Amplification of depolarization-induced and ryanodine-sensitive cytosolic Ca2+ elevation by synthetic carbocyclic analogs of cyclic ADP-ribose and their antagonistic effects in NG108-15 neuronal cells

[Medicinal Chemical Studies Based on the Theoretical Design of Bioactive Compounds]

I have engaged in medicinal chemical studies based on the theoretical design of bioactive compounds. First, I present a three-dimensional structural diversity-oriented conformational restriction strategy for developing bioactive compounds based on the characteristic steric and stereoelectronic features of cyclopropane. Using this strategy, various biologically active small molecule compounds, such as receptor agonists/antagonists and enzyme inhibitors, were effectively developed. The strategy was also applied to develop versatile peptidomimetics and membrane-permeable cyclic peptides. Next, studies on Ca²⁺-mobilizing second messengers, cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) and myo-inositol trisphosphates (IP₃), are described. In these studies, stable equivalents of cADPR were developed, since biological studies of cADPR have been limited due to its instability. Various potent IP₃ receptor ligands, which were designed using the d-glucose structure as a bioisostere of the myo-inositol moiety of IP₃, have been identified. Organic chemistry studies have also been extensively performed, because excellent organic chemistry is essential for promoting high-level medicinal chemical studies. For examples, new methods for the synthesis of chiral cyclopropanes, new radical reactions with silicon tethers, and kinetic anomeric effect-dependent stereoselective glycosidations have been developed.

Cyclic ADP-Carbocyclic-Ribose and -4-Thioribose, as Stable Mimics of Cyclic ADP-Ribose, a Ca2+-Mobilizing Second Messenger

Cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR), a general mediator involved in Ca²⁺ signaling, has the characteristic 18-membered ring consisting of an adenine, two riboses and a pyrophosphate, in which the two primary hydroxy groups of the riboses are linked by a pyrophosphate unit. This review focuses on chemical synthetic studies of cADPR analogues of biological importance. Although cADPR analogues can be synthesized by enzymatic and chemo-enzymatic methods using ADP-ribosyl cyclase, the analogues obtained by these methods are limited due to the substrate-specificity of the enzymes. Consequently, chemical synthetic methods providing a greater variety of cADPR analogues are required. Although early chemical synthetic studies demonstrated that construction of the large 18-membered ring structure is difficult, the construction was achieved using the phenylthiophosphate-type substrates by treating with AgNO₃ or I₂. This is now a general method for synthesizing these types of biologically important cyclic nucleotides. Using this method as the key step, the chemically and biologically stable cADPR mimic, cADP-carbocyclic-ribose (cADPcR) and -4-thioribose (cADPtR), were synthesized.

Synthesis of 8-Substituted Analogues of Cyclic ADP-4-Thioribose and Their Unexpected Identification as Ca2+-Mobilizing Full Agonists

A series of 8-substituted analogues of cyclic ADP-4-thioribose (cADPtR, 3), which is a stable equivalent of Ca²⁺-mobilizing second messenger cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR, 1), were designed as potential pharmacological tools for studies on cADPR-modulated Ca²⁺ signaling pathways. These 8-amino analogue (8-NH₂-cADPtR, 4), 8-azido analogue (8-N₃-cADPtR, 5), and 8-chloro analogue (8-Cl-cADPtR, 6) were efficiently synthesized, where the stereoselective N1-β-thioribosyladenine ring closure reaction via an α/β-equilibrium of the 1-aminothioribose derivative and construction of the characteristic 18-membered pyrophosphate ring by Ag⁺-promoted activation of a phenyl phosphorothioate type substrate were the two key steps. Although 8-NH₂-cADPR (2) is a well-known potent antagonist against cADPR-inducing Ca²⁺-release, the 4-thioribose congener 8-NH₂-cADPtR turned out unexpectedly to be a full agonist in sea urchin egg homogenate evaluation system. This important finding suggested that the ring-oxygen in the N1-ribose of cADPR analogues is essential for the antagonistic activity in the Ca²⁺-signaling pathway, which can contribute to clarify the structure-agonist/antagonist activity relationship.

Synthesis of 7-Deaza-cyclic Adenosine-5'-diphosphate-carbocyclic-ribose and Its 7-Bromo Derivative as Intracellular Ca(2+)-Mobilizing Agents

Cyclic ADP-carbocyclic-ribose (cADPcR, 3) is a biologically and chemically stable equivalent of cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR, 1), a Ca(2+)-mobilizing second messenger. We became interested in the biological activity of the 7-deaza analogues of cADPcR, i.e., 7-deaza-cADPcR (7) and its 7-bromo derivative, i.e., 7-deaza-7-Br-cADPcR (8), because 7-deazaadenosine is an efficient bioisostere of adenosine. The synthesis of 7 and 8 required us to construct the key N1-carbocyclic-ribosyl-7-deazaadenosine structure. Therefore, we developed a general method for preparing N1-substituted 7-deazaadenosines by condensing a 2,3-disubstituted pyrrole nucleoside with amines. Using this method, we prepared the N1-carbocyclic ribosyl 7-deazaadenosine derivative 10a, from which we then synthesized the target 7-deaza-cADPcR (7) via an Ag(+)-promoted intramolecular condensation to construct the 18-membered pyrophosphate ring structure. The corresponding 7-bromo derivative 8, which was the first analogue of cADPR with a substitution at the 7-position, was similarly synthesized. Biological evaluation for Ca(2+)-mobilizing activity in the sea urchin egg homogenate system indicated that 7-deaza-cADPcR (7) and 7-deaza-7-Br-cADPcR (8) acted as a full agonist and a partial agonist, respectively.

Design, Synthesis, and Chemical and Biological Properties of Cyclic ADP-4-Thioribose as a Stable Equivalent of Cyclic ADP-Ribose

Here we describe the successful synthesis of cyclic ADP-4-thioribose (cADPtR, 3), designed as a stable mimic of cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR, 1), a Ca2+-mobilizing second messenger, in which the key N1-β-thioribosyladenosine structure was stereoselectively constructed by condensation between the imidazole nucleoside derivative 8 and the 4-thioribosylamine 7 via equilibrium in 7 between the α-anomer (7α) and the β-anomer (7β) during the reaction course. cADPtR is, unlike cADPR, chemically and biologically stable, while it effectively mobilizes intracellular Ca2+ like cADPR in various biological systems, such as sea urchin homogenate, NG108-15 neuronal cells, and Jurkat T-lymphocytes. Thus, cADPtR is a stable equivalent of cADPR, which can be useful as a biological tool for investigating cADPR-mediated Ca2+-mobilizing pathways.

Synthesis of 5''-branched derivatives of cyclic ADP-carbocyclic-ribose, a potent Ca2+-mobilizing agent: The first antagonists modified at the N1-ribose moiety

The 5''-branched cyclic ADP-carbocyclic-ribose derivatives were designed and synthesized. These target compounds were identified as the first antagonists of cADPR without a substituent at the adenine 8-position, and were shown to be stable due to the N1-carbocyclic-ribosyl structure.

Substitution at the 8-position of 3''-deoxy-cyclic ADP-carbocyclic-ribose, a highly potent Ca2+-mobilizing agent, provides partial agonists

We previously showed that 3''-deoxy-cyclic ADP-carbocyclic-ribose (3''-deoxy-cADPcR, 4) is a stable and highly potent analogue of cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR, 1), a Ca(2+)-mobilizing second messenger. From these results, we designed and synthesized other 3''-modified analogues of cADPcR having a substituent at the 8-position and found that this modification at the 8-position made them partial agonists. Among these compounds, 8-NH(2)-3''-deoxy-cADPcR (10) was identified as a potent partial agonist with an EC(50) value of 17 nM.

Synthesis of cyclic ADP-carbocylcic-xylose and its 3"-O-methyl analogue as stable and potent Ca2+ -mobilizing agents

We previously showed that 3"-deoxy-cyclic ADP-carbocyclic-ribose (3"-deoxy-cADPcR, 3) is a stable and highly potent analogue of cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR, 1), a Ca2+ -mobilizing second messenger. From these results, we newly designed another 3"-modified analogues of cADPcR and identified the N1-"xylo"-type carbocyclic analogue, i.e., cADPcX (4), as one of the most potent cADPR-related compounds reported so far.