DFT Study on the Biosynthesis of Asperterpenol and Preasperterpenoid Sesterterpenoids: Exclusion of Secondary Carbocation Intermediates and Origin of Structural Diversification

Marine natural products

Covering: January to the end of December 2022This review covers the literature published in 2022 for marine natural products (MNPs), with 645 citations (633 for the period January to December 2022) referring to compounds isolated from marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, green, brown and red algae, sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, molluscs, tunicates, echinoderms, the submerged parts of mangroves and other intertidal plants. The emphasis is on new compounds (1417 in 384 papers for 2022), together with the relevant biological activities, source organisms and country of origin. Pertinent reviews, biosynthetic studies, first syntheses, and syntheses that led to the revision of structures or stereochemistries, have been included. An analysis of NP structure class diversity in relation to biota source and biome is discussed.

Theoretical Study of Natural Product Biosynthesis Using Computational Chemistry

The biosynthetic pathways of natural products are complicated, and it is difficult to fully elucidate their details using experimental chemistry alone. In recent years, efforts have been made to elucidate the biosynthetic reaction mechanisms by combining computational and experimental methods. In this review, we will discuss the biosynthetic studies using computational chemistry for various terpene compounds such as cyclooctatin, sesterfisherol, quiannulatene, trichobrasilenol, asperterpenol, preasperterpenoid, spiroviolene, and mangicol.

Subrutilane-A Hexacyclic Sesterterpene from Streptomyces subrutilus

Mining of a terpene synthase from Streptomyces subrutilus resulted in the identification of the hexacyclic sesterterpene subrutilane, besides eight pentacyclic side products. Subrutilane represents the first case of a saturated sesterterpene hydrocarbon. Its structure, including the absolute configuration, was unambiguously determined through X-ray crystallographic analysis and stereoselective deuteration. The cyclisation mechanism to subrutilane and its side products was investigated in all detail by isotopic labelling experiments and DFT calculations. The subrutilane synthase (SrS) also converted (2Z)-GFPP into one major product. Additional compounds were obtained from the substrate analogues (7R)-6,7-dihydro-GFPP and (2Z,7R)-6,7-dihydro-GFPP with blocked reactivity at the C6-C7 bond. Interestingly, the early steps of the cyclisation cascade with (2Z)-GFPP and the saturated substrate analogues were analogous to those of GFPP, but then deviations from the natural cyclisation mode occur.

Revision of the Peniroquesine Biosynthetic Pathway by Retro-Biosynthetic Theoretical Analysis: Ring Strain Controls the Unique Carbocation Rearrangement Cascade

Peniroquesine, a sesterterpenoid featuring a unique 5/6/5/6/5 fused pentacyclic ring system, has been known for a long time, but its biosynthetic pathway/mechanism remains elusive. Based on isotopic labeling experiments, a plausible biosynthetic pathway to peniroquesines A-C and their derivatives was recently proposed, in which the characteristic peniroquesine-type 5/6/5/6/5 pentacyclic skeleton is synthesized from geranyl-farnesyl pyrophosphate (GFPP) via a complex concerted A/B/C-ring formation, repeated reverse-Wagner-Meerwein alkyl shifts, three successive secondary (2°) carbocation intermediates, and a highly distorted trans-fused bicyclo[4.2.1]nonane intermediate. However, our density functional theory calculations do not support this mechanism. By applying a retro-biosynthetic theoretical analysis strategy, we were able to find a preferred pathway for peniroquesine biosynthesis, involving a multistep carbocation cascade including triple skeletal rearrangements, trans-cis isomerization, and 1,3-H shift. This pathway/mechanism is in good agreement with all of the reported isotope-labeling results.

Cyclopropylcarbinyl-to-Homoallyl Carbocation Equilibria Influence the Stereospecificity in the Nucleophilic Substitution of Cyclopropylcarbinols

The synthesis of quaternary homoallylic halides and trichloroacetates from cyclopropylcarbinols, as reported by Marek (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 5543-5548), is one of the few reported examples of stereospecific nucleophilic substitution involving chiral bridged carbocations. However, for the phenyl-substituted substrates, poor specificity is observed and mixtures of diastereomers are obtained. To understand the nature of the intermediates involved and explain the loss of specificity for certain substrates, we have performed a computational investigation of the reaction mechanism using ωB97X-D optimizations and DLPNO-CCSD(T) energy refinements. Our results indicate that cyclopropylcarbinyl cations are stable intermediates in this reaction, while bicyclobutonium structures are high-energy transition structures that are not involved. Instead, multiple rearrangement pathways of cyclopropylcarbinyl cations were located, including ring openings to homoallylic cations. The activation barriers required to reach such structures are correlated to the nature of the substituents; while direct nucleophilic attack on the chiral cyclopropylcarbinyl cations is kinetically favored for most systems, the rearrangements become competitive with nucleophilic attack for the phenyl-substituted systems, leading to a loss of specificity through rearranged carbocation intermediates. As such, stereospecific reactions of chiral cyclopropylcarbinyl cations depend on the energies required to access their corresponding homoallylic structures, from which selectivity is not guaranteed.

Concertedness and Activation Energy Control by Distal Methyl Group during Ring Contraction/Expansion in Scalarane-Type Sesterterpenoid Biosynthesis

Salmahyritisol A, similan A, and hippospongide A, which are scalarane-type sesterterpenoids, feature 6/6/5/7/5 pentacyclic skeletons. Although their biosyntheses have been previously proposed to involve a unique skeletal rearrangement reaction, the detailed reaction mechanism remains unclear as none of the corresponding biosynthetic enzymes for this reaction have been reported. Herein, this skeletal rearrangement reaction was investigated using computational techniques, which revealed the following four key features: (i) the distal 24-Me substituent controls both the concertedness and activation energy of this transformation, (ii) enzymes are not responsible for the observed regioselectivity of C12-C20 bond formation, (iii) stereoselectivity is enzyme-regulated, and (iv) protonation is a key step in this skeletal rearrangement process. These new findings provide insight into the C-ring-contraction and D-ring-expansion mechanisms in scalarane-type sesterterpenoid biosyntheses.

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of Dysiherbols A, C, and D

Herein, we report the enantioselective total synthesis of dysiherbols A, C, and D, a unique group of 6/6/5/6/6 pentacyclic quinone/hydroquinone sesquiterpenes, featuring a photo-induced quinone-alkene [2 + 2] cycloaddition and a tandem [1,2]-anionic rearrangement/cyclopropane fragmentation as key elements. Based on our total synthesis, the originally proposed structures of dysiherbols C and D have been revised. Detailed computational studies were carried out to gain deep insight into the unprecedented [1,2]-anionic rearrangement, which revealed that the transformation, albeit a symmetry-forbidden process, proceeded through a concerted manner owing to the release of high ring-strain energy and the evolution of local aromaticity in the transition state. Taking all, the present work offers a mechanistically interesting and synthetically useful approach to accessing dysiherbols and related congeners.