Photoclick and Release for Spatiotemporally Localized Theranostics of Single Cells via In Situ Generation of 1,3-Diaryl-1H-benzo[f]indazole-4,9-dione

Bioorthogonal click-release chemistry is a cutting-edge tool for exploring and manipulating biomolecule functions in native biological systems. However, it is challenging to achieve the precise regulation or therapy of individual cells via click-release strategies driven by proximity and thermodynamics. Herein, we propose a novel photoclick-release approach based on a photo-induced cycloaddition between 4,4'-bis(N-arylsydnone) or C-bithienyl-diarylsydnone and 2-arylamino-naphthoquinone via irradiation with 405 or 485 nm light. It constructs 1,3-diaryl-1H-benzo[f]indazole-4,9-dione (BIZON) as a pharmacophore while releases an arylamine for fluorescence turn-on probing. Both photoclick reagents were tailored by connecting to the triphenyl phosphonium delivery motif for enrichment in the mitochondria of live cells. This enables an intracellular photoclick and release under the control of 405 or 485 nm light. We then discovered that the in situ photo-generated BIZON is capable of photosensitizing upon 485 or 520 nm light to produce singlet oxygen inside the mitochondria under aerobic conditions. Therefore, we realized wash-free fluorescence tracking and subsequent anti-cancer efficacy at single-cell resolution using global illumination, which provides a foundation for wavelength-gated single-cell theranostics.

Cyanine- and Rhodamine-Derived Alkynes for the Selective Targeting of Cancerous Mitochondria through Radical Thiol-Yne Coupling in Live Cells

Despite their long history and their synthetic potential underlined by various recent advances, radical thiol-yne coupling reactions have so far only rarely been exploited for the functionalization of biomolecules, and no examples yet exist for their application in live cells - although natural thiols show widespread occurrence therein. By taking advantage of the particular cellular conditions of mitochondria in cancer cells, we have demonstrated that radical thiol-yne coupling represents a powerful reaction principle for the selective targeting of these organelles. Within our studies, fluorescently labeled reactive alkyne probes were investigated, for which the fluorescent moiety was chosen to enable both mitochondria accumulation as well as highly sensitive detection. After preliminary studies under cell-free conditions, the most promising alkyne-dye conjugates were evaluated in various cellular experiments comprising analysis by flow cytometry and microscopy. All in all, these results pave the way for improved future therapeutic strategies relying on live-cell compatibility and selectivity among cellular compartments.

Development of a Non-Directed Petasis-Type Reaction by an Aromaticity-Disrupting Strategy

The Petasis-type reaction, which couples an imine and boronic acid, is an important tool for C-C bond formation in organic synthesis. However, the generality of this transformation has been limited by the requirement for a directing heteroatom to enable reactivity. Herein, we report the development of a non-directed Petasis-type reaction that allows for the coupling of trifluoroborate salts with α-hydroxyindoles. By disrupting aromaticity to generate a reactive iminium ion, in conjunction with using trifluoroborate nucleophiles, the method generates a new C-C bond without the need for a directing group. This reaction is operationally simple, providing α-functionalized indoles in up to 99 % yield using sp, sp² , and sp³ -hybridized trifluoroborate nucleophiles. Finally, this reaction is applied as a novel bioconjugation strategy to link biologically active molecules and toward the convergent synthesis of non-natural heterodimeric bisindole alkaloid analogs.

Chemical Synthesis of Bioactive Proteins

Nature has developed a plethora of protein machinery to operate and maintain nearly every task of cellular life. These processes are tightly regulated via post-expression modifications-transformations that modulate intracellular protein synthesis, folding, and activation. Methods to prepare homogeneously and precisely modified proteins are essential to probe their function and design new bioactive modalities. Synthetic chemistry has contributed remarkably to protein science by allowing the preparation of novel biomacromolecules that are often challenging or impractical to prepare via common biological means. The ability to chemically build and precisely modify proteins has enabled the production of new molecules with novel physicochemical properties and programmed activity for biomedical research, diagnostic, and therapeutic applications. This minireview summarizes recent developments in chemical protein synthesis to produce bioactive proteins, with emphasis on novel analogs with promising in vitro and in vivo activity.

Nanostructured Heterogeneous Catalysts for Bioorthogonal Reactions

Bioorthogonal chemistry has inspired a new subarea of chemistry providing a powerful tool to perform novel biocompatible chemospecific reactions in living systems. Following the premise that they do not interfere with biological functions, bioorthogonal reactions are increasingly applied in biomedical research, particularly with respect to genetic encoding systems, fluorogenic reactions for bioimaging, and cancer therapy. This Minireview compiles recent advances in the use of heterogeneous catalysts for bioorthogonal reactions. The synthetic strategies of Pd-, Au-, and Cu-based materials, their applicability in the activation of caged fluorophores and prodrugs, and the possibilities of using external stimuli to release therapeutic substances at a specific location in a diseased tissue are discussed. Finally, we highlight frontiers in the field, identifying challenges, and propose directions for future development in this emerging field.

Liquid Metal as Bioinspired and Unusual Modulator in Bioorthogonal Catalysis for Tumor Inhibition Therapy

Bioorthogonal catalysis mediated by Pd-based transition metal catalysts has sparked increasing interest in combating diseases. However, the catalytic and therapeutic efficiency of current Pd⁰ catalysts is unsatisfactory. Herein, inspired by the concept that ligands around metal sites could enable enzymes to catalyze astonishing reactions by changing their electronic environment, a LM-Pd catalyst with liquid metal (LM) as an unusual modulator has been designed to realize efficient bioorthogonal catalysis for tumor inhibition. The LM matrix can serve as a "ligand" to afford an electron-rich environment to stabilize the active Pd⁰ and promote nucleophilic turnover of the π-allylpalladium species to accelerate the uncaging process. Besides, the photothermal properties of LM can lead to the enhanced removal of tumor cells by photo-enhanced catalysis and photothermal effect. We believe that our work will broaden the application of LM and motivate the design of bioinspired bioorthogonal catalysts.

Base Dependent Rearrangement of Dithiane and Dithiolane under Visible-light Photoredox catalysis

The rearrangement of dithiolanes and dithianes to access disulfide-linked-dithioesters under visible-light photoredox catalysis via controlled C-S bond cleavage has been disclosed. Unlike, the usual deprotection of dithioacetals to corresponding aldehydes under the oxidative conditions, we observed unique regioselective oxidative reactivity of five and six membered cyclic dithioacetals to form disulfide-linked-dithioesters by exchanging DMAP and imidazole bases. The generality of the protocol has been demonstrated by exploring a wide range of substrates. As an application, in situ generated thiyl radical has been trapped with disulfides to prepare hetero-disulfides of potential utility. The protocol proved to be practical on gram scale quantity and relied on clean energy source for the transformation. Based on the series of control experiments, cyclic voltammetry and Stern-Volmer studies the plausible mechanism has been proposed.

Shedding Light on Bacterial Physiology with Click Chemistry

Bacteria constitute a major lifeform on this planet and play numerous roles in ecology, physiology, and human disease. However, conventional methods to probe their activities are limited in their ability to visualize and identify their functions in these diverse settings. In the last two decades, the application of click chemistry to label these microbes has deepened our understanding of bacterial physiology. With the development of a plethora of chemical tools that target many biological molecules, it is possible to track these microorganisms in real-time and at unprecedented resolution. Here, we review click chemistry, including bioorthogonal reactions, and their applications in imaging bacterial glycans, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids using chemical reporters. We also highlight significant advances that have enabled biological discoveries that have heretofore remained elusive.

Readily Accessible Strained Difunctionalized trans-Cyclooctenes with Fast Click and Release Capabilities

The click reaction between a functionalized trans-cyclooctene (TCO) and a tetrazine (Tz) is a compelling method for bioorthogonal conjugation in combination with payload releasing capabilities. However, the synthesis of difunctionalized TCOs remains challenging. As a result, these compounds are poorly accessible, which impedes the development of novel applications. In this work, the scalable and accessible synthesis of a new bioorthogonal difunctionalized TCO is reported in only four single selective high yielding steps starting from commercially available compounds. The TCO-Tz click reaction was assessed and revealed excellent kinetic rates and subsequently payload release was shown with various functionalized derivatives. Tetrazine triggered release of carbonate and carbamate payloads was demonstrated up to 100 % release efficiency and local drug release was shown in a cellular toxicity study which revealed a >20-fold increase in cytotoxicity.

Bioconjugation via Hetero-Selective Clamping of Two Different Amines with ortho-Phthalaldehyde

Amino groups are common in both natural and synthetic compounds and offer a very attractive class of endogenous handles for bioconjugation. However, the ability to differentiate two types of amino groups and join them with high hetero-selectivity and efficiency in a complex setting remains elusive. Herein, we report a new method for bioconjugation via one-pot chemoselective clamping of two different amine nucleophiles using a simple ortho-phthalaldehyde (OPA) reagent. Various α-amino acids, aryl amines, and secondary amines can be crosslinked to the ϵ-amino side chain of lysine on peptides or proteins with high efficiency and hetero-selectivity. This method offers a simple and powerful means to crosslink small molecule drugs, imaging probes, peptides, proteins, carbohydrates, and even virus particles without any pre-functionalization.

Enzymatic Late-Stage Halogenation of Peptides

The late-stage site-selective derivatisation of peptides has many potential applications in structure-activity relationship studies and postsynthetic modification or conjugation of bioactive compounds. The development of orthogonal methods for C-H functionalisation is crucial for such peptide derivatisation. Among them, biocatalytic methods are increasingly attracting attention. Tryptophan halogenases emerged as valuable catalysts to functionalise tryptophan (Trp), while direct enzyme-catalysed halogenation of synthetic peptides is yet unprecedented. Here, it is reported that the Trp 6-halogenase Thal accepts a wide range of amides and peptides containing a Trp moiety. Increasing the sequence length and reaction optimisation made bromination of pentapeptides feasible with good turnovers and a broad sequence scope, while regioselectivity turned out to be sequence dependent. Comparison of X-ray single crystal structures of Thal in complex with d-Trp and a dipeptide revealed a significantly altered binding mode for the peptide. The viability of this bioorthogonal approach was exemplified by halogenation of a cyclic RGD peptide.

Dithiol-Activated Bioorthogonal Chemistry for Endoplasmic Reticulum-Targeted Synergistic Chemophototherapy

The controlled intracellular release of nitrite is still an unmet challenge due to the lack of bio-friendly donors, and the antitumor effect of nitrite is limited by its physiologically inert activity. Herein, we designed benzothiadiazole-based organic nitrite donors that are stable against bio-relevant species but selectively respond to dithiol species through S_N Ar/intramolecular cyclization tandem reactions in the aqueous media. The bioorthogonal system was established to target the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of liver cancer HepG2 cells. The nitrite and nonivamide were coupled to induce elevation of intracellular levels of calcium ions as well as reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, which resulted in ER stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. We demonstrated that a combination of photoactivation and "click to release" strategy could enhance antitumor effect in cellular level and show good potential for cancer precision therapy.

Applications and Limitations of Oxime-Linked "Split PROTACs"

Proteolysis targeting chimeras are of keen interest as probe molecules and drug leads. Their activity is highly sensitive to the length and nature of the linker connecting the E3 Ubiquitin Ligase (E3 Ubl) and target protein (TP) ligands, which therefore requires tedious optimization. The creation of "split PROTACs" from E3 Ubl and TP ligands modified with residues suitable for them to couple when simply mixed together would allow various combinations to be assessed in a combinatorial fashion, thus greatly easing the workload relative to a one-by-one synthesis of many different PROTACs (proteolysis targeting chimeras). We explore oxime chemistry here for this purpose. We show that PROTAC assembly occurs efficiently when the components are mixed at a high concentration, then added to cells. However, in situ coupling of the TP and E3 Ubl ligands is inefficient when these units are added to cells at lower concentrations.

Third-Generation Covalent TMP-Tag for Fast Labeling and Multiplexed Imaging of Cellular Proteins

Self-labeling protein tags can introduce advanced molecular motifs to specific cellular proteins. Here we introduce the third-generation covalent TMP-tag (TMP-tag3) and showcase its comparison with HaloTag and SNAP-tag. TMP-tag3 is based on a proximity-induced covalent Michael addition between an engineered Cys of E. coli dihydrofolate reductase (eDHFR) and optimized trimethoprim (TMP)-acrylamide conjugates with minimal linkers. Compared to previous versions, the TMP-tag3 features an enhanced permeability when conjugated to fluorogenic spirocyclic rhodamines. As a small protein, the 18-kD eDHFR is advantageous in tagging selected mitochondrial proteins which are less compatible with bulkier HaloTag fusions. The proximal N-C termini of eDHFR also enable facile insertion into various protein loops. TMP-tag3, HaloTag, and SNAP-tag are orthogonal to each other, collectively forming a toolbox for multiplexed live-cell imaging of cellular proteins under fluorescence nanoscopy.

Photoactivatable Fluorogenic Azide-Alkyne Click Reaction: A Dual-Activation Fluorescent Probe

Aryl azide and diaryl tetrazole are both photoactive molecules, which can form nitrene and nitrile imine intermediates respectively by photolysis. Depending on the new finding that the azide can suppress the photolysis of tetrazole in the azide-tetrazole conjugated system, we developed aryl azide-tetrazole probes for the photoactivatable fluorogenic azide alkyne click (PFAAC) reaction, in which the aryl azide-tetrazole probes were not phoroactivatable fluorogenic itself, but the triazole products after click reaction were prefluorophore that can be activated by light. Therefore, in PFAAC chemistry, the fluorescent probes can be activated by two orthogonal events: azide-alkyne click reaction and light, which leads to spatiotemporal resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio. This PFAAC process was proved in vitro by copper catalyzed or strain-promoted azide-alkyne reactions and in live cells by spatiotemporally controlled organelle imaging. By incorporation a linker to the azide-tetrazole conjugate, this PFAAC chemistry could covalently label extra probes to the biomolecules and spatiotemporally detecting this process by photoinduced fluorescence.

A Kinetic and Fluorogenic Enhancement Strategy for Labeling of Nucleic Acids

Chemical modification of nucleic acids in living cells can be sterically hindered by tight packing of bioorthogonal functional groups in chromatin. To address this limitation, we report here a dual enhancement strategy for nucleic acid-templated reactions utilizing a fluorogenic intercalating agent capable of undergoing inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder (IEDDA) reactions with DNA containing 5-vinyl-2'-deoxyuridine (VdU) or RNA containing 5-vinyl-uridine (VU). Reversible high-affinity intercalation of a novel acridine-tetrazine conjugate "PINK" (K_D =5±1 μM) increases the reaction rate of tetrazine-alkene IEDDA on duplex DNA by 60 000-fold (590 M^-1  s^-1 ) as compared to the non-templated reaction. At the same time, loss of tetrazine-acridine fluorescence quenching renders the reaction highly fluorogenic and detectable under no-wash conditions. This strategy enables live-cell dynamic imaging of acridine-modified nucleic acids in dividing cells.

Allosteric Binding-Induced Intramolecular Mechanical-Strain Engineering

Recently, polymer mechanochemistry has attracted much scientific interest due to its potential to develop degradable polymers. When the two ends of a polymer chain experience a linear pulling stress, molecular strain builds up, at sufficiently strong force, a bond scission of the weakest covalent bond results. In contrast, bond-breaking events triggered by conformational stress are much less explored. Here, we discovered that a Zn salen complex would undergo conformational switching upon allosteric complexation with alkanediammonium guests. By controlling the guest chain length, the torsional strain experienced by Zn complex can be modulated to induce bond cleavage with chemical stimulus, and reactivity trend is predicted by conformational analysis derived by DFT calculation. Such strain-release reactivity by a Zn(salen) complex initiated by guest binding is reminiscent of conformation-induced reactivity of enzymes to enable chemical events that are otherwise inhibited.

Phosphorogenic Iridium(III) bis-Tetrazine Complexes for Bioorthogonal Peptide Stapling, Bioimaging, Photocytotoxic Applications, and the Construction of Nanosized Hydrogels

The dual functionality of 1,2,4,5-tetrazine as a bioorthogonal reactive unit and a luminescence quencher has shaped tetrazine-based probes as attractive candidates for luminogenic labeling of biomolecules in living systems. In this work, three cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes featuring two tetrazine units were synthesized and characterized. Upon photoexcitation, the complexes were non-emissive but displayed up to 3900-fold emission enhancement upon the inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder (IEDDA) [4+2] cycloaddition with (1R,8S,9s)-bicyclo[6.1.0]non-4-yne (BCN) substrates. The rapid reaction kinetics (k₂ up to 1.47×10⁴  M^-1  s^-1 ) of the complexes toward BCN substrates allowed effective peptide labeling. The complexes were also applied as live cell bioimaging reagents and photocytotoxic agents. One of the complexes was utilized in the preparation of luminescent nanosized hydrogels that exhibited interesting cargo delivery properties.

Genetic Encoding of Cyanopyridylalanine for In‐Cell Protein Macrocyclization by the Nitrile–Aminothiol Click Reaction

Cyanopyridylalanines are non‐canonical amino acids that react with aminothiol compounds under physiological conditions in a biocompatible manner without requiring added catalyst. Here we present newly developed aminoacyl‐tRNA synthetases for genetic encoding of meta‐ and para‐cyanopyridylalanine to enable the site‐specific attachment of a wide range of different functionalities. The outstanding utility of the cyanopyridine moiety is demonstrated by examples of i) post‐translational functionalization of proteins, ii) in‐cell macrocyclization of peptides and proteins, and iii) protein stapling. The biocompatible nature of the protein ligation chemistry enabled by the cyanopyridylalanine amino acid opens a new path to specific in vivo protein modifications in complex biological environments.

Azide-modified Nucleosides as Versatile Tools for Bioorthogonal Labeling and Functionalization

Azide-modified nucleosides are important building blocks for RNA and DNA functionalization by click chemistry based on azide-alkyne cycloaddition. This has put demand on synthetic chemistry to develop approaches for the preparation of azide-modified nucleoside derivatives. We review here the available methods for the synthesis of various nucleosides decorated with azido groups at the sugar residue or nucleobase, their incorporation into oligonucleotides and cellular RNAs, and their application in azide-alkyne cycloadditions for labelling and functionalization.

Configurationally Chiral SuFEx-Based Polymers

Novel methods to make synthetic chiral polymers are highly desirable given their potential in a rapidly increasing number of bio-inspired applications. The enantiospecific sulfur-fluorine exchange (SuFEx) reaction of chiral di-sulfonimidoyl fluorides (di-SFs) with diphenols, was used to produce high-molecular-weight chiral polymers with configurational backbone chirality. The resulting new class of polymers, polysulfonimidates, can be efficiently produced via this step-growth mechanism for a wide range of di-SFs and diphenols, yielding MnPS up to 283 kDa with a typical dispersity Đ around 1.6. The optical activity of the resulting chiral polymers is largely due to the intrinsic asymmetry of the S atoms (configurational chirality). Finally, the enantiospecificity (ee>98 %) of the polymerization reaction was demonstrated by the degradation of a disulfide-containing polysulfonimidate. This novel route towards configurational main-chain chirality opens up new approaches towards tailor-made chiral polymers with precisely defined properties.

Hypervalent Iodine-Mediated Late-Stage Peptide and Protein Functionalization

Hypervalent iodine compounds are powerful reagents for the development of novel transformations. As they exhibit low toxicity, high functional group tolerance, and stability in biocompatible media, they have been used for the functionalization of biomolecules. Herein, we report recent advances up to June 2021 in peptide and protein modification using hypervalent iodine reagents. Their use as group transfer or oxidizing reagents is discussed in this Minireview, including methods targeting polar, aromatic, or aliphatic amino acids and peptide termini.

A Click Chemistry Approach to Targeted DNA Crosslinking with cis-Platinum(II)-Modified Triplex-Forming Oligonucleotides

Limitations of clinical platinum(II) therapeutics include systemic toxicity and inherent resistance. Modern approaches, therefore, seek new ways to deliver active platinum(II) to discrete nucleic acid targets. In the field of antigene therapy, triplex-forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) have attracted interest for their ability to specifically recognise extended duplex DNA targets. Here, we report a click chemistry based approach that combines alkyne-modified TFOs with azide-bearing cis-platinum(II) complexes-based on cisplatin, oxaliplatin, and carboplatin motifs-to generate a library of PtII -TFO hybrids. These constructs can be assembled modularly and enable directed platinum(II) crosslinking to purine nucleobases on the target sequence under the guidance of the TFO. By covalently incorporating modifications of thiazole orange-a known DNA-intercalating fluorophore-into PtII -TFOs constructs, enhanced target binding and discrimination between target and off-target sequences was achieved.

Truly-Biocompatible Gold Catalysis Enables Vivo-Orthogonal Intra-CNS Release of Anxiolytics

Being recognized as the best-tolerated of all metals, the catalytic potential of gold (Au) has thus far been hindered by the ubiquitous presence of thiols in organisms. Herein we report the development of a truly-catalytic Au-polymer composite by assembling ultrasmall Au-nanoparticles at the protein-repelling outer layer of a co-polymer scaffold via electrostatic loading. Illustrating the in vivo-compatibility of the novel catalysts, we show their capacity to uncage the anxiolytic agent fluoxetine at the central nervous system (CNS) of developing zebrafish, influencing their swim pattern. This bioorthogonal strategy has enabled -for the first time- modification of cognitive activity by releasing a neuroactive agent directly in the brain of an animal.

Truly-Biocompatible Gold Catalysis Enables Vivo-Orthogonal Intra-CNS Release of Anxiolytics

Being recognized as the best-tolerated of all metals, the catalytic potential of gold (Au) has thus far been hindered by the ubiquitous presence of thiols in organisms. Herein we report the development of a truly-catalytic Au-polymer composite by assembling ultrasmall Au-nanoparticles at the protein-repelling outer layer of a co-polymer scaffold via electrostatic loading. Illustrating the in vivo-compatibility of the novel catalysts, we show their capacity to uncage the anxiolytic agent fluoxetine at the central nervous system (CNS) of developing zebrafish, influencing their swim pattern. This bioorthogonal strategy has enabled -for the first time- modification of cognitive activity by releasing a neuroactive agent directly in the brain of an animal.

Homo- and Heterovalent Neoglycoproteins as Ligands for Bacterial Lectins

Click chemistry gives access to unlimited set of multivalent glycoconjugates to explore carbohydrate-protein interactions and discover high affinity ligands. In this study, we have created supramolecular systems based on a carrier protein that was grafted by Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition with tetravalent glycodendrons presenting αGal, βGal and/or αFuc. Binding studies of the homo- (4 a-c) and heterovalent (5) neoglycoproteins (neoGPs) with the LecA and LecB lectins from P. aeruginosa has first confirmed the interest of the multivalent presentation of glycodendrons by the carrier protein (IC50 up to 2.8 nM). Moreover, these studies have shown that the heterovalent display of glycans (5) allows the interaction with both lectins (IC50 of 10 nM) despite the presence of unspecific moieties, and even with similar efficiency for LecB. These results demonstrate the potential of multivalent and multispecific neoGPs as a promising strategy to fight against resistant pathogens.

Toward an Orthogonal Protein Lysine Acylation and Deacylation System

Lysine acetylation is one of the most basic molecular mechanisms to mediate protein functions in living organisms, and its abnormal regulation has been linked to many diseases. The drug development associated to this process is of great significance but severely hindered by the complex interplay of lysine acetylation and deacetylation in thousands of proteins, and we reasoned that targeting a specific protein acetylation or deacetylation event instead of the related enzymes should be a feasible solution to this issue. Toward this goal, we devised an orthogonal lysine acylation and deacylation (OKAD) system, which potentially could precisely dissect the biological consequence of an individual acetylation or deacetylation event in living cells. The system includes a genetically encoded acylated lysine (PhOAcK) that is not a substrate of endogenous deacetylases, and an evolved sirtuin (CobB2/CobB3) that displays PhOAcK deacylase activities as well as reduced deacetylase activities. We believe the strategy introduced here holds potential for future in-depth biological applications.

Fast and Efficient Postsynthetic DNA Labeling in Cells by Means of Strain-Promoted Sydnone-Alkyne Cycloadditions

Sydnones are highly stable mesoionic 1,3-dipoles that react with cyclooctynes through strain-promoted sydnone-alkyne cycloaddition (SPSAC). Although sydnones have been shown to be valuable bioorthogonal chemical reporters for the labeling of proteins and complex glycans, nucleic acids have not yet been tagged by SPSAC. Evaluation of SPSAC kinetics with model substrates showed fast reactions with cyclooctyne probes (up to k=0.59 M-1  s-1 ), and two different sydnones were effectively incorporated into both 2'-deoxyuridines at position 5, and 7-deaza-2'-deoxyadenosines at position 7. These modified nucleosides were synthetically incorporated into single-stranded DNAs, which were successfully postsynthetically labeled with cyclooctyne probes both in vitro and in cells. These results show that sydnones are versatile bioorthogonal tags and have the premise to become essential tools for tracking DNA and potentially RNA in living cells.

FRET-Based In-Cell Detection of Highly Selective Supramolecular Complexes of meso-Tetraarylporphyrin with Peptide/BODIPY-Modified Per-O-Methyl-β-Cyclodextrins

Artificial supramolecular systems capable of self-assembly and that precisely function in biological media are in high demand. Herein, we demonstrate a highly specific host-guest-pair system that functions in living cells. A per-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrin derivative (R8-B-CD^Me ) bearing both an octaarginine peptide chain and a BODIPY dye was synthesized as a fluorescent intracellular delivery tool. R8-B-CD^Me was efficiently taken up by HeLa cells through both endocytosis and direct transmembrane pathways. R8-B-CD^Me formed a 2 : 1 inclusion complex with tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (TPPS) as a guest molecule in water, from which fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from R8-B-CD^Me to TPPS was observed. The FRET phenomenon was clearly detected in living cells using confocal microscopy techniques, which revealed that the formed supramolecular R8-B-CD^Me /TPPS complex was maintained within the cells. The R8-B-CD^Me cytotoxicity assay revealed that the addition of TPPS counteracts the strong cytotoxicity (IC₅₀ =16 μM) of the CD cavity due to complexation within the cells. A series of experiments demonstrated the bio-orthogonality of the supramolecular per-O-methyl-β-CD/tetraarylporphyrin host-guest pair in living cells.

From Esters to Ketones via a Photoredox-Assisted Reductive Acyl Cross-Coupling Strategy

A method was developed for ketone synthesis via a photoredox-assisted reductive acyl cross-coupling (PARAC) using a nickel/photoredox dual-catalyzed cross-electrophile coupling of two different carboxylic acid esters. A variety of aryl, 1°, 2°, 3°-alkyl 2-pyridyl esters can act as acyl electrophiles while N-(acyloxy)phthalimides (NHPI esters) act as 1°, 2°, 3°-radical precursors. Our PARAC strategy provides an alternative and reliable way to synthesize various sterically congested 3°-3°, 3°-2°, and aryl-3° ketones under mild and highly unified conditions, which have been otherwise difficult to access. The combined experimental and computational studies identified a Ni⁰ /Ni^I /Ni^III pathway for ketone formation.

Strategies for Covalent Labeling of Long RNAs

The introduction of chemical modifications into long RNA molecules at specific positions for visualization, biophysical investigations, diagnostic and therapeutic applications still remains challenging. In this review, we present recent approaches for covalent internal labeling of long RNAs. Topics included are the assembly of large modified RNAs via enzymatic ligation of short synthetic oligonucleotides and synthetic biology approaches preparing site-specifically modified RNAs via in vitro transcription using an expanded genetic alphabet. Moreover, recent approaches to employ deoxyribozymes (DNAzymes) and ribozymes for RNA labeling and RNA methyltransferase based labeling strategies are presented. We discuss the potentials and limits of the individual methods, their applicability for RNAs with several hundred to thousands of nucleotides in length and indicate future directions in the field.

Exporting Metal-Carbene Chemistry to Live Mammalian Cells: Copper-Catalyzed Intracellular Synthesis of Quinoxalines Enabled by N-H Carbene Insertions

Implementing catalytic organometallic transformations in living settings can offer unprecedented opportunities in chemical biology and medicine. Unfortunately, the number of biocompatible reactions so far discovered is very limited, and essentially restricted to uncaging processes. Here, we demonstrate the viability of performing metal carbene transfer reactions in live mammalian cells. In particular, we show that copper (II) catalysts can promote the intracellular annulation of alpha-keto diazocarbenes with ortho-amino arylamines, in a process that is initiated by an N-H carbene insertion. The potential of this transformation is underscored by the in cellulo synthesis of a product that alters mitochondrial functions, and by demonstrating cell selective biological responses using targeted copper catalysts. Considering the wide reactivity spectrum of metal carbenes, this work opens the door to significantly expanding the repertoire of life-compatible abiotic reactions.

Fluorosulfuryl Isocyanate Enabled SuFEx Ligation of Alcohols and Amines

Fluorosulfuryl isocyanate (FSI, FSO2 NCO) is established as a reliable bis-electrophilic linker for stepwise attachment of an alcohol bearing module to an amine bearing module and thence a new module RO-C(=O)-NH-SO2 -NR'R'' is created. FSI's isocyanate motif fuses directly and quickly with alcohols and phenols, affording fluorosulfuryl carbamates in nearly quantitative yield. A new reagent and process to deliver the FSI-derived fluorosulfuryl carbamate fragment to amines are also developed. The resulting SVI -F motifs from step-1 are remarkably stable, given the great structural complexities in diverse products. In the step-2 reaction with amines, the best yield of the S-N linked products arise with water alone. This "on water" interfacial reactivity phenomenon is crucial, revealing the latent reactivity of SVI -F probe for potential covalent capture of proteins in vivo which is important in today's drug discovery. The scope of the SuFEx chemistry is largely expanded thereby and the facile entry to these phosphate-like connections should prove useful to click chemistry across diverse fields.

An Advanced 'clickECM' That Can be Modified by the Inverse-Electron-Demand Diels-Alder Reaction

The extracellular matrix (ECM) represents the natural environment of cells in tissue and therefore is a promising biomaterial in a variety of applications. Depending on the purpose, it is necessary to equip the ECM with specific addressable functional groups for further modification with bioactive molecules, for controllable cross-linking and/or covalent binding to surfaces. Metabolic glycoengineering (MGE) enables the specific modification of the ECM with such functional groups without affecting the native structure of the ECM. In a previous approach (S. M. Ruff, S. Keller, D. E. Wieland, V. Wittmann, G. E. M. Tovar, M. Bach, P. J. Kluger, Acta Biomater. 2017, 52, 159-170), we demonstrated the modification of an ECM with azido groups, which can be addressed by bioorthogonal copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). Here, we demonstrate the modification of an ECM with dienophiles (terminal alkenes, cyclopropene), which can be addressed by an inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder (IEDDA) reaction. This reaction is cell friendly as there are no cytotoxic catalysts needed. We show the equipment of the ECM with a bioactive molecule (enzyme) and prove that the functional groups do not influence cellular behavior. Thus, this new material has great potential for use as a biomaterial, which can be individually modified in a wide range of applications.