechnology development using a single recombinant expression system.

cis-Enals in N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed reactions: distinct stereoselectivity and reactivity

The first successful generation of cis-homoenolate equivalents from cis-enals under the catalysis of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) has been realized. The cis-homoenolate intermediates undergo effective reactions with α,β-unsaturated imines to afford chiral cyclic ketone products. Compared to the trans-enals, cis-enals show different stereoselectivities and new reactivity patterns.

Efficient Regio- and Stereoselective Formation of Azocan-2-ones via 8-Endo Cyclization of α-Carbamoyl Radicals

The iodine-atom-transfer 8-endo cyclization of alpha-carbamoyl radicals was investigated experimentally and theoretically. With the aid of Mg(ClO(4))(2) and a bis(oxazoline) ligand, N-ethoxycarbonyl-substituted N-(pent-4-enyl)-2-iodoalkanamides underwent 8-endo cyclization leading to the formation of only the corresponding 3,5-trans-substituted azocan-2-ones in excellent yields. Similarly, the BF(3).OEt(2)/H(2)O-promoted reactions of N-ethoxycarbonyl-N-(2-allylaryl)-2-iodoalkanamides afforded exclusively the benzazocanone products with a 3,5-cis configuration in high yields. The bidentate chelation of substrate radicals not only significantly improved the efficiency of cyclization but also resulted in the change of stereochemistry of azocanone products from 3,8-trans to 3,8-cis. Theoretical calculations at the UB3LYP/6-31G* level revealed that the cyclization of N-carbonyl-substituted alpha-carbamoyl radicals occurs via the E-conformational transition states without the presence of a Lewis acid. On the other hand, the cyclization proceeds via the Z-conformational transition states when the substrates form the bidentate chelation with a Lewis acid. In both cases, the 8-endo cyclization is always fundamentally preferred over the corresponding 7-exo cyclization. The complexed radicals having the more rigid conformations also allow the better stereochemical control in the iodine-atom-abstraction step. To further understand the reactivity of alpha-carbamoyl radicals, the competition between the 8-endo and 5-exo cyclization was also studied. The results demonstrated that the 8-endo cyclization is of comparable rate to the corresponding 5-exo cyclization for alpha-carbamoyl radicals with fixed Z-conformational transition states. As a comparison, the 8-endo mode is fundamentally preferred over the 5-exo mode in the cyclization of NH-amide substrates because the latter requires the Z-conformational transition states, whereas the former proceeds via the more stable E-conformational transition states.

Temporally Controlled Targeting of 4-Hydroxynonenal to Specific Proteins in Living Cells

In-depth chemical understanding of complex biological processes hinges upon the ability to systematically perturb individual systems. However, current approaches to study impacts of biologically relevant reactive small molecules involve bathing of the entire cell or isolated organelle with excess amounts, leading to off-target effects. The resultant lack of biochemical specificity has plagued our understanding of how biological electrophiles mediate signal transduction or regulate responses that confer defense mechanisms to cellular electrophilic stress. Here we introduce a target-specific electrophile delivery platform that will ultimately pave the way to interrogate effects of reactive electrophiles on specific target proteins in cells. The new methodology is demonstrated by photoinducible targeted delivery of 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) to the proteins Keap1 and PTEN. Covalent conjugation of the HNE-precursor to HaloTag fused to the target proteins enables directed HNE delivery upon photoactivation. The strategy provides proof of concept of selective delivery of reactive electrophiles to individual electrophile-responsive proteins in mammalian cells. It opens a new avenue enabling more precise determination of the pathophysiological consequences of HNE-induced chemical modifications on specific target proteins in cells.