Direct catalytic asymmetric synthesis of anti-1,2-amino alcohols and syn-1,2-diols through organocatalytic anti-Mannich and syn-aldol reactions.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Carlos F Barbas.
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Aryl sulfonamide-based endothelin antagonists were synthesized and covalently linked to the reactive lysine of the m38C2 antibody to create a series of CovX-Bodies. These chemically programmed antibodies behaved as potent endothelin receptor antagonists in vitro and had antitumor efficacy in a prostate cancer xenograft model which, on a molar basis, far exceeded the activity of the parent small molecule.
Monoclonal antibody (mAb) 38C2 belongs to a group of catalytic antibodies that were generated by reactive immunization and contains a reactive lysine. 38C2 catalyzes aldol and retro-aldol reactions, using an enamine mechanism, and mechanistically mimics natural aldolase enzymes. In addition, mAb 38C2 can be redirected to target integrins alpha(v)beta(3) and alpha(v)beta(5) through the formation of a covalent bond between a beta-diketone derivative of an arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptidomimetic and the reactive lysine residue in the antibody combining site to provide the chemically programmed mAb cp38C2. In this study, we investigated the potential of enhancing the activity of receptor-binding small molecule drug (SCS-873) through antibody conjugation. Using a M21 human melanoma xenograft model in nude mice, cp38C2 inhibited the growth of the tumor by 81%. The chemically programmed antibody was shown to be highly active at a low concentration while SCS-873 alone was ineffective even at dosages 1,000-fold higher than those used for the chemically programmed antibody. In vitro programming of the catalytic antibody was shown to be as effective as in vivo programming. In an experimental metastasis assay, treatment with mAb cp38C2 significantly prolonged overall survival of tumor-bearing severe combined immuno-deficient (SCID) mice when compared to treatment with unprogrammed mAb 38C2, SCS-873 alone or the integrin-specific monoclonal antibody LM609. In vitro, cp38C2 inhibited human and mouse endothelial and human melanoma cell adhesion, migration and invasion. Additionally, cp38C2 inhibited human and mouse endothelial cell proliferation and was active in complement-dependent cytotoxicity assays. These studies establish the potential of chemically programmed monoclonal antibodies as a novel and effective class of immunotherapeutics that combine the merits of traditional small molecule drug design with immunotherapy.
Cys2-His2 zinc fingers are one of the most common types of DNA-binding domains. Modifications to zinc-finger binding specificity have recently enabled custom DNA-binding proteins to be designed to a wide array of target sequences. We present here a 1.96 A structure of Aart, a designed six-zinc finger protein, bound to a consensus DNA target site. This is the first structure of a designed protein with six fingers, and was intended to provide insights into the unusual affinity and specificity characteristics of this protein. Most protein-DNA contacts were found to be consistent with expectations, while others were unanticipated or insufficient to explain specificity. Several were unexpectedly mediated by glycerol, water molecules or amino acid-base stacking interactions. These results challenge some conventional concepts of recognition, particularly the finding that triplets containing 5'A, C, or T are typically not specified by direct interaction with the amino acid in position 6 of the recognition helix.
We report the development of direct catalytic, enantioselective, anti-selective Mannich-type reactions between unmodified ketones and alpha-imino esters under mild conditions. The reactions were performed using 5-10 mol % of (R)-3-pyrrolidinecarboxylic or (R)-beta-proline as catalyst in an environmentally benign solvent, 2-PrOH, at room temperature. The anti-Mannich products were obtained in good yields with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities (up to anti/syn >99:1, 99% ee). While (3R,5R)-5-methyl-3-pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid is an excellent catalyst for the anti-Mannich-type reactions of aldehydes, it did not efficiently catalyze the corresponding Mannich-type reactions of ketones; (R)-3-pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid did efficiently catalyze the Mannich-type reactions of ketones. (S)-Proline or (S)-2-pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid has been reported to catalyze the Mannich-type reactions of ketones to afford the syn-products. Thus, the position of the carboxylic acid group on the pyrrolidine ring directs the stereoselection of the catalyzed reaction, providing either syn- or anti-Mannich products.
Studies at the interface of chemistry and biology have allowed us to develop an immunotherapeutic approach called chemically programmed antibodies (cpAbs), which combines the merits of traditional small-molecule drug design with immunotherapy. In this approach, a catalytic antibody catalyzes the covalent conjugation of a small molecule or peptide to the active site of the antibody, effectively recruiting the binding specificity of the conjugated molecule to the antibody. In essence, this technology provides the tools for breaking the "one antibody-one target axiom" of immunochemistry. Our studies in this area have focused on using the chemistry of the well studied aldolase catalytic antibodies of which mAb 38C2 is a member. Previously, we explored reversible assembly of cpAbs available through diketone chemistry. In this article, we explore a unique proadapter assembly strategy wherein an antibody 38C2-catalyzed transformation unveils a reactive tag that then reacts to form a stable covalent bond with the antibody. An integrin alpha(v)beta 3 antagonist was synthesized with the designed proadapter and studied using human breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-435. We demonstrate that this approach allows for (i) the effective assembly of cpAbs in vitro and in vivo, (ii) selective retargeting of 38C2 to integrin alpha(v)beta 3 expressing breast cancer cell lines, (iii) intracellular delivery of cpAbs into cells, (iv) dramatically increased circulatory half-life, and (v) substantial enhancement of the therapeutic effect over the peptidomimetic itself in animal models of breast cancer metastasis. We believe that this technology possesses potential for the treatment and diagnosis of disease.
Individual zinc finger (ZF) domains that recognize DNA triplets with high specificity and affinity can be used to create designer transcription factors and nucleases that are specific for nearly any site in the genome. These domains can be treated as modular units and assembled to create a polydactyl protein that recognizes extended DNA sequences. Deter-mination of valid target sites and the subsequent design of ZF proteins (ZFPs) is error-prone and not trivial, however. As a result, the use of ZFPs have been restricted primarily to those labs with the appropriate expertise. To address these limitations, we have created a user-friendly utility called Zinc Finger Tools (ZF Tools) that can be accessed at the URL http://www.zincfingertools.org. User-supplied DNA sequences can be searched for target sites appropriate for either gene regulation or nuclease targeting. Using a database of experimentally characterized zinc finger domains, the amino acid sequence for a ZFP expected to bind to any chosen target site can be generated. A reverse engineering utility is provided to predict the binding site for a ZFP of known sequence.
[reaction: see text] Organocatalytic asymmetric Mannich reaction of protected amino ketones with imines in the presence of an L-proline-derived tetrazole catalyst afforded diamines with excellent yields and enantioselectivities of up to 99%. The amino ketone protecting group controlled the regioselectivity of the reaction providing access to chiral 1,2-diamines from azido ketones and 1,4-diamines from phthalimido ketones.
Dihydroxyacetone variants have been explored as donors in organocatalytic aldol reactions with various aldehyde and ketone acceptors. The protected form of dihydroxyacetone that was chosen for in-depth study was 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxan-5-one, 1. Among the catalysts surveyed here, proline proved to be superior in terms of yield and stereoselectivities in the construction of various carbohydrate scaffolds. In a fashion analogous to aldolase enzymes, the de novo preparation of L-ribulose, L-lyxose, D-ribose, D-tagatose, 1-amino-1-deoxy-D-lyxitol, and other carbohydrates was accomplished via the use of 1 and proline. In reactions using 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxan-5-one 1 as a donor, (S)-proline can be used as a functional mimic of tagatose aldolase, whereas (R)-proline can be regarded as an organocatalytic mimic of fuculose aldolase.
We have developed a direct, asymmetric Michael reaction that can be performed in brine or seawater without addition of organic solvents. A bifunctional catalyst with long hydrophobic alkyl chains efficiently catalyzed Michael reactions and afforded the desired products in excellent yield with high enantiomeric excess, even when only an equal molar ratio of the donor to acceptor was used.
Mannich reactions between aldehydes and N-p-methoxyphenyl-protected alpha-imino ethyl glyoxylate have been performed using (S)-pipecolic acid as catalyst. The reactions give both syn- and anti-products (dr=1.4-2:1) with high enantioselectivities (>98% ee). In contrast, (S)-proline-catalyzed reactions give mainly syn-products with high enantioselectivities. Computational studies reveal that the energetic preference between the transition structures involving the s-cis-enamine and the s-trans-enamine is smaller for the pipecolic acid as compared to proline, yielding the (2S,3R)-anti and the (2S,3S)-syn Mannich product in nearly equal amounts.
The development of catalysts for Mannich-type reactions that afford anti-products with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities under mild conditions and low catalyst loadings (1-5 mol %) is reported. Based on principles gained from the study of (S)-proline-catalyzed Mannich-type reactions that afford enantiomerically enriched syn-products, (3R,5R)-5-methyl-3-pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid (RR35) has been designed to catalyze the direct enantioselective anti-selective Mannich-type reactions. Computational studies of the above reaction using HF/6-31G* level of theory suggested that this design would be highly effective. The catalyst was subsequently synthesized and studied in organocatalytic Mannich-type reactions between unmodified aldehydes and N-PMP-protected alpha-imino esters. In accord with the design principles and in quantitative agreement with the theoretical predictions, reactions catalyzed by this catalyst afforded anti-products in good yields with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities (anti:syn 94:6 to 98:2, >97 to >99% ee).
We have developed direct asymmetric cross-aldol reactions that can be performed in water without addition of organic solvents. A bifunctional catalyst with a long hydrophobic alkyl chain efficiently catalyzed the reactions and afforded the desired aldol products in excellent yield with high enantiomeric excess, even when only an equal molar ratio of the donor and acceptor was used. These results reveal an effective design strategy for the development of aqueous organocatalytic systems.
In vitro studies using fusion proteins consisting of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase (IN) and a synthetic polydactyl zinc finger protein E2C, a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein, showed that integration of retroviral DNA can be biased towards a contiguous 18-bp E2C-recognition site. To determine whether the fusion protein strategy can achieve site-specific integration in vivo, viruses were prepared by cotransfection and various IN-E2C fusion proteins were packaged in trans into virions. The resulting viruses incorporated with the IN-E2C fusion proteins were functional and capable of performing integration at a level ranging from 1 to 24% of that of viruses containing wild-type (WT) IN. Two of the more infectious viruses, which contained E2C fused to either the N (E2C/IN) or to the C (IN/E2C) terminus of IN, were tested for their ability to direct integration into a unique E2C-binding site present within the 5' untranslated region of erbB-2 gene on human chromosome 17. The copy number of proviral DNA was measured using a quantitative real-time nested-PCR assay, and the specificity of directed integration was determined by comparing the number of proviruses within the vicinity of the E2C-binding site to that in the whole genome. Viruses containing IN/E2C fusion proteins had sevenfold higher preference for integrating near the E2C-binding site than those viruses containing WT IN, whereas viruses containing E2C/IN had 10-fold higher preference. The results indicated that the IN-E2C fusion protein strategy is capable of directing integration of retroviral DNA into a predetermined chromosomal region in the human genome.
The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) primer-binding site (PBS) is a highly conserved region in the HIV genome and represents an attractive target for the development of new anti-HIV therapies. In this study, we designed four artificial zinc finger transcription factors to bind at or adjacent to the PBS and repress transcription from the HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR). These proteins bound to the LTR in vivo, as demonstrated by the chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. In transient reporter assays, three of the four proteins repressed transcription of a reporter driven by the HIV-1 LTR. Only one of these proteins, however, designated KRAB-PBS2, was able to prevent virus production when transduced into primary lymphocytes. We observed >90% inhibition of viral replication over the course of several weeks compared to untransduced cells, and no significant cytotoxicity was observed. Long-term exposure of HIV-1 to KRAB-PBS2 induced mutations in the HIV-1 PBS that reduced the effectiveness of the repressor, but these mutations also resulted in decreased rates of viral replication. These results show that KRAB-PBS2 has the potential to be used in antiviral therapy for AIDS patients and might complement other gene-based strategies.
The development of new catalytic asymmetric reactions continues to be a major goal in organic chemistry. Here we report a novel antibody-catalyzed intramolecular Michael addition of aldehydes and ketones to enones. The reaction is enantioselective and diastereoselective with a high ee value and cis/trans ratio. This is the first example of asymmetric intramolecular Michael addition of ketones. Antibody 38C2 is the only catalyst to date capable of generating this selectivity in Michael addition products.
(R)-Proline catalyzes the amination reaction of functionalized indane carboxaldehydes and allows for the efficient enantioselective synthesis (>99% ee) of the metabotropic glutamate receptor ligands (S)-AIDA and (S)-APICA. [reaction: see text]
Identification of trans-acting factors or drugs capable of reactivating gamma-globin gene expression is complicated by the lack of suitable cell lines. Human K562 cells co-express epsilon- and gamma-globin but not beta-globin; transgenic mouse erythroleukemia 585 cells express predominantly human beta-globin but also gamma-globin; and transgenic murine GM979 cells co-express human gamma-and beta-globin. Human beta-globin locus yeast artificial chromosome transgenic mice display correct developmental regulation of beta-like globin gene expression. We rationalized that cells established from the adult bone marrow of these mice might express exclusively beta-globin and therefore could be employed to select or screen inducers of gamma-globin expression. A thrombopoietin receptor derivative that brings the proliferative status of primary mouse bone marrow cells under control of a chemical inducer of dimerization was employed to institute and maintain these cell populations. Human beta-globin was expressed, but gamma-globin was not; a similar expression pattern was observed in cells derived from fetal liver. gamma-Globin expression was induced upon exposure to 5-azacytidine, in cells derived from -117 Greek hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin human beta-globin locus yeast artificial chromosome (beta-YAC) mice, showing that the hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) phenotype was maintained in these cells or was reactivated by an artificial zinc finger-gamma-globin transcription factor and the previously identified fetal globin transactivators fetal Krüppel-like factor (FKLF) and fetal globin-increasing factor (FGIF). These cells may be useful for identifying transcription factors that reactivate gamma-globin synthesis or screening gamma-globin inducers for the treatment of sickle cell disease or beta-thalassemia.