Exploiting the CNC side chain in heterocyclic rearrangements: synthesis of 4(5)-acylamino-imidazoles

An Alkyne-Isocyanide Cycloaddition/Boulton-Katritzky Rearrangement/Ring Expansion Reaction: Access to 9-Deazaguanines

An alkyne-isocyanide [3 + 2] cycloaddition followed by a Boulton-Katritzky rearrangement and a ring expansion is demonstrated. Different from the typical Boulton-Katritzky rearrangement, which forms five-membered ring products, the rearrangement-ring expansion method provides a mild, efficient, and atom-economical access to fused 9-deazaguanine structures in high yields.

Base-Promoted Tandem SNAr/Boulton-Katritzky Rearrangement: Access to [1,2,4]Triazolo[1,5-a]pyridines

A base-promoted tandem S_NAr/Boulton-Katritzky rearrangement is developed. It offers a simple and straightforward method for the formation of functionalized [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridines from 1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-amines or 3-aminoisoxazoles with 2-fluoropyridines.

Tandem C-N Coupling/Boulton-Katritzky Rearrangement Reactions of 3-Aminoisoxazoles or 1,2,4-Oxadiazol-3-amines with 2-Pyridyl Trifluoromethanesulfonate: A Rapid Access to [1,2,4]Triazolo[1,5-a]pyridines

An efficient and convenient synthesis of functionalized [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridines derivates is presented. The protocol is through a palladium catalyzed tandem C-N coupling/Boulton-Katritzky rearrangement process from 3-aminoisoxazoles or 1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-amines with 2-pyridyl trifluoromethanesulfonate....

Two-Dimensional Barriers for Probing Conformational Shifts in Macrocycles

We describe the development and use of composite two-dimensional barriers in macrocyclic backbones. These tunable constructs derive their mode of action from heterocyclic rearrangements. The Boulton-Katritzky reaction has been identified as a particularly versatile means to effect a composite barrier, allowing the examination of the influence of heterocycle translocation on conformation. Kinetic studies using ¹H NMR have revealed that the in-plane atom movement is fast in 17, 18, 19-membered rings but slows down in 16-membered rings. The analysis by NMR and MD simulation experiments is consistent with the maintenance of rare cis-amide motifs during conformational interconversion. Taken together, our investigation demonstrates that heterocyclic rearrangement reactions can be used to control macrocyclic backbones and provides fundamental insights that may be applicable to the development of a wide range of other conformational control elements.

One-Step Synthesis of 2,5-Diaminoimidazoles and Total Synthesis of Methylglyoxal-Derived Imidazolium Crosslink (MODIC)

Here we describe a general method for the synthesis of 2,5-diaminoimidazoles, which involves a thermal reaction between α-aminoketones and substituted guanylhydrazines without the need for additives. As one of the few known ways to access the 2,5-diaminoimidazole motif, our method greatly expands the number of reported diaminoimidazoles and further supports our previous observations that these compounds spontaneously adopt the non-aromatic 4(H) tautomer. The reaction works successfully on both cyclic and acyclic amino ketone starting materials, as well as a range of substituted guanylhydrazines. Following optimization, the method was applied to the efficient synthesis of the advanced glycation end product (AGE) methylglyoxal-derived imidazolium crosslink (MODIC). We expect that this method will enable rapid access to a variety of biologically important 2,5-diaminoimidazole-containing products.

Stereospecific Synthesis of ( E)-5-Tetrasubstituted-ylidene-3,5-dihydro-4 H-imidazol-4-ones

A stereospecific synthesis of ( E)-5-tetrasubstituted-ylidene-3,5-dihydro-4 H-imidazol-4-one derivatives is demonstrated through a cascade process by combination of a Michael addition and Boulton-Katritzky rearrangement. The method provides a simple and efficient approach for the synthesis of ( E)-5-tetrasubstituted-ylidene-3,5-dihydro-4 H-imidazol-4-ones from the reactions of N-(isoxazol-3-yl)-propiolamides or N-(1,2,4-oxadiazo-3-yl) propiolamides with N or C nucleophiles.

Isoxazole to oxazole: a mild and unexpected transformation

3-Aryltetrahydrobenzisoxazoles undergo a remarkable base-mediated rearrangement to 2-aryltetrahydrobenzoxazoles. The scope of this facile transformation was probed and a mechanism proposed.

Toward a rationale for the PTC124 (Ataluren) promoted readthrough of premature stop codons: a computational approach and GFP-reporter cell-based assay

The presence in the mRNA of premature stop codons (PTCs) results in protein truncation responsible for several inherited (genetic) diseases. A well-known example of these diseases is cystic fibrosis (CF), where approximately 10% (worldwide) of patients have nonsense mutations in the CF transmembrane regulator (CFTR) gene. PTC124 (3-(5-(2-fluorophenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl)-benzoic acid), also known as Ataluren, is a small molecule that has been suggested to allow PTC readthrough even though its target has yet to be identified. In the lack of a general consensus about its mechanism of action, we experimentally tested the ability of PTC124 to promote the readthrough of premature termination codons by using a new reporter. The reporter vector was based on a plasmid harboring the H2B histone coding sequence fused in frame with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) cDNA, and a TGA stop codon was introduced in the H2B-GFP gene by site-directed mutagenesis. Additionally, an unprecedented computational study on the putative supramolecular interaction between PTC124 and an 11-codon (33-nucleotides) sequence corresponding to a CFTR mRNA fragment containing a central UGA nonsense mutation showed a specific interaction between PTC124 and the UGA codon. Altogether, the H2B-GFP-opal based assay and the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation support the hypothesis that PTC124 is able to promote the specific readthrough of internal TGA premature stop codons.

Synthesis of tetrasubstituted 4,4'-biimidazoles

Highly substituted 4,4'-biimidazoles were synthesized, in good to excellent yields, through a multicomponent imidazole ring synthesis by using imidazol-4-yl-ethane-1,2-diones as starting materials. The obtained compounds were preliminarily tested as chromogenic and fluorescent sensors for heavy metals.