Total synthesis of (-)-spirangien A, an antimitotic polyketide isolated from the myxobacterium Sorangium cellulosum

Studies on Streptomyces sp. SN-593: reveromycin biosynthesis, β-carboline biomediator activating LuxR family regulator, and construction of terpenoid biosynthetic platform

Streptomyces represents an important reservoir for biologically active natural products. Understanding the biosynthetic mechanism and the mode of gene expression is important for enhanced metabolite production and evaluation of biological activities. This review provides an overview of biosynthetic studies investigating reveromycin and β-carboline biomediators that enhanced the production of reveromycin in Streptomyces sp. SN-593 through activation of the LuxR family regulator. Furthermore, based on the optimal expression of a pathway specific regulator controlling the mevalonate pathway gene cluster, Streptomyces sp. SN-593 was developed as a platform for terpenoid compounds mass production.

Chemistry and biology of spiroacetals from myxobacteria

This review details the isolation, biosynthesis, biological activity and synthesis of spiroacetals from the myxobacterium Sorangium cellulosum. The strategies utilised to access the challenging structures and stereochemistry of these natural products are highlighted.

Synthesis of Symmetrical and Nonsymmetrical Polyenes by Iterative and Bidirectional Palladium-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions

Bifunctional unsaturated reagents designed to undergo palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions with complementary polyenyl connective fragments are highly useful for the undoubtedly challenging synthesis of polyenes. The current toolkit of building blocks for the bidirectional formation of Csp² -Csp² single bonds of polyenes includes homo-bisfunctionalized reagents with equal or unequal reactivity (due to steric and/or electronic factors), and hetero-bisfunctionalized counterparts containing either two different nucleophiles, two electrophiles or one of these functionalities and a latent nucleophile that can be unmasked when desired. The combination of these bifunctional linchpin reagents using tactics that modulate the reactivity of each terminus in order to achieve the required connection have streamlined the synthesis of polyenes of great complexity using (iterative) cross-coupling methods for Csp² -Csp² bond formation. Reaction conditions for the Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions are mild and functional-group-tolerant, and therefore these protocols allow to construct the polyene structures using shorter unsaturated reactants with the desired geometries, since in general the products preserve the stereochemical information of the connected cross-coupling partners.

Natural products chemistry: The emerging trends and prospective goals

The role and contributions of natural products chemistry in advancements of the physical and biological sciences, its interdisciplinary domains, and emerging of new avenues by providing novel applications, constructive inputs, thrust, comprehensive understanding, broad perspective, and a new vision for future is outlined. The developmental prospects in bio-medical, health, nutrition, and other interrelated sciences along with some of the emerging trends in the subject area are also discussed as part of the current review of the basic and core developments, innovation in techniques, advances in methodology, and possible applications with their effects on the sciences in general and natural products chemistry in particular. The overview of the progress and ongoing developments in broader areas of the natural products chemistry discipline, its role and concurrent economic and scientific implications, contemporary objectives, future prospects as well as impending goals are also outlined. A look at the natural products chemistry in providing scientific progress in various disciplines is deliberated upon.

Synthetic studies toward the brasilinolides: controlled assembly of a protected C1–C38 polyol based on fragment union by complex aldol reactions

A modular strategy for the synthesis of the immunosuppressant macrolide brasilinolide A was adopted based on coupling suitable northern and southern fragments.

Accelerating spirocyclic polyketide synthesis using flow chemistry

Over the past decade, the integration of synthetic chemistry with flow processing has resulted in a powerful platform for molecular assembly that is making an impact throughout the chemical community. Herein, we demonstrate the extension of these tools to encompass complex natural product synthesis. We have developed a number of novel flow-through processes for reactions commonly encountered in natural product synthesis programs to achieve the first total synthesis of spirodienal A and the preparation of spirangien A methyl ester. Highlights of the synthetic route include an iridium-catalyzed hydrogenation, iterative Roush crotylations, gold-catalyzed spiroketalization and a late-stage cis-selective reduction.

Direct asymmetric syntheses of chiral aldehydes and ketones via N-acyl chiral auxiliary derivatives including chiral Weinreb amide equivalents

This article covers N-acyl chiral auxiliary-based approaches to the asymmetric synthesis of enantiopure aldehydes and ketones. The use of diastereoisomerically pure N-acyl derivatives of chiral auxiliaries (including chiral Weinreb amide equivalents) and their conversion to the corresponding enantiopure aldehydes and ketones in a single synthetic operation by treatment with a hydride reducing agent or an organometallic reagent, respectively, are highlighted.

The impact of the Mukaiyama aldol reaction in total synthesis

Four decades since Mukaiyama's first reports on the successful application of silicon and boron enolates in directed aldol reactions, the ability of this highly controlled carbon-carbon bond-forming method to simultaneously define stereochemistry, introduce complexity, and construct the carbon skeleton with a characteristic 1,3-oxygenation pattern has made it a powerful tool for natural product synthesis. This Minireview highlights a number of representative total syntheses that demonstrate the impact of the Mukaiyama aldol reaction and discusses the underlying mechanistic rationale that determines the stereochemical outcomes.

Amphidinolide B: total synthesis, structural investigation, and biological evaluation

The total syntheses of amphidinolide B1 and the proposed structure of amphidinolide B2 have been accomplished. Key aspects of this work include the development of a practical, non-transition-metal-mediated method for the construction of the C13-C15 diene, the identification of α-chelation and dipole minimization models for diastereoselective methyl ketone aldol reactions, the discovery of a spontaneous Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons macrocyclization strategy, and the development of a novel late stage method for construction of an allylic epoxide moiety. The originally proposed structure for amphidinolide B2 and diastereomers thereof display potent antitumor activities with IC50 values ranging from 3.3 to 94.5 nM against human solid and blood tumor cells. Of the different stereoisomers, the proposed structure of amphidinolide B2 is over 12-fold more potent than the C8,9-epimer and C18-epimer in human DU145 prostate cancer cells. These data suggest that the epoxide stereochemistry is a significant factor for anticancer activity.

Reveromycin A biosynthesis uses RevG and RevJ for stereospecific spiroacetal formation

Spiroacetal compounds are ubiquitous in nature, and their stereospecific structures are responsible for diverse pharmaceutical activities. Elucidation of the biosynthetic mechanisms that are involved in spiroacetal formation will open the door to efficient generation of stereospecific structures that are otherwise hard to synthesize chemically. However, the biosynthesis of these compounds is poorly understood, owing to difficulties in identifying the responsible enzymes and analyzing unstable intermediates. Here we comprehensively describe the spiroacetal formation involved in the biosynthesis of reveromycin A, which inhibits bone resorption and bone metastases of tumor cells by inducing apoptosis in osteoclasts. We performed gene disruption, systematic metabolite analysis, feeding of labeled precursors and conversion studies with recombinant enzymes. We identified two key enzymes, dihydroxy ketone synthase and spiroacetal synthase, and showed in vitro reconstruction of the stereospecific spiroacetal structure from a stable acyclic precursor. Our findings provide insights into the creation of a variety of biologically active spiroacetal compounds for drug leads.

Synthesis of the C15-C35 northern hemisphere subunit of the chivosazoles

An advanced C15-C35 subunit of the chivosazole polyene macrolides was prepared in a convergent manner, exploiting boron-mediated aldol reactions for the stereocontrolled construction of the C15-C26 and C27-C35 segments, followed by their Pd/Cu-promoted Stille coupling to configure the signature (23E,25E,27Z)-triene motif. Correlation with a known C28-C35 degradation fragment of chivosazole A was also achieved.