Design and synthesis of 1-benzazepine derivatives by strategic utilization of Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling, aza-Claisen rearrangement and ring-closing metathesis

A new and simple methodology has been realized for the synthesis of 7-substituted 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1-benzazepine derivatives with Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling, aza-Claisen rearrangement and ring-closing metathesis (RCM) the key steps. Here, o-allylacetanilide derivatives were obtained by Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of the corresponding o-iodoacetanilides. The o-allylacetanilides, on N-allylation under phase-transfter catalysis conditions, provided diallyl derivatives as suitable precursors for RCM. These diallyl derivatives, on treatment with Grubbs' second-generation catalyst, gave the 1-benzazepine derivatives in moderate-to-good yields. These RCM products were found to be unstable and so they were hydrogenated to provide stable tetahydro-1-benzazepine derivatives 25-28. 1H-1-Benzazepin-2-one derivatives 44 and 45 were synthesized following a similar sequence. In addition, the aza-Claisen rearrangement was utilized as a key step in the preparation of RCM precursor 17

Formation of arenes via diallylarenes: strategic utilization of Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling, claisen rearrangement and ring-closing metathesis

Two new synthetic strategies for benzoannulation are reported. The first strategy is based on the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction. To this end, various ortho-diallylbenzene derivatives were prepared from the corrresponding diiodo derivatives by an allylation strategy using an allylboronate as coupling partner. These diallyl derivatives were subjected to a ring-closing metathesis (RCM) and one-pot dichlorodicyanoquinone (DDQ) oxidation sequence to deliver 2-substituted naphthalenes. In the second strategy, a double Claisen rearrangement and RCM protocol have been used as key steps to give highly functionalized benzoannulated quinone derivatives

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field