Synthesis of pyridozine by diels-alder reactions with 4-methyl-5-alkoxy oxazoles

Engineering and finetuning expression of SerC for balanced metabolic flux in vitamin B6 production

Vitamin B6 plays a crucial role in cellular metabolism and stress response, making it an essential component for growth in all known organisms. However, achieving efficient biosynthesis of vitamin B6 faces the challenge of maintaining a balanced distribution of metabolic flux between growth and production. In this study, our focus is on addressing this challenge through the engineering of phosphoserine aminotransferase (SerC) to resolve its redundancy and promiscuity. The enzyme SerC was semi-designed and screened based on sequences and predicted kcat values, respectively. Mutants and heterologous proteins showing potential were then fine-tuned to optimize the production of vitamin B6. The resulting strain enhances the production of vitamin B6, indicating that different fluxes are distributed to the biosynthesis pathway of serine and vitamin B6. This study presents a promising strategy to address the challenge posed by multifunctional enzymes, with significant implications for enhancing biochemical production through engineering processes.

Mild and Convenient Method for Reduction of Aliphatic and Aromatic Carboxylic Acids and Anhydrides with (Pyridine)(Tetrahydroborato)Zinc Complex as a New Stable Ligand-Metal Tetrahydroborate Agent

Structurally different aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic acids and anhydrides are efficiently reduced to their corresponding alcohols with a new modified zinc tetrahydroborate agent, (pyridine)(tetrahydroborato)zinc complex, [(Py)Zn(BH4)2], in refluxing THF.

Synthesis of [13C₃]-B6 Vitamers Labelled at Three Consecutive Positions Starting from [13C₃]-Propionic Acid

[¹³C₃]-labelled vitamers (PN, PL and PM) of the B6 group were prepared starting from [¹³C₃]-propionic acid. [¹³C₃]-PN was synthesized in ten linear steps with an overall yield of 17%. Hereby, higher alkyl homologues of involved esters showed a positive impact on the reaction outcome of the intermediates in the chosen synthetic route. Oxidation of [¹³C₃]-PN to [¹³C₃]-PL was undertaken using potassium permanganate and methylamine followed by acid hydrolysis of the imine derivative. [¹³C₃]-PM could be prepared from the oxime derivative of [¹³C₃]-PN by hydrogenation with palladium.

Continuous multistep synthesis of 2-(azidomethyl)oxazoles

An efficient three-step protocol was developed to produce 2-(azidomethyl)oxazoles from vinyl azides in a continuous-flow process. The general synthetic strategy involves a thermolysis of vinyl azides to generate azirines, which react with bromoacetyl bromide to provide 2-(bromomethyl)oxazoles. The latter compounds are versatile building blocks for nucleophilic displacement reactions as demonstrated by their subsequent treatment with NaN₃ in aqueous medium to give azido oxazoles in good selectivity. Process integration enabled the synthesis of this useful moiety in short overall residence times (7 to 9 min) and in good overall yields.

The Kondrat'eva reaction in flow: direct access to annulated pyridines

A continuous flow inverse-electron-demand Kondrat'eva reaction has been developed that provides direct access to cycloalka[c]pyridines from unactivated oxazoles and cycloalkenes. Annulated pyridines obtained by this one-step process are valuable scaffolds for medicinal chemistry.

Exploiting the divergent reactivity of α-isocyanoacetate: multicomponent synthesis of 5-alkoxyoxazoles and related heterocycles

A novel multicomponent synthesis of 5-alkoxyoxazoles, based on a new reactivity profile of α-isocyanoacetates, is described. Thus, simply heating a solution of amine, aldehyde, and α-(EWG-phenyl)-α-isocyanoacetate or α-(4-pyridyl)-α-isocyanoacetate (EWG=electron-withdrawing group) in toluene provided 5-alkoxyoxazoles in good to excellent yields. Reaction of the 5-alkoxyoxazoles with various α,β-unsaturated acyl chlorides led to the formation of epoxytetrahydropyrrolo[3,4-b]pyridin-5-ones by a domino N-acylation/Diels-Alder cycloaddition sequence. Subsequent fragmentation under basic conditions provided 6,7-dihydro-5H-pyrrolo[3,4-b]pyridin-5-ones. A four-component synthesis of the pyridin-5-one compounds, without isolation of the 5-alkoxyoxazole, was subsequently developed.

PLP catabolism: identification of the 2-(Acetamidomethylene)succinate hydrolase gene in Mesorhizobium loti MAFF303099

The function of the mlr6787 gene from Mesorhizobium loti MAFF303099 has been identified. This gene encodes 2-(acetamidomethylene)succinate hydrolase, an enzyme involved in the catabolism of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (vitamin B 6). This enzyme was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified to homogeneity, and characterized. 2-(Acetamidomethylene)succinate hydrolase catalyzes the hydrolysis of 2-(acetamidomethylene)succinate to yield succinic semialdehyde, acetic acid, carbon dioxide, and ammonia. The k cat and K M for this reaction were 0.6 s (-1) and 143 microM, respectively. The enzyme was shown to utilize the E isomer of 2-(acetamidomethylene)succinate.

Silane Reduction of 5-Hydroxy-6-methyl-pyridine-3,4-dicarboxylic Acid Diethyl Ester: Synthesis of Vitamin B6

Alternative methods for the synthesis of pyridoxine have been investigated. The key intermediate, 5-hydroxy-6-methyl-pyridine-3,4-dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester (5), was reduced with either a silane monomer (MeSiH(OEt)₂) or a polysiloxane (polymethylhydrosiloxane, PMHS) to afford crude pyridoxine. An isolation technique utilizing a commercially available resin was devised, affording the desired product, vitamin B₆, in an overall yield of 38-54 % and a purity of 76%.

Ammonium chloride-promoted four-component synthesis of pyrrolo[3,4-b]pyridin-5-one

A novel multicomponent synthesis of 5-aminooxazole starting from simple and readily available inputs is described. Thus, simply heating a methanol solution of an aldehyde 3, an amine 4, and an alpha-isocyanoacetamide 5 provided the 5-aminooxazole (1) in good to excellent yield. The reaction of 1 with alpha,beta-unsaturated acyl chloride 13 lead to the formation of pyrrolo[3,4-b]pyridin-5-one (2) in a single operation. A triple domino sequence, acylation/IMDA/retro-Michael cycloreversion, is involved in this new scaffold-generating reaction. After the observation that ammonium chloride can significantly accelerate the oxazole formation in toluene, a one-pot four-component synthesis of 2 is developed.