Concise Total Synthesis of (+)-Bionectins A and C

Verticillins: fungal epipolythiodioxopiperazine alkaloids with chemotherapeutic potential

Covering: 1970 through June of 2023Verticillins are epipolythiodioxopiperazine (ETP) alkaloids, many of which possess potent, nanomolar-level cytotoxicity against a variety of cancer cell lines. Over the last decade, their in vivo activity and mode of action have been explored in detail. Notably, recent studies have indicated that these compounds may be selective inhibitors of histone methyltransferases (HMTases) that alter the epigenome and modify targets that play a crucial role in apoptosis, altering immune cell recognition, and generating reactive oxygen species. Verticillin A (1) was the first of 27 analogues reported from fungal cultures since 1970. Subsequent genome sequencing identified the biosynthetic gene cluster responsible for producing verticillins, allowing a putative pathway to be proposed. Further, molecular sequencing played a pivotal role in clarifying the taxonomic characterization of verticillin-producing fungi, suggesting that most producing strains belong to the genus Clonostachys (i.e., Bionectria), Bionectriaceae. Recent studies have explored the total synthesis of these molecules and the generation of analogues via both semisynthetic and precursor-directed biosynthetic approaches. In addition, nanoparticles have been used to deliver these molecules, which, like many natural products, possess challenging solubility profiles. This review summarizes over 50 years of chemical and biological research on this class of fungal metabolites and offers insights and suggestions on future opportunities to push these compounds into pre-clinical and clinical development.

Natural epidithiodiketopiperazine alkaloids as potential anticancer agents: Recent mechanisms of action, structural modification, and synthetic strategies

Cancer has become a grave health crisis that threatens the lives of millions of people worldwide. Because of the drawbacks of the available anticancer drugs, the development of novel and efficient anticancer agents should be encouraged. Epidithiodiketopiperazine (ETP) alkaloids with a 2,5-diketopiperazine (DKP) ring equipped with transannular disulfide or polysulfide bridges or S-methyl moieties constitute a special subclass of fungal natural products. Owing to their privileged sulfur units and intriguing architectural structures, ETP alkaloids exhibit excellent anticancer activities by regulating multiple cancer proteins/signaling pathways, including HIF-1, NF-κB, NOTCH, Wnt, and PI3K/AKT/mTOR, or by inducing cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis, and autophagy. Furthermore, a series of ETP alkaloid derivatives obtained via structural modification showed more potent anticancer activity than natural ETP alkaloids. To solve supply difficulties from natural resources, the total synthetic routes for several ETP alkaloids have been designed. In this review, we summarized several ETP alkaloids with anticancer properties with particular emphasis on their underlying mechanisms of action, structural modifications, and synthetic strategies, which will offer guidance to design and innovate potential anticancer drugs.

Design, Synthesis, and Bioactivities of Novel Tryptophan Derivatives Containing 2,5-Diketopiperazine and Acyl Hydrazine Moieties

Based on the scaffolds widely used in drug design, a series of novel tryptophan derivatives containing 2,5-diketopiperazine and acyl hydrazine moieties have been designed, synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for their biological activities. The bioassay results showed that the target compounds possessed moderate to good antiviral activities against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), among which compounds 4, 9, 14, 19, and 24 showed higher inactivation, curative, and protection activities in vivo than that of ribavirin (39 ± 1, 37 ± 1, 39 ± 1 at 500 mg/L) and comparable to that of ningnanmycin (58 ± 1, 55 ± 1, 57 ± 1% at 500 mg/L). Thus, these compounds are a promising candidate for anti-TMV development. Most of these compounds showed broad-spectrum fungicidal activities against 13 kinds of phytopathogenic fungi and selective fungicidal activities against Alternaria solani, Phytophthora capsica, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Additionally, some of these compounds exhibited larvicidal activities against Tetranychus cinnabarinus, Plutella xylostella, Culex pipiens pallens, Mythimna separata, Helicoverpa armigera, and Pyrausta nubilalis.

Biosynthesis of pyrroloindoline-containing natural products

Covering: up to 2022Pyrroloindoline is a privileged tricyclic indoline motif widely present in many biologically active and medicinally valuable natural products. Thus, understanding the biosynthesis of this molecule is critical for developing convenient synthetic routes, which is highly challenging for its chemical synthesis due to the presence of rich chiral centers in this molecule, especially the fully substituted chiral carbon center at the C3-position of its rigid tricyclic structure. In recent years, progress has been made in elucidating the biosynthetic pathways and enzymatic mechanisms of pyrroloindoline-containing natural products (PiNPs). This article reviews the main advances in the past few decades based on the different substitutions on the C3 position of PiNPs, especially the various key enzymatic mechanisms involved in the biosynthesis of different types of PiNPs.

Natural Products Originated from the Oxidative Coupling of Tyrosine and Tryptophan: Biosynthesis and Bioinspired Synthesis

The oxidative coupling of tyrosine and tryptophan units is a pivotal step in the total synthesis of some peptide-derived marine and terrestrial natural products, such as the diazonamides, azonazine and tryptorubin A. This Minireview details the biosynthesis and bioinspired synthesis of natural products with such structures. A special focus is put on the challenges of the synthesis of these natural products and the innovative solutions adopted by synthetic chemists.

n→π* Interactions Modulate the Disulfide Reduction Potential of Epidithiodiketopiperazines

Epithiodiketopiperazines (ETPs) are a structurally complex class of fungal natural products with potent anticancer activity. In ETPs, the diketopiperazine ring is spanned by a disulfide bond that is constrained in a high-energy eclipsed conformation. We employed computational, synthetic, and spectroscopic methods to investigate the physicochemical attributes of this atypical disulfide bond. We find that the disulfide bond is stabilized by two n→π* interactions, each with large energies (3-5 kcal/mol). The n→π* interactions in ETPs make disulfide reduction much more difficult, endowing stability in physiological environments in a manner that could impact their biological activity. These data reveal a previously unappreciated means to stabilize a disulfide bond and highlight the utility of the n→π* interaction in molecular design.

Synthesis of Potent Cytotoxic Epidithiodiketopiperazines Designed for Derivatization

We describe our design, synthesis, and chemical study of a set of functional epidithiodiketopiperazines (ETPs) and evaluation of their activity against five human cancer cell lines. Our structure-activity relationship-guided substitution of ETP alkaloids offers versatile derivatization while maintaining potent anticancer activity, offering exciting opportunity for their use as there are no examples of complex and potently anticancer (nM) ETPs being directly used as conjugatable probes or warheads. Our synthetic solutions to strategically designed ETPs with functional linkers required advances in stereoselective late-stage oxidation and thiolation chemistry in complex settings, including the application of novel reagents for dihydroxylation and cis-sulfidation of diketopiperazines. We demonstrate that complex ETPs equipped with a strategically substituted azide functional group are readily derivatized to the corresponding ETP-triazoles without compromising anticancer activity. Our chemical stability studies of ETPs along with cytotoxic evaluation of our designed ETPs against A549, DU 145, HeLa, HCT 116, and MCF7 human cancer cell lines provide insights into the impact of structural features on potency and chemical stability, informing future utility of ETPs in chemical and biological studies.

Synthetic Studies toward Dimeric Indole Alkaloids Based on Convergent Synthetic Strategy

The total syntheses of dimeric indole alkaloids, haplophytine, and T988s are described. These dimeric compounds comprising two structurally different indole units are ubiquitous in nature, and many possess pharmaceutically important activities. To realize an efficient chemical synthesis of these dimeric indole alkaloids, the establishment of convergent synthetic strategies and development of new coupling methods are indispensable. The linkage of two highly functionalized units at a late stage of the synthesis frequently induces synthetic problems such as chemoselectivity and steric repulsion. Moreover, although transition metal-catalyzed reactions are usually an effective method for the cross-coupling of two units, the application of these cross-coupling reactions to bond formation involving a sterically hindered C(sp³) is often difficult. Thus, even with precise modern synthetic methods, it is currently difficult to realize convergent syntheses of dimeric indole alkaloids possessing a quaternary carbon linking two units. To combat these synthetic problems, we developed a synthetic method to link two indole units using an Ag-mediated nucleophilic substitution reaction. In this review, we provide a detailed discussion of convergent synthetic strategies and coupling methods for dimeric indole alkaloids.

Construction of sulfur-containing moieties in the total synthesis of natural products

This review surveys the total syntheses of sulfur-containing natural products where sulfur atoms are introduced with different sulfurization agents to construct related sulfur-containing moieties.

A Transannular Rearrangement Reaction of a Pyrroloindoline Diketopiperazine

Oxaline, glandicoline, and meleagrin contain a unique triazaspirocyclic structure. Attracted by their biological activities, we attempted a novel strategy, mimicking a proposed biosynthetic pathway for glandicoline B in Penicillium chrysogenum and Penicillium oxalicum and using a transannular rearrangement to the desired triazaspirocycle 15.

A Modular Construction of Epidithiodiketopiperazines

Epidithiodiketopiperazines (ETPs) possess remarkably diverse biological activities and have attracted significant synthetic attention. The preparation of analogues is actively pursued; however, they are structurally challenging, and more direct and modular methods for their synthesis are desirable. To this end, the utility of a bifunctional triketopiperazine building block for the straightforward synthesis of ETPs is reported. A modular strategy consisting of enolate alkylation followed by site-selective nucleophile addition enables the concise synthesis of (±)-hyalodendrin and a range of analogues.

Applications of Friedel-Crafts reactions in total synthesis of natural products

Over the years, Friedel-Crafts (FC) reactions have been acknowledged as the most useful and powerful synthetic tools for the construction of a special kind of carbon-carbon bond involving an aromatic moiety. Its stoichiometric and, more recently, its catalytic procedures have extensively been studied. This reaction in recent years has frequently been used as a key step (steps) in the total synthesis of natural products and targeted complex bioactive molecules. In this review, we try to underscore the applications of intermolecular and intramolecular FC reactions in the total syntheses of natural products and complex molecules, exhibiting diverse biological properties.

Mechanism of Permanganate-Promoted Dihydroxylation of Complex Diketopiperazines: Critical Roles of Counter-cation and Ion-Pairing

The mechanism of permanganate-mediated dual C-H oxidation of complex diketopiperazines has been examined with density functional theory computations. The products of these oxidations are enabling intermediates in the synthesis of structurally diverse ETP natural products. We evaluated, for the first time, the impact of ion-pairing and aggregation states of the permanganate ion and counter-cations, such as bis(pyridine)-silver(I) (Ag⁺) and tetra- n-butylammonium (TBA⁺), on the C-H oxidation mechanism. The C-H abstraction occurs through an open shell singlet species, as noted previously, followed by O-rebound and a competing OH-rebound pathway. The second C-H oxidation proceeds with a second equivalent of oxidant with lower free energy barriers than the first C-H oxidation due to directing effects and the generation of a more reactive oxidant species after the first C-H oxidation. The success and efficiency of the second C-H oxidation are found to be critically dependent on the presence of an ion-paired oxidant. We used the developed mechanistic knowledge to rationalize an experimentally observed oxidation pattern for C³-indole-substituted diketopiperazine (+)-5 under optimal oxidation conditions: namely, the formation of diol (-)-6 as a single diastereomer and lack of the ketone products. We proposed two factors that may impede the ketone formation: (i) the conformational flexibility of the diketopiperazine ring, and (ii) hindrance of this site, making it less accessible to the ion-paired oxidant species.

2-Azaadamantane N-oxyl (AZADO)/Cu Catalysis Enables Chemoselective Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols Containing Electron-Rich Divalent Sulfur Functionalities

The chemoselective oxidation of alcohols containing electron-rich sulfur functionalities (e.g., 1,3-dithianes and sulfides) into their corresponding carbonyl compounds with the sulfur groups can sometimes be a demanding task in modern organic chemistry. A reliable method for this transformation, which features azaadamantane-type nitroxyl radical/copper catalysis using ambient air as the terminal oxidant is reported. The superiority of the developed method was demonstrated by comparing it with various conventional alcohol oxidation methods.

Concise total synthesis of (+)-asperazine A and (+)-pestalazine B

The highly convergent total synthesis of dimeric diketopiperazine alkaloids (+)-asperazine A and (+)-pestalazine B is described. A critical aspect of our expedient route was the development of a directed regio- and diastereoselective C3-N1' coupling of complex tetracyclic diketopiperazine components. This late-stage heterodimerization reaction was made possible by design of tetracyclic diketopiperazines that allow C3-carbocation coupling of the electrophilic component to the N1' locus of the nucleophilic fragment. The application of this new coupling reaction to the first total synthesis of (+)-asperazine A led to our revision of the sign and magnitude of the optical rotation for the reported structure.

Natural products as inspiration for the development of new synthetic methods

Natural products have played an important role in shaping modern synthetic organic chemistry. In particular, their complex molecular skeletons have stimulated the development of many new synthetic methods. We highlight in this article some recent examples of synthetic design inspired by the biosynthesis of natural products.

Concise Synthesis of (-)-Hodgkinsine, (-)-Calycosidine, (-)-Hodgkinsine B, (-)-Quadrigemine C, and (-)-Psycholeine via Convergent and Directed Modular Assembly of Cyclotryptamines

The enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-hodgkinsine, (-)-calycosidine, (-)-hodgkinsine B, (-)-quadrigemine C, and (-)-psycholeine through a diazene-directed assembly of cyclotryptamine fragments is described. Our synthetic strategy enables multiple and directed assembly of intact cyclotryptamine subunits for convergent synthesis of highly complex bis- and tris-diazene intermediates. Photoextrusion of dinitrogen from these intermediates enables completely stereoselective formation of all C3a-C3a' and C3a-C7' carbon-carbon bonds and all the associated quaternary stereogenic centers. In a representative example, photoextrusion of three dinitrogen molecules from an advanced intermediate in a single-step led to completely controlled introduction of four quaternary stereogenic centers and guided the assembly of four cyclotryptamine monomers en route to (-)-quadrigemine C. The synthesis of these complex diazenes was made possible through a new methodology for synthesis of aryl-alkyl diazenes using electronically attenuated hydrazine-nucleophiles for a silver-promoted addition to C3a-bromocyclotryptamines. The application of Rh- and Ir-catalyzed C-H amination reactions in complex settings were used to gain rapid access to C3a- and C7-functionalized cyclotryptamine monomers, respectively, used for diazene synthesis. This convergent and modular assembly of intact cyclotryptamines offers the first solution to access these alkaloids through completely stereoselective union of monomers at challenging linkages and the associated quaternary stereocenters as illustrated in our synthesis of five members of the oligocyclotryptamine family of alkaloids.

Quantitative Modeling of Bis(pyridine)silver(I) Permanganate Oxidation of Hydantoin Derivatives: Guidelines for Predicting the Site of Oxidation in Complex Substrates

The bis(pyridine)silver(I) permanganate promoted hydroxylation of diketopiperazines has served as a pivotal transformation in the synthesis of complex epipolythiodiketopiperazine alkaloids. This late-stage C-H oxidation chemistry is strategically critical to access N-acyl iminium ion intermediates necessary for nucleophilic thiolation of advanced diketopiperazines en route to potent epipolythiodiketopiperazine anticancer compounds. In this study, we develop an informative mathematical model using hydantoin derivatives as a training set of substrates by relating the relative rates of oxidation to various calculated molecular descriptors. The model prioritizes Hammett values and percent buried volume as key contributing factors in the hydantoin series while correctly predicting the experimentally observed oxidation sites in various complex diketopiperazine case studies. Thus, a method is presented by which to use simplified training molecules and resulting correlations to explain and predict reaction behavior for more complex substrates.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Agelastatin Derivatives as Potent Modulators for Cancer Invasion and Metastasis

The synthesis of new agelastatin alkaloid derivatives and their anticancer evaluation in the context of the breast cancer microenvironment is described. A variety of N1-alkyl and C5-ether agelastatin derivatives were accessed via application of our strategy for convergent imidazolone synthesis from a common thioester along with appropriately substituted urea and alcohol components. These agelastatin derivatives were evaluated in our three-dimensional coculture assay for the effects of mammary fibroblasts on associated breast cancer cells. We have discovered that agelastatin alkaloids are potent modulators for cancer invasion and metastasis at noncytotoxic doses. Herein, we discuss the increased potency of (-)-agelastatin E as compared to (-)-agelastatin A in this capacity, in addition to identification of new agelastatin derivatives with activity that is statistically equivalent to (-)-agelastatin E. The chemistry described in this report provides a platform for the rapid synthesis of agelastatin derivatives with excellent potency (50-100 nM) as modulators for cancer invasion and metastasis.

Enantioselective Synthesis of (-)-Acetylapoaranotin

The first enantioselective total synthesis of the epipolythiodiketopiperazine (ETP) natural product (-)-acetylapoaranotin (3) is reported. The concise synthesis was enabled by an eight-step synthesis of a key cyclohexadienol-containing amino ester building block. The absolute stereochemistry of both amino ester building blocks used in the synthesis is set through catalytic asymmetric (1,3)-dipolar cycloaddition reactions. The formal syntheses of (-)-emethallicin E and (-)-haemotocin are also achieved through the preparation of a symmetric cyclohexadienol-containing diketopiperazine.

Concise Total Synthesis of (+)-Asperazine, (+)-Pestalazine A, and (+)-iso-Pestalazine A. Structure Revision of (+)-Pestalazine A

The concise, enantioselective total syntheses of (+)-asperazine (1), (+)-iso-pestalazine A (2), and (+)-pestalazine A (3) have been achieved by the development of a late-stage C3-C8' Friedel-Crafts union of polycyclic diketopiperazines. Our modular strategy enables the union of complex polycyclic diketopiperazines in virtually their final forms, thus providing rapid and highly convergent assembly at the challenging quaternary stereocenter of these dimeric alkaloids. The significance of this carbon-carbon bond formation can be gauged by the manifold constraints that were efficiently overcome, namely the substantial steric crowding at both reactive sites, the nucleophilic addition of C8' over N1' to the C3 carbocation, and the multitude of reactivity posed by the use of complex diketopiperazine fragments in the coupling event. The success of the indoline π-nucleophile that evolved through our studies is notable given the paucity of competing reaction pathways observed in the presence of the highly reactive C3 carbocation generated. This first total synthesis of (+)-pestalazine A also allowed us to revise the molecular structure for this natural alkaloid.

Concise Total Synthesis of (+)-Luteoalbusins A and B

The first total synthesis of (+)-luteoalbusins A and B is described. Highly regio- and diastereoselective chemical transformations in our syntheses include a Friedel-Crafts C3-indole addition to a cyclotryptophan-derived diketopiperazine, a late-stage diketopiperazine dihydroxylation, and a C11-sulfidation sequence, in addition to congener-specific polysulfane synthesis and cyclization to the corresponding epipolythiodiketopiperazine. We also report the cytoxicity of both alkaloids, and closely related derivatives, against A549, HeLa, HCT116, and MCF7 human cancer cell lines.

Biogenetically-inspired total synthesis of epidithiodiketopiperazines and related alkaloids

Natural products chemistry has historically been the prime arena for the discovery of new chemical transformations and the fountain of insights into key biological processes. It remains a fervent incubator of progress in the fields of chemistry and biology and an exchange mediating the flow of ideas between these allied fields of science. It is with this ethos that our group has taken an interest in and pursued the synthesis of a complex family of natural products termed the dimeric epipolythiodiketopiperazine (ETP) alkaloids. We present here an Account of the highly complex target molecules to which we pegged our ambitions, our systematic and relentless efforts toward those goals, the chemistry we developed in their pursuit, and the insight we have gained for their translational potential as potent anticancer molecules. The dimeric ETP alkaloids are fungal metabolites that feature a highly complex molecular architecture comprising a densely functionalized core structure with many stereogenic centers, six of which are fully substituted, and a pair of vicinal quaternary carbon stereocenters, decorated on polycyclic architectures in addition to the unique ETP motif that has been recognized as acid-, base-, and redox-sensitive. A cyclo-dipeptide consisting of an essential tryptophan residue and a highly variable ancillary amino acid lies at the core of these structures; investigation of the transformations that take this simplistic core to the complex alkaloids lies at the heart of our research program. The dimeric epidithiodiketopiperazine alkaloids have largely resisted synthesis on account of their complexity since the 1970s when the founding members of this class, chaetocin A ( Hauser , D. et al. Helv. Chim. Acta 1970 , 53 , 1061 ) and verticillin A ( Katagiri , K. et al. J. Antibiot. 1970 , 23 , 420 ), were first isolated. This was despite their potent cytotoxic and bacteriostatic activities, which were well appreciated at the time of their discovery. In the past decade, an increasing number of studies have uncovered powerful new biological processes that these molecules can uniquely effect, such as the inhibition of histone methyltransferases by chaetocin A ( Greiner , D. et al. Nat. Chem. Biol. 2005 , 1 , 143 ). In fact, the complete collection of hexahydropyrroloindoline alkaloids features a diverse range of potent biological properties including cytotoxic, antitumor, antileukemic, antiviral, antibiotic, and antinematodal activities ( Jiang , C.-S. ; Guo , Y.-W. Mini-Rev. Med. Chem. 2011 , 11 , 728 ). This mélange of activities is reflective of their structural diversity. Under the precepts of retrobiosynthetic analysis, we have accomplished the syntheses of more than a dozen natural products, including members of the bionectin, calycanthaceous, chaetocin, gliocladin, naseseazine, and verticillin alkaloids. More importantly, these molecules have acted as venerable venues for the development of new strategies to address structural challenges including, but not limited to, C3-C3' vicinal quaternary centers, heterodimeric linkages, C3-Csp(2) linkages, diketopiperazine oxidation, stereoselective thiolation, homologue-specific polysulfidation, and C12-hydroxyl incorporation. Synthesis of these natural products has resulted in the structural confirmation, and sometimes revision such as the case of (+)-naseseazines A and B, as well as access to many plausible biogenetically relevant intermediates and new synthetic ETP derivatives. Furthermore, our studies have paved the way for the formulation of a comprehensive SAR profile and the identification of lead compounds with in vitro subnanomolar IC50's against a broad range of cancer types.

Highly enantioselective access to diketopiperazines via cinchona alkaloid catalyzed Michael additions

Alkaloid catalysed additions to triketopiperazines gives products in high yield and er (88 : 12 to 99 : 1), including bridged hydroxy-DKPs via Michael-addition–ring closure.

Michael addition reactions of triketopiperazine (TKP) derivatives to enones, mediated by a cinchona alkaloid-derived catalyst, deliver products in high yield and enantiomeric ratio (er). Use of unsaturated ester, nitrile or sulfone partners gives bridged hydroxy-diketopiperazine (DKP) products resulting from a novel Michael addition–ring closure.

C7-derivatization of C3-alkylindoles including tryptophans and tryptamines

A versatile strategy for C7-selective boronation of tryptophans, tryptamines, and 3-alkylindoles by way of a single-pot C2/C7-diboronation-C2-protodeboronation sequence is described. The combination of a mild iridium-catalyzed C2/C7-diboronation followed by an in situ palladium-catalyzed C2-protodeboronation allows efficient entry to valuable C7-boroindoles that enable further C7-derivatization. The versatility of the chemistry is highlighted by the gram-scale synthesis of C7-boronated N-Boc-L-tryptophan methyl ester and the rapid synthesis of C7-halo, C7-hydroxy, and C7-aryl tryptophan derivatives.

Epidithiodioxopiperazines. occurrence, synthesis and biogenesis

Epidithiodioxopiperazine alkaloids possess an astonishing array of molecular architecture and generally exhibit potent biological activity. Nearly twenty distinct families have been isolated and characterized since the seminal discovery of gliotoxin in 1936. Numerous biosynthetic investigations offer a glimpse at the relative ease with which Nature is able to assemble this class of molecules, while providing synthetic chemists inspiration for the development of more efficient syntheses. Herein, we discuss the isolation and characterization, proposed fungal biogeneses, and total syntheses of epidithiodioxopiperazines.

Regioselective hydroarylation reactions of C3 electrophilic N-acetylindoles activated by FeCl3: an entry to 3-(hetero)arylindolines

A method for the direct and rare umpolung of the 3 position of indoles is reported. The activation of N-acetylindole with iron(III) chloride allows the C-H addition of aromatic and heteroaromatic substrates to the C2=C3 double bond of the indole nucleus to generate a quaternary center at C3 and leads regioselectively to 3-arylindolines. Optimization, scope (50 examples), practicability (gram scale, air atmosphere, room temperature), and mechanistic insights of this process are presented. Synthetic transformations of the indoline products into drug-like compounds are also described.

The first one-pot synthesis of L-7-iodotryptophan from 7-iodoindole and serine, and an improved synthesis of other L-7-halotryptophans

A simple and scalable one-pot biotransformation enables direct access to L-halotryptophans, including L-7-iodotryptophan, from the corresponding haloindoles. The biotransformation utilizes an easy to prepare bacterial cell lysate that may be stored as the lyophilizate for several months and utilized as a catalyst as and when required.

Application of diazene-directed fragment assembly to the total synthesis and stereochemical assignment of (+)-desmethyl-meso-chimonanthine and related heterodimeric alkaloids

We describe the first application of our methodology for heterodimerization via diazene fragmentation towards the total synthesis of (-)-calycanthidine, meso-chimonanthine, and (+)-desmethyl-meso-chimonanthine. Our syntheses of these alkaloids feature an improved route to C3a-aminocyclotryptamines, an enhanced method for sulfamide synthesis and oxidation, in addition to a late-stage diversification leading to the first enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-desmethyl-meso-chimonanthine and its unambiguous stereochemical assignment. This versatile strategy for directed assembly of heterodimeric cyclotryptamine alkaloids has broad implications for the controlled synthesis of higher order derivatives with related substructures.

Enantioselective total syntheses of plectosphaeroic acids B and C

Evolution of the synthetic strategy that culminated in the first total syntheses of the structurally unique plectosphaeroic acids B (2) and C (3) is described. The successful enantioselective route to (+)-2 and (+)-3 proceeds in 6 and 11 steps from the known hexahydro-2H-pyrazinopyrrolo[2,3-b]indole-1,4-dione 39, which in turn is available in enantiomerically pure form by chemical synthesis. The central challenge in this synthesis endeavor was uniting the hexahydro-2H-pyrazinopyrrolo[2,3-b]indole-1,4-dione and cinnabarinic acid fragments of these marine alkaloids. Critical for achieving this successful C-N bond formation was the use of an iodocinnabarinic acid diester in which the amino group was masked with two Boc substituents, a Cu(I) carboxylate complex and the weak base KOAc. The highly congested C-N bond generated in this coupling, in conjunction with the delicate nature of the densely functionalized coupling partners, provided a striking testament to the power of modern copper-mediated amination methods. Two approaches, one stereoselective, for introducing the methylthio substituents of (+)-plectosphaeroic acid B were developed. The epitrisulfide ring of (+)-plectosphaeroic acid C was formed by ring expansion of an epidisulfide precursor.