O2 activation at bioinspired complexes: dinuclear copper systems and mononuclear non-heme iron compounds. Mechanisms and catalytic applications in oxidative transformations

L'activació d'oxigen que té lloc en els éssers vius constitueix una font d'inspiració pel desenvolupament d'alternatives als oxidants tradicionals, considerats altament tòxics i nocius. En aquesta treball s'utilitzen compostos sintètics com a models del centre actiu de proteïnes dinuclears de coure i mononuclears de ferro de tipus no-hemo que participen en l'activació d'oxigen en els éssers vius. Els sistemes dinuclears de coure mostren un centre de tipus coure(III) bis(oxo) que és capaç de dur a terme l'ortho-hidroxilació de fenols de manera similar a la reacció que catalitza la proteïna tirosinasa. Per altra banda, els sistemes de ferro desenvolupats en aquest treball actuen com a models de les dioxigenases de Rieske i poden dur a terme l'hidroxilació estereoespecífica d'alcans i l'epoxidació i cis-dihidroxilació d'olefines utilitzant peròxid d'hidrogen com a agent oxidant. Tot plegat demostra que el desenvolupament de sistemes model constitueix una bona estratègia per l'estudi dels sistemes naturals.Oxygen activation in biological systems serves as inspiration for the development of alternatives to traditional oxidants which are considered highly toxic and environmentally harmful. In this work, synthetic compounds are used as models of the active site of dinuclear copper proteins and mononuclear non-heme iron systems involved in oxygen activation in natural systems. The prepared dinuclear copper complexes show the formation of copper(III)-bis(oxo) species capable of performing the ortho-hydroxylation of phenols analogously to the reaction performed by tyrosinase. On the other hand, the synthesized iron systems can be considered as models of Rieske dioxygenases and they can perform the estereospecific hydroxylation of alkanes and the epoxidation and cis-dihydroxylation of olefins using hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant. Overall, the work presented here demonstrates that the development of model systems constitutes a good approach for the study of natural systems

Building complexity in O2-binding copper complexes : site-selective metalation and intermolecular O2-binding at dicopper and heterometallic complexes derived from an unsymmetric ligand

A novel unsymmetric dinucleating ligand (LN3N4) combining a tridentate and a tetradentate binding sites linked through a m-xylyl spacer was synthesized as ligand scaffold for preparing homo- and dimetallic complexes, where the two metal ions are bound in two different coordination environments. Site-selective binding of different metal ions is demonstrated. LN3N4 is able to discriminate between CuI and a complementary metal (M′ = CuI, ZnII, FeII, CuII, or GaIII) so that pure heterodimetallic complexes with a general formula [CuIM′(LN3N4)]n+ are synthesized. Reaction of the dicopper(I) complex [CuI 2(LN3N4)]2+ with O2 leads to the formation of two different copper-dioxygen (Cu2O2) intermolecular species (O and TP) between two copper atoms located in the same site from different complex molecules. Taking advantage of this feature, reaction of the heterodimetallic complexes [CuM′(LN3N4)]n+ with O2 at low temperature is used as a tool to determine the final position of the CuI center in the system because only one of the two Cu2O2 species is forme

Production of Phytotoxic Cationic α-Helical Antimicrobial Peptides in Plant Cells Using Inducible Promoters

Synthetic linear antimicrobial peptides with cationic α-helical structures, such as BP100, have potent and specific activities against economically important plant pathogenic bacteria. They are also recognized as valuable therapeutics and preservatives. However, highly active BP100 derivatives are often phytotoxic when expressed at high levels as recombinant peptides in plants. Here we demonstrate that production of recombinant phytotoxic peptides in transgenic plants is possible by strictly limiting transgene expression to certain tissues and conditions, and specifically that minimization of this expression during transformation and regeneration of transgenic plants is essential to obtain viable plant biofactories. On the basis of whole-genome transcriptomic data available online, we identified the Os.hsp82 promoter that fulfilled this requirement and was highly induced in response to heat shock. Using this strategy, we generated transgenic rice lines producing moderate yields of severely phytotoxic BP100 derivatives on exposure to high temperature. In addition, a threshold for gene expression in selected tissues and stages was experimentally established, below which the corresponding promoters should be suitable for driving the expression of recombinant phytotoxic proteins in genetically modified plants. In view of the growing transcriptomics data available, this approach is of interest to assist promoter selection for specific purposesThis work was financially supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (reference AGL2010-17181/AGR). The research group belongs to 2014SGR697, recognized by the Catalonian Government. N.C. and C.R. received fellowships from Generalitat de Cataluny

Chemoselective Aliphatic C–H Bond Oxidation Enabled by Polarity Reversal

Methods for selective oxidation of aliphatic C–H bonds are called on to revolutionize organic synthesis by providing novel and more efficient paths. Realization of this goal requires the discovery of mechanisms that can alter in a predictable manner the innate reactivity of these bonds. Ideally, these mechanisms need to make oxidation of aliphatic C–H bonds, which are recognized as relatively inert, compatible with the presence of electron rich functional groups that are highly susceptible to oxidation. Furthermore, predictable modification of the relative reactivity of different C–H bonds within a molecule would enable rapid diversification of the resulting oxidation products. Herein we show that by engaging in hydrogen bonding, fluorinated alcohols exert a polarity reversal on electron rich functional groups, directing iron and manganese catalyzed oxidation toward a priori stronger and unactivated C–H bonds. As a result, selective hydroxylation of methylenic sites in hydrocarbons and remote aliphatic C–H oxidation of otherwise sensitive alcohol, ether, amide, and amine substrates is achieved employing aqueous hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. Oxidations occur in a predictable manner, with outstanding levels of product chemoselectivity, preserving the first-formed hydroxylation product, thus representing an extremely valuable tool for synthetic planning and developmentFinancial support for this work was provided by the Spanish Ministry of Science (CTQ2015-70795-P to M.C., CTQ2016-77989-P to A.C.) and Generalitat de Catalunya (ICREA Academia Award to M.C. and 2014 SGR 862). The authors thank the European Commission for the NoNoMeCat project (675020-MSCA-ITN-2015-ETN

Rapid hydrogen and oxygen atom transfer by a high-valent nickel-oxygen species

Terminal high-valent metal-oxygen species are key reaction intermediates in the catalytic cycle of both enzymes (e.g., oxygenases) and synthetic oxidation catalysts. While tremendous efforts have been directed towards the characterization of the biologically relevant terminal manganese-oxygen and iron-oxygen species, the corresponding analogues based on late-transition metals such as cobalt, nickel or copper are relatively scarce. This is in part related to the “Oxo Wall” concept, which predicts that late transition elements cannot support a terminal oxido ligand in a tetragonal environment. Here, the nickel(II) complex (1) of the tetradentate macrocyclic ligand bearing a 2,6-pyridinedicarboxamidate unit is shown to be an effective catalyst in the chlorination and oxidation of C-H bonds with sodium hypochlorite as terminal oxidant in the presence of acetic acid (AcOH). Insight into the active species responsible for the observed reactivity was gained through the study of the reaction of 1 with ClO- at low temperature by UV/Vis absorption, resonance Raman, EPR, ESI-MS, and XAS analyses. DFT calculations aided the assignment of the trapped chromophoric species (3) as a nickel-hypochlorite species. Despite the fact that the formal oxidation state of the nickel in 3 is +4, experimental and computational analysis indicate that 3 is best formulated as a NiIII complex with one unpaired electron delocalized in the ligands surrounding the metal center. Most remarkably, 3 reacts rapidly with a range of substrates including those with strong aliphatic C-H bonds, indicating the direct involvement of 3 in the oxidation/chlorination reactions observed in the 1/ClO-/AcOH catalytic systemFinancial support for this work was provided by the European Commission (FP7-PEOPLE- 2011-CIG-303522 to A.C.). The MINECO of Spain is acknowledged for a Ramón y Cajal contract to A.C. and for CTQ2013-43012-P to A.C. F. A.-P. thanks Universitat de Girona for a predoctoral grant. W.R.B. acknowledges the European Research Council (ERC-2011-StG- 279549) and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (Gravity program 024.001.035). Xray absorption data was collected on beamline BM25-Spline at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Grenoble, Franc

Compuestos poliamínicos y complejos metálicos que los comprenden para su uso como agentes antiparasitarios

Número de publicación: ES2439397 B1. Número de solicitud: 201331558.La presente invención se refiere al uso de compuesto de base poliamínica o de sus complejos metálicos para la prevención y/o el tratamiento de enfermedades de origen parasitario como por ejemplo la Tripanosomiasis americana también conocida como enfermedad de Chagas o la Leishmaniasis.Universidad de GranadaUniversidad de Giron

Compuestos metálicos que comprenden compuestos poliamínicos y dichos compuestos para su uso como agentes antiparasitarios

Número de publicación: ES2440896 B1. Número de solicitud: 201331559.La presente invención se refiere al uso de compuestos de base poliamínica o de sus complejos metálicos para la prevención y/o el tratamiento de enfermedades de origen parasitario como por ejemplo la Tripanosomiasis americana también conocida como enfermedad de Chagas o la Leishmaniasis.Universidad de GranadaUniversidad de Giron

Constitutive expression of transgenes encoding derivatives of the synthetic antimicrobial peptide BP100: impact on rice host plant fitness

The Biopeptide BP100 is a synthetic and strongly cationic α-helical undecapeptide with high, specific antibacterial activity against economically important plant-pathogenic bacteria, and very low toxicity. It was selected from a library of synthetic peptides, along with other peptides with activities against relevant bacterial and fungal species. Expression of the BP100 series of peptides in plants is of major interest to establish disease-resistant plants and facilitate molecular farming. Specific challenges were the small length, peptide degradation by plant proteases and toxicity to the host plant. Here we approached the expression of the BP100 peptide series in plants using BP100 as a proof-of-concept. Results: Our design considered up to three tandemly arranged BP100 units and peptide accumulation in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), analyzing five BP100 derivatives. The ER retention sequence did not reduce the antimicrobial activity of chemically synthesized BP100 derivatives, making this strategy possible. Transformation with sequences encoding BP100 derivatives (bp100der) was over ten-fold less efficient than that of the hygromycin phosphotransferase (hptII) transgene. The BP100 direct tandems did not show higher antimicrobial activity than BP100, and genetically modified (GM) plants constitutively expressing them were not viable. In contrast, inverted repeats of BP100, whether or not elongated with a portion of a natural antimicrobial peptide (AMP), had higher antimicrobial activity, and fertile GM rice lines constitutively expressing bp100der were produced. These GM lines had increased resistance to the pathogens Dickeya chrysanthemi and Fusarium verticillioides, and tolerance to oxidative stress, with agronomic performance comparable to untransformed lines. Conclusions: Constitutive expression of transgenes encoding short cationic α-helical synthetic peptides can have a strong negative impact on rice fitness. However, GM plants expressing, for example, BP100 based on inverted repeats, have adequate agronomic performance and resistant phenotypes as a result of a complex equilibrium between bp100der toxicity to plant cells, antimicrobial activity and transgene-derived plant stress response. It is likely that these results can be extended to other peptides with similar characteristicsThis work was financially supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (projects AGL2010-17181/AGR and PLANT-KBBE EUI2008-03769) and the Generalitat de Catalunya (SGR-2009-12

Triggering the generation of an iron(IV)-oxo compound and its reactivity toward sulfides by RuII photocatalysis

The preparation of [FeIV(O)(MePy2tacn)]2+ (2, MePy2tacn = N-methyl-N,N-bis(2-picolyl)-1,4,7-triazacyclononane) by reaction of [FeII(MePy2tacn)(solvent)]2+ (1) and PhIO in CH3CN and its full characterization are described. This compound can also be prepared photochemically from its iron(II) precursor by irradiation at 447 nm in the presence of catalytic amounts of [Ru II(bpy)3]2+ as photosensitizer and a sacrificial electron acceptor (Na2S2O8). Remarkably, the rate of the reaction of the photochemically prepared compound 2 toward sulfides increases 150-fold under irradiation, and 2 is partially regenerated after the sulfide has been consumed; hence, the process can be repeated several times. The origin of this rate enhancement has been established by studying the reaction of chemically generated compound 2 with sulfides under different conditions, which demonstrated that both light and [Ru II(bpy)3]2+ are necessary for the observed increase in the reaction rate. A combination of nanosecond time-resolved absorption spectroscopy with laser pulse excitation and other mechanistic studies has led to the conclusion that an electron transfer mechanism is the most plausible explanation for the observed rate enhancement. According to this mechanism, the in-situ-generated [RuIII(bpy)3] 3+ oxidizes the sulfide to form the corresponding radical cation, which is eventually oxidized by 2 to the corresponding sulfoxid