Relative and absolute configurations of ganefromycin alpha

Discovery of Kirromycins with Anti- Wolbachia Activity from Streptomyces sp. CB00686

Lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis diseases caused by filarial parasite infections can lead to profound disability and affect millions of people worldwide. Standard mass drug administration campaigns require repetitive delivery of anthelmintics for years to temporarily block parasite transmission but do not cure infection because long-lived adult worms survive the treatment. Depletion of the endosymbiont Wolbachia, present in most filarial nematode species, results in death of adult worms and therefore represents a promising target for the treatment of filariasis. Here, we used a high-content imaging assay to screen the pure compounds collection of the natural products library at The Scripps Research Institute for anti- Wolbachia activity, leading to the identification of kirromycin B (1) as a lead candidate. Two additional congeners, kirromycin (2) and kirromycin C (3), were isolated and characterized from the same producing strain Streptomyces sp. CB00686. All three kirromycin congeners depleted Wolbachia in LDW1 Drosophila cells in vitro with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀) in nanomolar range, while doxycycline, a registered drug with anti- Wolbachia activity, showed lower activity with an IC₅₀ of 152 ± 55 nM. Furthermore, 1-3 eliminated the Wolbachia endosymbiont in Brugia pahangi ovaries ex vivo with higher efficiency (65%-90%) at 1 μM than that of doxycycline (50%). No cytotoxicity against HEK293T and HepG2 mammalian cells was observed with 1-3 at the highest concentration (40 μM) used in the assay. These results suggest kirromycin is an effective lead scaffold, further exploration of which could potentially lead to the development of novel treatments for filarial nematode infections.

Biosynthesis of polyketides by trans-AT polyketide synthases

This review discusses the biosynthesis of natural products that are generated bytrans-AT polyketide synthases, a family of catalytically versatile enzymes that represents one of the major group of proteins involved in the production of bioactive polyketides.

Phenelfamycins G and H, new elfamycin-type antibiotics produced by Streptomyces albospinus Acta 3619

Phenelfamycins G and H are new members of the family of elfamycin antibiotics with the basic structure of phenelfamycins E and F, respectively, which are also well known as ganefromycins α and β. Phenelfamycins G and H differ from phenelfamycins E and F by an additional hydroxy group at position C-30, which is not described so far for any of the elfamycin-type antibiotics. The actinomycete strain that produced phenelfamycins G and H was identified to be Streptomyces albospinus based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence. Phenelfamycins G and H exhibit a narrow antibacterial spectrum with a pronounced inhibitory activity against Propionibacterium acnes.

Biosynthesis of polyketides by trans-AT polyketide synthases

This review discusses the biosynthesis of natural products that are generated by trans-AT polyketide synthases, a family of catalytically versatile enzymes that have recently been recognized as one of the major group of proteins involved in the production of bioactive polyketides. 436 references are cited.

Diastereoselective conjugate additions to pi-allylmolybdenum complexes: a stereocontrolled route to 3,4,5-trisubstituted gamma-butyrolactones

[reaction: see text] pi-Allylmolybdenum complex 6b is obtained as a single isomer by Knoevenagel condensation of aldehyde 1 with Meldrum's acid. Conjugate additions of Grignard reagents to Meldrum's acid alkylidene derivative 6b are shown to be completely diastereoselective. Further functional group transformation of the 1,4-adducts, followed by demetalation, leads to trisubstituted tetrahydrofurans and gamma-butyrolactones. Whereas the synthesis of tetrahydrofurans (X = 2H) is not completely stereoselective, the gamma-butyrolactones (X = O) are obtained with good to excellent diastereoselectivities.

Photochromic atropisomer generation and conformation determination in a ruthenium bis(bipyridine) phosphonite gamma-cyclodextrin system

Irradiation of rac-[Ru(bpy)(2)(PhP(OMe)(2))(Cl)]Cl (2) at lambda > 460 nm results in the photochromic generation of a new atropisomer and chirality inversion, via rotation of the PhP(OMe)(2) moiety around the Ru-P bond. However, since the energetic barrier to rotation is low resulting in racemization, it was found that the formation of a supramolecular complex between 2 and gamma-cyclodextrin (gamma-CDx) facilitated the stabilization of the new atropisomeric conformation. On irradiation the bisignate signals in the circular dichroism spectrum of the 2:gamma-CDx complex were converted to an entirely new and distinct circular dichroism spectrum, as a result of a different spatial orientation of the phenyl electronic transition in the PhP(OMe)(2) moiety (the active circular dichroism spectra were found to arise from different g factor values of the Delta-2:gamma-CDx and Lambda-2:gamma-CDx complexes). The new atropisomer formation and subsequent thermally induced interconversion could be further detected by conventional and variable temperature (1)H NMR studies. Determination of the conformation of the new atropisomer was achieved by combining analysis of the changes in the circular dichroism spectra by exciton coupling theory with molecular modeling and DFT calculations.

Stereocontrolled construction of tetrahydrofurans and gamma-butyrolactones using organomolybdenum chemistry

[reaction: see text]. Diastereoselective conversion of pi-allylmolybdenum complex aldehyde 1 to organometallic triol 4 and diols 5, 10, and 13 is described. Stereocontrolled demetalation of 4, 5, and 13 was accomplished, leading to hydroxylated tetrahydrofurans and gamma-butyrolactones, as single diastereoisomers.