An orthogonally protected cyclitol for the construction of nigerose- and dextran-mimetic cyclophellitols

Cyclophellitols are potent inhibitors of exo- and endoglycosidases. Efficient synthetic methodologies are needed to fully capitalize on this intriguing class of mechanism-based enzyme deactivators. We report the synthesis of an orthogonally protected cyclitol from d-glucal (19% yield over 12 steps) and its use in the synthesis of α-(1,3)-linked di- and trisaccharide dextran mimetics. These new glycomimetics may find use as Dextranase inhibitors, and the developed chemistries in widening the palette of glycoprocessing enzyme-targeting glycomimetics.ERC-CoG-726072 “GLYCONTROL”; ERC-2020-SyG-951231 “CARBOCENTRE”Bio-organic Synthesi

Structure–Activity Relationship Studies of α-Ketoamides as Inhibitors of the Phospholipase A and Acyltransferase Enzyme Family

The phospholipase A and acyltransferase (PLAAT) family of cysteine hydrolases consists of five members, which are involved in the Ca2+-independent production of N-acylphosphatidylethanolamines (NAPEs). NAPEs are lipid precursors for bioactive N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) that are involved in various physiological processes such as food intake, pain, inflammation, stress, and anxiety. Recently, we identified alpha-ketoamides as the first pan-active PLAAT inhibitor scaffold that reduced arachidonic acid levels in PLAAT3-overexpressing U2OS cells and in HepG2 cells. Here, we report the structure-activity relationships of the alpha-ketoamide series using activity-based protein profiling. This led to the identification of LEI-301, a nanomolar potent inhibitor for the PLAAT family members. LEI-301 reduced the NAE levels, including anandamide, in cells overexpressing PLAAT2 or PLAAT5. Collectively, LEI-301 may help to dissect the physiological role of the PLAATs

Reactivity-stereoselectivity mapping for the assembly of Mycobacterium marinum lipooligosaccharides

The assembly of complex bacterial glycans presenting rare structural motifs and cis -glycosidic linkages is significantly obstructed by the lack of knowledge of the reactivity of the constituting building blocks and the stereoselectivity of the reactions in which they partake. We here report a strategy to map the reactivity of carbohydrate building blocks and apply it to understand the reactivity of the bacterial sugars, caryophyllose, a rare C12-monosaccharide, containing a characteristic tetrasubstituted stereocenter. We mapped reactivity-stereoselectivity relationships for caryophyllose donor and acceptor glycosides, by a systematic series of glycosylations in combination with the detection and characterization of different reactive intermediates using experimental and computational techniques. The insights garnered from these studies enabled the rational design of building blocks with the required properties to assemble Mycobacterial lipooligosaccharide fragments of M. marinum .Bio-organic Synthesi

Origins of the Ambient Solar Wind: Implications for Space Weather

The Sun's outer atmosphere is heated to temperatures of millions of degrees, and solar plasma flows out into interplanetary space at supersonic speeds. This paper reviews our current understanding of these interrelated problems: coronal heating and the acceleration of the ambient solar wind. We also discuss where the community stands in its ability to forecast how variations in the solar wind (i.e., fast and slow wind streams) impact the Earth. Although the last few decades have seen significant progress in observations and modeling, we still do not have a complete understanding of the relevant physical processes, nor do we have a quantitatively precise census of which coronal structures contribute to specific types of solar wind. Fast streams are known to be connected to the central regions of large coronal holes. Slow streams, however, appear to come from a wide range of sources, including streamers, pseudostreamers, coronal loops, active regions, and coronal hole boundaries. Complicating our understanding even more is the fact that processes such as turbulence, stream-stream interactions, and Coulomb collisions can make it difficult to unambiguously map a parcel measured at 1 AU back down to its coronal source. We also review recent progress -- in theoretical modeling, observational data analysis, and forecasting techniques that sit at the interface between data and theory -- that gives us hope that the above problems are indeed solvable.Comment: Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews. Special issue connected with a 2016 ISSI workshop on "The Scientific Foundations of Space Weather." 44 pages, 9 figure

Design and synthesis of exocyclic cyclitol aziridines as potential mechanism-based glycosidase inactivators

Cyclophellitol aziridines have found wide application as mechanism-based, covalent, and irreversible inhibitors of retaining glycosidases. These compounds, like their parent compound, cyclophellitol (a natural product retaining beta-glucosidase inactivator), make use of the mechanism of action of retaining glycosidases, which process their substrate through the formation of a transient covalent intermediate. In contrast, inverting glycosidases, the other main family of glycosyl hydrolases, do not employ such a covalent intermediate, and, as a consequence, useful scaffolds for mechanism-based inhibitor design have yet to be discovered. In this work, we explore chemistries that allow for the construction of cyclitol aziridines with the aziridine electrophile attached in an exocyclic fashion, more distal from the anomeric carbon - thus putatively closer to an inverting glycosidase active site nucleophile. The developed chemistries have allowed for the synthesis of a focused library of differently N-substituted, alpha-and beta-glucopyranose configured cyclitol aziridines for future evaluation as inhibitors or inactivators of alpha-and beta-glucosidases alike.ERC-CoG-726072 “GLYCONTROL / ERC-2020-SyG-951231Bio-organic Synthesi

Structure–Activity Relationship Studies of α-Ketoamides as Inhibitors of the Phospholipase A and Acyltransferase Enzyme Family

The phospholipase A and acyltransferase (PLAAT) family of cysteine hydrolases consists of five members, which are involved in the Ca2+-independent production of N-acylphosphatidylethanolamines (NAPEs). NAPEs are lipid precursors for bioactive N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) that are involved in various physiological processes such as food intake, pain, inflammation, stress, and anxiety. Recently, we identified alpha-ketoamides as the first pan-active PLAAT inhibitor scaffold that reduced arachidonic acid levels in PLAAT3-overexpressing U2OS cells and in HepG2 cells. Here, we report the structure-activity relationships of the alpha-ketoamide series using activity-based protein profiling. This led to the identification of LEI-301, a nanomolar potent inhibitor for the PLAAT family members. LEI-301 reduced the NAE levels, including anandamide, in cells overexpressing PLAAT2 or PLAAT5. Collectively, LEI-301 may help to dissect the physiological role of the PLAATs