Search

Allylboration reactions of ketones catalyzed by BINOL derivatives can exhibit highly variable stereochemical courses depending on the nature and reactivity of the ketone substrate. In this Article, we put into perspective the relationship between the nature of the starting material and the active species involved in the asymmetric allyboration catalyzed by BINOL derivatives. This work, aimed at comparing different plausible mechanisms by density functional theory (DFT) at the M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p) level involving different types of allylboronates in the presence of the organocatalyst, leads to the confirmation of the hitherto accepted hypothesis of a reaction promoted by the transient cyclic allyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolane derived from BINOLs in the case of unactivated or weakly activated ketones such as indanone. A hypothetical scenario involving dimeric boronate species as chiral catalysts was also investigated.

An improvement in the catalytic enantioselective allylboration of isatins with 2-allyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolane in the presence of chiral BINOL derivatives is reported, offering an efficient one-step access to enantioenriched N -unprotected 3-allyl-3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles. This catalytic process is also effective for the crotylboration reaction with enantiomeric ratios (er) up to 97:3, as well as for the asymmetric synthesis of homopropargylic alcohols via an allenyl addition to indoline-2,3-diones. Origins of the high enantioselectivity in chiral BINOL-catalyzed allylboration of isatins were examined by DFT calculations. A hypothetical scenario suggested a crucial internal hydrogen bonding between the amide group (C═O···H-O) and the ethylene hydroxyl of the transient chiral mixed boronate ester, generating a rigid and stabilized system that favors the addition of the allylboron species to the Re face of the ketone function. The key role of the alcohol additive ( t -BuOH or t -AmOH) in the enantioselective allylboration reaction of isatins has also been shown on the basis of a kinetics study and computational calculations by favoring the transesterification of the 2-allyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolane with BINOL via proton transfer processes.

The protein kinase DYRK1A is involved in Alzheimer's disease, Down syndrome, diabetes, viral infections, and leukemia. Leucettines, a family of 2-aminoimidazolin-4-ones derived from the marine sponge alkaloid Leucettamine B, have been developed as pharmacological inhibitors of DYRKs (dual specificity, tyrosine phosphorylation regulated kinases) and CLKs (cdc2-like kinases). We report here on the synthesis and structure-activity relationship (SAR) of 68 Leucettines. Leucettines were tested on 11 purified kinases and in 5 cellular assays: (1) CLK1 pre-mRNA splicing, (2) Threonine-212-Tau phosphorylation, (3) glutamate-induced cell death, (4) autophagy and (5) antagonism of ligand-activated cannabinoid receptor CB1. The Leucettine SAR observed for DYRK1A is essentially identical for CLK1, CLK4, DYRK1B, and DYRK2. DYRK3 and CLK3 are less sensitive to Leucettines. In contrast, the cellular SAR highlights correlations between inhibition of specific kinase targets and some but not all cellular effects. Leucettines deserve further development as potential therapeutics against various diseases on the basis of their molecular targets and cellular effects.

Here, we report on the synthesis of libraries of new 5-arylidene-2-thioxo-1,3-thiazolidin-4-ones 3 (twenty-two compounds) and new 2-amino-5-arylidene-1,3-thiazol-4(5 H )-ones 5 (twenty-four compounds) with stereo controlled Z -geometry under microwave irradiation. The 46 designed final compounds were tested in order to determine their activity against four representative protein kinases (DYR1A, CK1, CDK5/p25, and GSK3α/β). Among these 1,3-thiazolidin-4-ones, the molecules (5 Z ) 5-(4-hydroxybenzylidene)-2-thioxo-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one 3e (IC 50 0.028 μM) and (5 Z )-5-benzo[1,3]dioxol-5-ylmethylene-2-(pyridin-2-yl)amino-1,3-thiazol-4(5 H )-one 5s (IC 50 0.033 μM) were identified as lead compounds and as new nanomolar DYRK1A inhibitors. Some of these compounds in the two libraries have been also evaluated for their in vitro inhibition of cell proliferation (Huh7 D12, Caco2, MDA-MB 231, HCT 116, PC3, and NCI-H2 tumor cell lines). These results will enable us to use the 1,3-thiazolidin-4-one core as pharmacophores to develop potent treatment for neurological or oncological disorders in which DYRK1A is fully involved.

The Unfolded Protein response is an adaptive pathway triggered upon alteration of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis. It is transduced by three major ER stress sensors, among which the Inositol Requiring Enzyme 1 (IRE1) is the most evolutionarily conserved. IRE1 is an ER-resident type I transmembrane protein exhibiting an ER luminal domain that senses the protein folding status and a catalytic kinase and RNase cytosolic domain. In recent years, IRE1 has emerged as a relevant therapeutic target in various diseases including degenerative, inflammatory and metabolic pathologies and cancer. As such several drugs altering IRE1 activity were developed that target either catalytic activity and showed some efficacy in preclinical pathological mouse models. In this review, we describe the different drugs identified to target IRE1 activity as well as their mode of action from a structural perspective, thereby identifying common and different modes of action. Based on this information we discuss on how new IRE1-targeting drugs could be developed that outperform the currently available molecules., (© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.)

The Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid type 2 (TRPV2) channel is highly selective for Ca 2+ and can be activated by lipids, such as LysoPhosphatidylCholine (LPC). LPC analogues, such as the synthetic alkyl-ether-lipid edelfosine or the endogenous alkyl-ether-lipid Platelet Activating Factor (PAF), modulates ion channels in cancer cells. This opens the way to develop alkyl-ether-lipids for the modulation of TRPV2 in cancer. Here, we investigated the role of 2-Acetamido-2-Deoxy-l-O-Hexadecyl-rac-Glycero-3-PhosphatidylCholine (AD-HGPC), a new alkyl-ether-lipid (LPC analogue), on TRPV2 trafficking and its impact on Ca 2+ -dependent cell migration. The effect of AD-HGPC on the TRPV2 channel and tumour process was further investigated using calcium imaging and an in vivo mouse model. Using molecular and pharmacological approaches, we dissected the mechanism implicated in alkyl-ether-lipids sensitive TRPV2 trafficking. We found that TRPV2 promotes constitutive Ca 2+ entry, leading to migration of highly metastatic breast cancer cell lines through the PI3K/Akt-Girdin axis. AD-HGPC addresses the functional TRPV2 channel in the plasma membrane through Golgi stimulation and PI3K/Akt/Rac-dependent cytoskeletal reorganization, leading to constitutive Ca 2+ entry and breast cancer cell migration (without affecting the development of metastasis), in a mouse model. We describe, for the first time, the biological role of a new alkyl-ether-lipid on TRPV2 channel trafficking in breast cancer cells and highlight the potential modulation of TRPV2 by alkyl-ether-lipids as a novel avenue for research in the treatment of metastatic cancer., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The asymmetric synthesis of the 3-allyl-3-hydroxyoxindole skeleton was accomplished in yields up to 99% via a metal-free and enantioselective allylation of isatins (90-96% ee) using BINOL derivatives as catalysts and an optimized allylboronate. This methodology was applied at a gram-scale to the synthesis of the natural product (R)-chimonamidine.

Recent evidences suggest the involvement of DYRK1A (dual specificity tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1 A) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we showed that DYRK1A undergoes a proteolytic processing in AD patients hippocampus without consequences on its kinase activity. Resulting truncated forms accumulate in astrocytes and exhibit increased affinity towards STAT3ɑ, a regulator of inflammatory process. These findings were confirmed in APP/PS1 mice, an amyloid model of AD, suggesting that this DYRK1A cleavage is a consequence of the amyloid pathology. We identified in vitro the Leucettine L41 as a compound able to prevent DYRK1A proteolysis in both human and mouse protein extracts. We then showed that intraperitoneal injections of L41 in aged APP/PS1 mice inhibit STAT3ɑ phosphorylation and reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines levels (IL1- β, TNF-ɑ and IL-12) associated to an increased microglial recruitment around amyloid plaques and decreased amyloid-β plaque burden. Importantly, L41 treatment improved synaptic plasticity and rescued memory functions in APP/PS1 mice. Collectively, our results suggest that DYRK1A may contribute to AD pathology through its proteolytic process, reducing its kinase specificity. Further evaluation of inhibitors of DYRK1A truncation promises a new therapeutic approach for AD.

An unexpected 1,3-dioxa-[3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement during the treatment of aryl- and alkenyl-substituted allylic alcohols with activated isocyanates is reported. The reorganization of bonds is highly dependent on the electron density of the aromatic ring and the nature of isocyanate used. This metal-free tandem reaction from branched allyl alcohols initiated by a carbamoylation reaction and followed by a sigmatropic rearrangement thus offers a new access to ( E)-cinnamyl and conjugated ( E, E)-diene carbamates, such as N-acyl and N-sulfonyl derivatives. A computational study was conducted in order to rationalize this phenomenon, and a rearrangement progress kinetic analysis was performed.

In this paper, a new access to several chiral 3-aminoglycals as potential precursors for glycosylated natural products is reported from a common starting material, (-)-methyl-L-lactate. The stereodivergent strategy is based on the implementation of a ring-closing metathesis of vinyl ethers as key step of reaction sequences developed.

Growing evidence supports the implication of DYRK1A in the development of cognitive deficits seen in Down syndrome (DS) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We here demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of brain DYRK1A is able to correct recognition memory deficits in three DS mouse models with increasing genetic complexity [Tg( Dyrk1a ), Ts65Dn, Dp1Yey], all expressing an extra copy of Dyrk1a Overexpressed DYRK1A accumulates in the cytoplasm and at the synapse. Treatment of the three DS models with the pharmacological DYRK1A inhibitor leucettine L41 leads to normalization of DYRK1A activity and corrects the novel object cognitive impairment observed in these models. Brain functional magnetic resonance imaging reveals that this cognitive improvement is paralleled by functional connectivity remodelling of core brain areas involved in learning/memory processes. The impact of Dyrk1a trisomy and L41 treatment on brain phosphoproteins was investigated by a quantitative phosphoproteomics method, revealing the implication of synaptic (synapsin 1) and cytoskeletal components involved in synaptic response and axonal organization. These results encourage the development of DYRK1A inhibitors as drug candidates to treat cognitive deficits associated with DS and AD., Competing Interests: Competing interestsL.M. is founder, CEO and CSO of ManRos Therapeutics, which licensed the patent on leucettines and develops these as DS/AD drug candidates. L.M., F.C. and J.-P.B. are co-inventors on the leucettine patent., (© 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

A stereospecific Mizoroki-Heck cross-coupling of differently substituted glycals with haloarenes resulting in the exclusive formation of either α- or β-aryl-C-glycosides depending solely on the configuration at C3 was achieved. The reaction was easy to set up because no specific precautions were required concerning moisture or oxygen, and it proceeded by a chirality transfer from C3 to C1. After optimization of cross-coupling conditions, various prepared glycals (7 examples) and arenes (10 examples) were tested, leading stereospecifically to the corresponding aryl-C-glycosides with a carbonyl group at C3, thus opening up new horizons for the total synthesis of glycosylated natural products., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

An efficient asymmetric synthesis of trans-4,5-disubstituted γ-butyrolactones from aldehydes and enantioenriched γ-carbamate alkenylboronates is reported. The cornerstone of this strategy is the implementation of sequential [3,3]-allyl cyanate rearrangement/allylboration/nucleophilic addition/cyclisation reactions. Diverse γ-butyrolactones such as the flavouring compounds, (+)-trans-whiskey lactone and (+)-trans-cognac lactone, as well as an advanced intermediate towards the first synthesis of natural products, (-)-nicotlactone B and (-)-galbacin, have thus been obtained.

A large diversity of 2-aminoimidazolone alkaloids is produced by various marine invertebrates, especially by the marine Calcareous sponges Leucetta and Clathrina . The phylogeny of these sponges and the wide scope of 2-aminoimidazolone alkaloids they produce are reviewed in this article. The origin (invertebrate cells, associated microorganisms, or filtered plankton), physiological functions, and natural molecular targets of these alkaloids are largely unknown. Following the identification of leucettamine B as an inhibitor of selected protein kinases, we synthesized a family of analogues, collectively named leucettines, as potent inhibitors of DYRKs (dual-specificity, tyrosine phosphorylation regulated kinases) and CLKs (cdc2-like kinases) and potential pharmacological leads for the treatment of several diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome. We assembled a small library of marine sponge- and ascidian-derived 2-aminoimidazolone alkaloids, along with several synthetic analogues, and tested them on a panel of mammalian and protozoan kinases. Polyandrocarpamines A and B were found to be potent and selective inhibitors of DYRKs and CLKs. They inhibited cyclin D1 phosphorylation on a DYRK1A phosphosite in cultured cells. 2-Aminoimidazolones thus represent a promising chemical scaffold for the design of potential therapeutic drug candidates acting as specific inhibitors of disease-relevant kinases, and possibly other disease-relevant targets., Competing Interests: François Carreaux, Jean-Pierre Bazureau and Laurent Meijer are co-inventors on the leucettine patent. Laurent Meijer is CEO and CSO of ManRos Therapeutics which develops leucettines as DS and AD drug candidates.

An efficient access for the synthesis of pluramycinones is described. Total syntheses of racemic γ-indomycinone and kidamycinone were achieved by means of two Diels-Alder reactions. A first Diels-Alder condensation followed by a Stille cross-coupling is used for the elaboration of the desired substituted dienes which will be involved in the second pericyclic reaction with juglone to construct the tetracyclic core of pluramycinones.

An efficient asymmetric synthesis of α-amino allylsilane derivatives is reported. The strategy is based on a [3,3]-allyl cyanate sigmatropic rearrangement from enantioenriched γ-hydroxy alkenylsilyl compounds. The isocyanate intermediate can be trapped by several nucleophiles, opening the way for the preparation of unknown chiral functionalized compounds such as the α-ureido allylsilanes as well as carbamate derivatives. A computational study was conducted to rationalize the complete 1,3-chirality transfer of this kind of rearrangement. Moreover, starting from products bearing a phenyldimethyl silyl substituent, the α-amino silane derivatives or the corresponding disiloxanes can be obtained under hydrogenation conditions in an exclusive way according to the used catalyst.

The combination of in situ generated α-isocyanato allylboronic esters and aldehydes afforded seven-membered-ring enecarbamates with high levels of diastereo- and enantiocontrol. They were easily converted into diversely substituted 1,3-oxazepan-2-ones. An unprecedented rearrangement of 5-acetoxy-7-aryl or styryl derivatives led to tetrasubstituted pyrrolidines. A computational study provides evidence on the feasibility of the proposed mechanism of this unusual ring contraction., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinases (DYRKs) and cdc2-like kinases (CLKs) are implicated in the onset and progression of Down syndrome (DS) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). DYRK1A has emerged as a possible link between amyloid-β (Aβ) and Tau, the major pathological proteins in AD. We here assessed the neuroprotective potential of a novel inhibitor of DYRKs/CLKs. The Leucettine L41, acting preferentially on DYRK1A, was tested in Aβ25-35-treated mice, a nontransgenic model of AD-like toxicity. We co-injected intracerebroventricularly oligomeric Aβ25-35 peptide and L41 in Swiss male mice. After 7 days, they were submitted to behavioral tests addressing spatial and non-spatial, short- and long-term memories. The oxidative stress, apoptotic markers, kinases involved in Tau phosphorylation, and synaptic integrity were analyzed by Western blot and ELISA in the hippocampus. L41, tested at 0.4, 1.2, 4 µg, prevented the Aβ25-35-induced memory deficits in the Y-maze, passive avoidance and water-maze tests, with the most active dose being 4 µg. The inhibitor prevented the Aβ25-35-induced oxidative stress, as revealed by measures of lipid peroxidation levels and reactive oxygen species accumulation, and abolished Aβ25-35-induced expression of pro-apoptotic markers. L41 prevented the Aβ25-35-induced decrease of AKT activation and increase of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) activation, resulting in a decrease of Tau phosphorylation. Finally, L41 restored Aβ25-35-reduced levels of synaptic markers. The novel DYRK1A-preferential inhibitor L41 therefore prevented Aβ25-35-induced memory impairments and neurotoxicity in the mouse hippocampus. These in vivo data highlighted particularly DYRK1A as a major kinase involved in Aβ pathology and suggested therapeutic developments for DYRK1A inhibitors in AD., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.)

We here disclosed a new protocol for the condensation of acetophenone derivatives and active methylene compounds with aldehydes in the presence of boric acid under microwave conditions. Implementation of the reaction is simple, healthy and environmentally friendly owing to the use of a non-toxic catalyst coupled to a solvent-free procedure. A large variety of known or novel compounds have thus been prepared, including with substrates bearing acid or base-sensitive functional groups.

We describe a highly diastereoselective approach to anti-homoallylic alcohols from allylbenzene derivatives and aldehydes. The strategy is based on a cross-metathesis/isomerization/allylboration sequence catalyzed successively by ruthenium and iridium. This methodology provides another way to access this class of compounds, which leads to the preparation of hitherto-unknown homoallylic alcohols without the requirement to control the stereochemistry of the 1-alkenyl boronate intermediates. Our study towards an enantioselective version of this sequential reaction is also reported., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A practical approach for the preparation of (5Z) 5-ylidene rhodanine derivatives bearing the (4,5-dihalogeno-pyrrol-2-yl)carbamoyl fragment of dispacamide A is reported. The new compounds were obtained in good yields (19-88 %) by Knoevenagel condensation according to a solution-phase microwave dielectric heating protocol in the presence of organic bases (piperidine, TEA, and AcONa) from a set of N-substituted rhodanines 2(a-i). The ten synthetic products 3(a-j) have been synthesized with a Z-geometry about their exocyclic double bond and the structure of one of these compounds (3) was confirmed by a single X-ray diffraction analysis. The new (5Z) 5-ylidene rhodanine derivatives 3(a-j) were tested against eight protein kinases.

Leucettines, a family of pharmacological inhibitors of dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation regulated kinases and cdc-like kinases (CLKs), are currently under investigation for their potential therapeutic application to Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease. We here report that leucettine L41 triggers bona fide autophagy in osteosarcoma U-2 OS cells and immortalized mouse hippocampal HT22 cells, characterized by microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 membrane translocation and foci formation. Leucettine L41-triggered autophagy requires the Unc-51-like kinase and is sensitive to the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors wortmannin and 3-methyladenine, suggesting that it acts through the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/PI3K-dependent pathway. Leucettine L41 does not act by modifying the autophagic flux of vesicles. Leucettine L41-induced autophagy correlates best with inhibition of CLKs. Leucettine L41 modestly inhibited phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate 5-kinase, FYVE domain-containing activity as tested both in vitro and in vivo, which may also contribute to autophagy induction. Altogether these results demonstrate that leucettines can activate the autophagic mTOR/PI3K pathway, a characteristic that may turn advantageous in the context of Alzheimer's disease treatment.

In the last few years, multicomponent reactions involving boron substituted 1,3-dienes have emerged as important tools in synthetic organic chemistry. The most significant recent results and developments obtained in this area are reported in this review.

An efficient synthesis of 3-aryl-1-propenyl boronates from pinacol vinyl boronic ester and allyl-substituted aromatics by cross metathesis is reported. Although the allylbenzene derivatives are prone to isomerization reaction under metathesis conditions, we found that some ruthenium catalysts are effective for this methodology. This strategy thus provides an interesting alternative approach to alkyne hydroboration, leading to the preparation of unknown compounds. Moreover, the boron substituent can be replaced by various functional groups in good yields.

[3,3]-Sigmatropic cyanate-isocyanate rearrangement provides a powerful tool for the preparation of α-isocyanato allylboronic esters, which can be further trapped with a variety of nucleophiles. Hydrogenation gave the corresponding α-aminoboronates derivatives while addition of aldehydes afforded homoallylic alcohols, (tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)carbamate, ether, or urea derivatives.

Leucettines, a family of marine sponge-derived 2-aminoimidazolone alkaloids, are potent inhibitors of DYRKs (dual-specificity, tyrosine phosphorylation regulated kinases) and CLKs (cdc2-like kinases). They constitute promising pharmacological leads for the treatment of several diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome. In order to investigate the scope of potential targets of Leucettine L41, a representative member of the chemical class, we designed an affinity chromatography strategy based on agarose-immobilized leucettines. A synthesis protocol for the attachment of a polyethylene (3 or 4 units) linker to L41 was first established. The linker attachment site on L41 was selected on the basis of the co-crystal structure of L41 with several kinases. L41 was then covalently bound to agarose beads through the primary amine located at the end of the linker. Control, kinase inactive Leucettine was also immobilized, as well as free linker devoid of ligand. Extracts of several mouse tissues revealed a complex pattern of interacting proteins, some of which probably resulting from non-specific, hydrophobic binding, while others representing bona fide Leucettine-interacting proteins. DYRK1A and GSK-3 (glycogen synthase kinase-3) were confirmed as interacting targets by Western blotting in various mouse tissues. The Leucettine affinity chromatography resin constitutes a powerful tool to purify and identify the targets of this new promising therapeutic class of molecules., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

DYRKs (dual specificity, tyrosine phosphorylation regulated kinases) and CLKs (cdc2-like kinases) are implicated in the onset and development of Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome. The marine sponge alkaloid leucettamine B was recently identified as an inhibitor of DYRKs/CLKs. Synthesis of analogues (leucettines) led to an optimized product, leucettine L41. Leucettines were cocrystallized with DYRK1A, DYRK2, CLK3, PIM1, and GSK-3β. The selectivity of L41 was studied by activity and interaction assays of recombinant kinases and affinity chromatography and competition affinity assays. These approaches revealed unexpected potential secondary targets such as CK2, SLK, and the lipid kinase PIKfyve/Vac14/Fig4. L41 displayed neuroprotective effects on glutamate-induced HT22 cell death. L41 also reduced amyloid precursor protein-induced cell death in cultured rat brain slices. The unusual multitarget selectivity of leucettines may account for their neuroprotective effects. This family of kinase inhibitors deserves further optimization as potential therapeutics against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

Dispacamide A and new analogs of this marine alkaloid were prepared in seven steps with an overall yield ranging from 12 to 33%. The key step of the strategy was a stereocontrolled Knoevenagel condensation under microwave dielectric heating in the last step. In this condensation, the 2-aminoimidazolin-4-one hydrochloride partners 10a-c were synthesized in three steps with good overall yields (33-79%) via the ring closure of N-guanidino acetic acids 9a-c and the aldehydes 5a,b as the two others building-blocks, in 3 steps with 60-66% overall yields. The six synthetic products have been obtained with a Z geometry about their exocyclic bond on the basis of (13)C/(1)H long-range coupling constants using a gHSQMBC experiment.

The development of a new route to α-aminoboronates using an iridium-catalyzed allylic amination on boronated substrates is described. Unlike the boronate group, the trifluoroborato substituent was found to govern the regioselectivity exclusively in favor of branched products. The transformation of an allylic substitution product into an α-aminoboronic ester in an efficient way validated the implementation of this approach.

A practical protocol for the preparation of (5Z)-2-alkylthio-5-arylmethylene-1-methyl-1,5-dihydro-4H-imidazol-4-one derivatives is reported. The new compounds were obtained in good yield and stereoselectivity in two steps, namely a solvent-free Knoevenagel condensation under microwave irradiation, followed by an S-alkylation reaction with various halogenoalkanes.

Although boronic acids have attracted considerable interest as versatile intermediates in organic synthesis, their contributions in chemical biology and drug discovery programs have long been underestimated. This situation is changing since the beginning of the 2000s, mainly due to significant advances in modern organoborane chemistry and the recent FDA approval of Velcade®, a boropeptide used for multiple myeloma treatment. There is now a significant renewed interest in the design and synthesis of new boron-containing compounds. Due to their close analogy to their carbon counterparts, aminoboronic acids, alone or incorporated at the C-terminal position of a peptide, represent one of the major classes of organoboranes evaluated as potential drug candidates. This critical review aims to provide an overview of the current state of the art in their synthesis and their most relevant biological properties (156 references).

We here report on the synthesis, optimization, and biological characterization of leucettines, a family of kinase inhibitors derived from the marine sponge leucettamine B. Stepwise synthesis of analogues starting from the natural structure, guided by activity testing on eight purified kinases, led to highly potent inhibitors of CLKs and DYRKs, two families of kinases involved in alternative pre-mRNA splicing and Alzheimer's disease/Down syndrome. Leucettine L41 was cocrystallized with CLK3. It interacts with key residues located within the ATP-binding pocket of the kinase. Leucettine L41 inhibits the phosphorylation of serine/arginine-rich proteins (SRp), a family of proteins regulating pre-RNA splicing. Indeed leucettine L41 was demonstrated to modulate alternative pre-mRNA splicing, in a cell-based reporting system. Leucettines should be further explored as pharmacological tools to study and modulate pre-RNA splicing. Leucettines may also be investigated as potential therapeutic drugs in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and in diseases involving abnormal pre-mRNA splicing.

New derivatives of the marine alkaloid leucettamine B were prepared in five steps with overall yields ranging from 23 to 30%. The key step of our strategy has been the sulfur/nitrogen displacement under solvent-free microwave irradiation of (5Z) 5-benzo[1,3]-dioxo-5-ylmethylene-2-ethylsulfanyl-3,5-dihydroimidazol-4-one 3 with a mono-protected ethylenediamine 2. After deprotection of the N-Boc group, the amino derivative of leucettamine B 5 was subjected to reductive amination in two steps with retention of configuration of the double bond, to lead to eight new analogs of leucettamine B. The effect of these compounds on CK1alpha/beta, CDK5/p25, and GSK-3alpha/beta were investigated., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)