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The stereocontrolled total synthesis of the allene and carbonyl conjugated apocarotenoids, paracentrone and 19-hexanoyloxyparacentrone 3-acetate, was achieved by sequential cross-coupling reactions using boronic acid ester and iodine- or tin-substituted C5 dienes, which were the building blocks for the elongation of the conjugated polyene systems at both terminals.

Carotenoids possessing a carbonyl group along their polyene backbone exhibit unique excited state properties due to the occurrence of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) in the excited state. In fact, the ICT characteristics of naturally occurring carbonyl carotenoids play an essential role in the highly efficient energy transfer that proceeds in aquatic photosynthetic antenna systems. In the present study, we synthesized two short-chain polyene carotenoids incorporating a lactone ring, denoted as BL-7 and BL-8, having seven and eight conjugated double bonds (n = 7 and 8), respectively. The excited state properties of these compounds were directly compared to those of their non-carbonyl counterparts to clarify the role of the carbonyl group in the generation of ICT. The energies of the optically allowed S2 states for BL-7 and BL-8 were found to be more than 0.3 eV (2400 cm−1) below those of non-carbonyl short β-carotene homologs. Ultrafast spectroscopic data demonstrated various solvent polarity-induced effects, including the appearance of stimulated emission in the near-IR region in the case of BL-7, and significant lifetime shortening of the lowest-lying singlet S1 excited states of both BL-7 and BL-8. These results suggest that these compounds exhibit ICT characteristics.

The stereocontrolled total synthesis of the C31 apocarotenoid paracentrone was achieved by sequential cross-coupling reactions using C5 boronic acid ester and iodo-substituted dienes, which were newly developed building blocks for elongation of the conjugated polyene systems at both their terminals.

This paper presents a spectroscopic investigation of deoxyperidinin, a synthetic peridinin analogue in which the carbonyl functional group in peridinin was replaced by a nonconjugated methylene group. Steady-state and ultrafast time-resolved absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic experiments are carried out on deoxyperidinin in n-hexane and acetonitrile at room temperature and in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran at 77 K. The spectra of deoxyperidinin have higher vibronic resolution compared to those of peridinin. The higher resolution is due to a substantial reduction in both molecular conformational disorder and inhomogeneous broadening of the spectra of deoxyperidinin compared to peridinin. Features in the steady-state absorption spectrum of deoxyperidinin that are not evident in the spectrum of peridinin are unambiguously assigned to the forbidden S0 (1(1)Ag(-)) → S1 (2(1)Ag(-)) absorption transition. The characteristics of both the steady-state and time-resolved spectra are interpreted using EOM-CCSD, SAC-CI, and MNDO-PSDCI quantum computational formalisms that provided a theoretical framework for understanding the photophysical properties of the molecules.

E -α-Stannyl-β-trimethylsilylethynylacrylates, which are effective building blocks for the polyconjugated ylidenebutenolides and its modified derivatives, were directly synthesized via novel E -selective ethynylstannylation of propiolic acid esters. These building blocks were applied to the syntheses of the ylidenebutenolide segment in the previous peridinin synthesis and a short chain Z -eneyne ester derivative, by the sequential Stille and Sonogashira couplings with the corresponding epoxide and vinyl iodide segments.

The stereocontrolled convergent synthesis of 19′-deoxyperidinin, 2, which might be a useful peridinin analog to understand the ICT characteristics, was efficiently achieved by sequential Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions using bidirectionally extensible conjugated C5 olefin segments. The crucial 5(2H)-ylidenedihydrofuran function of 2 was successfully constructed by the Au-catalyzed regio- and stereoselective 5-exo-dig etherification.

Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid that is mainly found in light-harvesting complexes from brown algae and diatoms. Due to the presence of a carbonyl group attached to polyene chains in polar environments, excitation produces an excited intra-molecular charge transfer. This intra-molecular charge transfer state plays a key role in the highly efficient (∼95%) energy-transfer from fucoxanthin to chlorophyllain the light-harvesting complexes from brown algae. In purple bacterial light-harvesting systems the efficiency of excitation energy-transfer from carotenoids to bacteriochlorophylls depends on the extent of conjugation of the carotenoids. In this study we were successful, for the first time, in incorporating fucoxanthin into a light-harvesting complex 1 from the purple photosynthetic bacterium,Rhodospirillum rubrumG9+ (a carotenoidless strain). Femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy was applied to this reconstituted light-harvesting complex in order to determine the efficiency of excitation energy-transfer from fucoxanthin to bacteriochlorophyllawhen they are bound to the light-harvesting 1 apo-proteins.

Ultrafast excited state dynamics of the short fucoxanthin homolog with four conjugated double bonds and its allene-modified analog in various solvents have been studied by femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy. The results clarified that the short fucoxanthin homolog exhibits a strong intramolecular charge transfer character in an excited manifold even in a nonpolar solvent. Then, the data show that a modification of the allene-group induced the lifetime shortening of the lowest singlet state of the short fucoxanthin homolog. This implies that the allene-group enhances the ICT character of the short fucoxanthin homolog.

Fucoxanthin is an essential pigment for the highly efficient light-harvesting function of marine algal photosynthesis. It exhibits excited state properties attributed to intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) in polar environments due to the presence of the carbonyl group in its polyene backbone. This report describes the excited state properties of fucoxanthin homologues with four to eight conjugated double bonds in various solvents using the femtosecond pump-probe technique. The results clarified that fucoxanthin homologues with longer polyene chains did not possess pronounced ICT spectroscopic signatures, while the shorter fucoxanthin homologues had a strong ICT character, even in a nonpolar solvent. On the basis of the observations, we quantitatively correlated the ICT character in the excited state to the conjugated polyene chain lengths of fucoxanthin molecules.

C 29 -peridinin is a synthetic analogue of the important, naturally-occurring carotenoid, peridinin, found in several marine algal species. C 29 -peridinin has five conjugated carbon–carbon double bonds compared to eight possessed by peridinin and also lacks the methyl group functionalities typically present along the polyene chain of carotenoids. These structural modifications lead to unique excited state properties and important insights regarding the factors controlling the photophysics of peridinin and other carbonyl-containing carotenoids, which are critical components of the light-harvesting systems of many photosynthetic organisms.

Fucoxanthin is an essential pigment for the light-harvesting of aquatic algae. It exhibits high energy transfer efficiencies to Chl a (>80%) as well as peridinin (>95%). In order to verify the generality and specificity of the noticeable observation on the ICT excited energy state character, which was found in the study of peridinin, we achieved the straightforward synthesis of a series of fucoxanthin short-chain derivatives via the modified-Julia olefination with the aldehyde half segment possessing a β,γ-epoxyketone function. The established method was successfully applied to the synthesis of the epoxy olefin derivative as an allene modified fucoxanthin analogue.

The lifetime of the lowest excited singlet state of carbonyl-containing carotenoids typically depends on the polarity of the solvent, an effect that has been attributed to the presence of an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state. The nature of this ICT state has yet to be clarified. In the present work, steady-state and ultrafast time-resolved optical spectroscopic experiments have been performed on peridinin and three synthetic analogues, C33-peridinin, C35-peridinin, and C39-peridinin, which have different extents of π-electron conjugation. Steady-state absorption at cryogenic temperatures revealed new absorption bands on the long-wavelength side of the strongly allowed S0 (1(1)Ag(-)) → S2 (1(1)Bu(+)) transition that can be assigned to S0 (1(1)Ag(-)) → S1 (2(1)Ag(-)) absorption. Analysis of the time-resolved absorption and fluorescence data sets revealed that the influence of polarity of the solvent on the excited state lifetime is unique for each molecule, leading to subtle differences in the values in highly polar solvents. Measurements in the most polar solvent, acetonitrile, demonstrated that the ICT state lifetime is shortest at 6.4 ps for C39-peridinin and gradually increases as the extent of π-electron conjugation decreases, becoming 10.6 ps for C33-peridinin. This suggests that the energy of the ICT state is dependent on the number of conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds.

The first asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-hippodamine has been accomplished via the concise construction of its azaphenalene core, which is featured by the 2,4,6-chiral piperidine synthesis based on one-pot asymmetric azaelectrocyclization in the partially activated substituent system and the subsequent intramolecular Mannich reaction.

In this study we have prepared ceramide phosphoserine (CerPS) and examined its sterol-interacting properties. CerPS is a hydrogen-bonding sphingolipid, but its head group differs from that found in sphingomyelin (SM). Based on diphenylhexatriene steady-state anisotropy measurements, we observed that fully hydrated N-palmitoyl CerPS had a gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition temperature of about 51°C in 50mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). This was close to the Tm measured for 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoserine (DPPS) bilayers (Tm 50.5°C). Based on cholestatrienol (CTL) quenching experiments in liquid disordered ternary bilayers (containing 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphcholine; POPC), cholesterol/CTL formed sterol-enriched ordered domains with CerPS. These had similar thermostability as the sterol domains formed with N-palmitoyl SM. Cholesterol failed to form sterol-enriched ordered domains with DPPS under comparable conditions. Based on the equilibrium partitioning of CTL, we observed that the affinity of sterol for bilayers containing POPC/CerPS/cholesterol (6:3:1 by mol) was much higher than the affinity measured for control fluid POPC/cholesterol (9:1 by mol) bilayers, but slightly less than seen for comparable PSM-containing bilayers. We conclude that the phosphoserine head group was less efficient than the phosphocholine head group in stabilizing sterol/sphingolipid interaction. However, hydrogen bonding apparently can overcome some of the negative effects of the phosphoserine head group, since CerPS interacted more favorably with cholesterol compared to DPPS.

Sphingomyelins (SMs) and ceramides are known to interact favorably in bilayer membranes. Because ceramide lacks a headgroup that could shield its hydrophobic body from unfavorable interactions with water, accommodation of ceramide under the larger phosphocholine headgroup of SM could contribute to their favorable interactions. To elucidate the role of SM headgroup for SM/ceramide interactions, we explored the effects of reducing the size of the phosphocholine headgroup (removing one, two, or three methyls on the choline moiety, or the choline moiety itself). Using differential scanning calorimetry and fluorescence spectroscopy, we found that the size of the SM headgroup had no marked effect on the thermal stability of ordered domains formed by SM analog/palmitoyl ceramide (PCer) interactions. In more complex bilayers composed of a fluid glycerophospholipid, SM analog, and PCer, the thermal stability and molecular order of the laterally segregated gel domains were roughly identical despite variation in SM headgroup size. We suggest that that the association between PCer and SM analogs was stabilized by ceramide’s aversion for disordered phospholipids, by interfacial hydrogen bonding between PCer and the SM analogs, and by attractive van der Waals’ forces between saturated chains of PCer and SM analogs.

The spectroscopic properties and dynamics of the excited states of two different synthetic analogues of peridinin were investigated as a function of solvent polarity using steady-state absorption, fluorescence, and ultrafast time-resolved optical spectroscopy. The analogues are denoted S-1- and S-2-peridinin and differ from naturally-occurring peridinin in the location of the lactone ring and its associated carbonyl group, known to be obligatory for the observation of a solvent dependence of the lifetime of the S1 state of carotenoids. Relative to peridinin, S-1- and S-2-peridinin have their lactone rings two and four carbons more toward the center of the π-electron system of conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds, respectively. The present experimental results show that as the polarity of the solvent increases, the steady-state spectra of the molecules broaden, and the lowest excited state lifetime of S-1-peridinin changes from ~155 ps to ~17 ps which is similar to the magnitude of the effect reported for peridinin. The solvent-induced change in the lowest excited state lifetime of S-2-peridinin is much smaller and changes only from ~90 ps to ~67 ps as the solvent polarity is increased. These results are interpreted in terms of an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state that is formed readily in peridinin and S-1-peridinin, but not in S-2-peridinin. Quantum mechanical computations reveal the critical factors required for the formation of the ICT state and the associated solvent-modulated effects on the spectra and dynamics of these molecules and other carbonyl-containing carotenoids and polyenes. The factors are the magnitude and orientation of the ground and excited state dipole moments which must be suitable to generate sufficient mixing of the lowest two excited singlet states.

Chiral 2-piperidinone compounds with various C-6 substituents were successfully synthesized via a Pd-catalyzed asymmetric 6-endo cyclization of dienamides, which were evidently activated by both N-p-toluenesulfonyl and C-3 ester substituents.

The thermal 6-endo cyclization of N-sulfonyl-2,4-dienamide compounds to produce 4,6-disubstituted 2-piperidinone is described. The observed remarkable substituent effect due to the N-sulfonyl and C3 ethoxycarbonyl groups for acceleration of this 6-endo cyclization strongly suggests that the reaction would proceed via the 6π-azaelectrocyclization of the intermediary imidic acid. On the contrary, the corresponding 5-formyl and 5-acetyl derivatives rapidly cyclized at room temperature to produce the 5-exo cyclized products.

To study the role of the interfacial properties of ceramides in their interlipid interactions, we synthesized palmitoylceramide (PCer) analogs in which a methyl group was introduced to the amide-nitrogen or the C3-oxygen of the sphingosine backbone. A differential scanning calorimetry analysis of equimolar mixtures of palmitoylsphingomyelin (PSM) and PCer showed that these sphingolipids formed a complex gel phase that melted between 67°C and 74°C. The PCer analogs also formed gel phases with PSM, but they melted at lower temperatures compared with the system with PCer. In complex bilayers composed of an unsaturated glycerophospholipid, PSM, and cholesterol, the 3O-methylated ceramide formed a cholesterol-poor ordered phase with PSM. However, the 2N-methylated and doubly methylated (2N and 3O) PCer analogs failed to displace sterol from interactions with PSM. Like PCer, the analogs reduced sterol affinity for the complex bilayers, but this effect was most pronounced for the 3O-methylated ceramide. Taken together, our results show that 2N-methylation weakened the ceramide-PSM interactions, whereas the 3O-methylated ceramide behaved more like PCer in interactions with PSM. Our findings are compatible with the view that interlipid interactions between the amide-nitrogen and neighboring lipids are important for the cohesive properties of sphingolipids in membranes, and this also appears to be a valid model for ceramide.

We have prepared palmitoyl sphingomyelin (PSM) analogs in which either the 2-NH was methylated to NMe, the 3-OH was methylated to OMe, or both were methylated simultaneously. The aim of the study was to determine how such modifications in the membrane interfacial region of the molecules affected interlipid interactions in bilayer membranes. Measuring DPH anisotropy in vesicle membranes prepared from the SM analogs, we observed that methylation decreased gel-phase stability and increased fluid phase disorder, when compared to PSM. Methylation of the 2-NH had the largest effect on gel-phase instability (T(m), was lowered by similar to 7 degrees C). Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations showed that fluid phase bilayers with methylated SM analogs were more expanded but thinner compared to PSM bilayers. It was further revealed that 3-OH methylation dramatically attenuated hydrogen bonding also via the amide nitrogen, whereas 2-NH methylation did not similarly affect hydrogen bonding via the 3-OH. The interactions of sterols with the methylated SM analogs were markedly affected. 3-OH methylation almost completely eliminated the capacity of the SM analog to form sterol-enriched ordered domains, whereas the 2-NH methylated SM analog formed sterol-enriched domains but these were less thermostable (and thus less ordered) than the domains formed by PSM. Cholestatrienol affinity to bilayers containing methylated SM analogs was also markedly reduced as compared to its affinity for bilayers containing PSM. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed further that cholesterol's bilayer location was deeper in PSM bilayers as compared to the location in bilayers made from methylated SM analogs. This study shows that the interfacial properties of SMs are very important for interlipid interactions and the formation of laterally ordered domains in complex bilayers. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The peridinin-chlorophyll a-protein (PCP) is a light-harvesting pigment-protein complex found in many species of marine algae. It contains the highly substituted carotenoid peridinin and chlorophyll a, which together facilitate the transfer of absorbed solar energy to the photosynthetic reaction center. Photoexcited peridinin exhibits unorthodox spectroscopic and kinetic behavior for a carotenoid, including a strong dependence of the S(1) excited singlet state lifetime on solvent environment. This effect has been attributed to the presence of an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state in the molecule. The present work explores the effect of changing the extent of π-electron conjugation and attached functional groups on the nature of the ICT state of peridinin and how these factors affect the excited singlet and triplet state spectra and kinetics of the carotenoid. In this investigation three peridinin analogues denoted C-1-R-peridinin, C-1-peridinin, and D-1-peridinin were synthesized and studied using steady-state absorption and fluorescence techniques and ultrafast time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy. The study explores the effect on the singlet and triplet state spectra and dynamics of removing the allene group from the peridinin structure and either replacing it with a rigid furanoid ring, replacing it with an epoxide group, or extending the polyene chain into the β-ionylidine ring.

Stark absorption spectra of peridinin (Per) and five allene-modified analogues and their angular dependence as a function of an externally applied electric field were measured in methyl methacrylate polymer at 77K. In all cases, the energetically lowest absorption band has a significant change of static dipole moment upon photoexcitation (Δμ). In particular, Per has the largest value of |Δμ|. The angles between Δμ and the transition dipole moment of all the analogues were determined. It is suggested that the allene group in Per plays a key role as the electron donor in the charge transfer process following photoexcitation. The results of MNDO-PSDCI calculations support this idea.

The Peridinin-Chlorophyll a-Protein (PCP) complex has both an exceptionally efficient light-harvesting ability and a highly effective protective capacity against photodynamic reactions involving singlet oxygen. These functions can be attributed to presence of a substantial amount of the highly-substituted and complex carotenoid, peridinin, in the protein and the facts that the low-lying singlet states of peridinin are higher in energy than those of chlorophyll (Chl) a, but the lowest-lying triplet state of peridinin is below that of Chl a. Thus, singlet energy can be transferred from peridinin to Chl a, but the Chl a triplet state is quenched before it can sensitize the formation of singlet oxygen. The present investigation takes advantage of Chl a as an effective triplet state donor to peridinin and explores the triplet state spectra and dynamics of a systematic series of peridinin analogs having different numbers of conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds. The carotenoids investigated are peridinin, which has a C(37) carbon skeleton and eight conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds, and three synthetic analogs: C(33)-peridinin, having two less double bonds than peridinin, C(35)-peridinin which has one less double bond than peridinin, and C(39)-peridinin which has one more double bond than peridinin. In this study, the behavior of the triplet state spectra and kinetics exhibited by these molecules has been investigated in polar and nonpolar solvents and reveals a substantial effect of both pi-electron conjugated chain length and solvent environment on the spectral lineshapes. However, only a small dependence of these factors is observed on the kinetics of triplet energy transfer from Chl a and on carotenoid triplet state deactivation to the ground state.

Peridinin is known as a representative auxiliary light harvesting pigment for photosynthesis in the sea. In the peridinin-chlorophyll (Chl) a-protein (PCP) complex, exceptionally high (>95%) energy transfer efficiencies from peridinin to Chl a has been reported. This energy transfer efficiency is thought to be related to the unique structure of peridinin, which possesses allene and ylidenbutenolide functions and the unusual C37 carbon skeleton referred to as a ‘nor-carotenoid’. There are, however, no studies on the subjects of why peridinin possesses a unique allene group and an irregular C37 skeleton, and how these functions play a role in the exceptionally high energy transfer. We have established the highly efficient synthesis of natural peridinin and successfully synthesized its allene and conjugated polyene modified derivatives. Measurements of their ultrafast time resolved spectra and Stark spectra have strongly suggested that these structural feature of peridinin has essentially contributed to its super ability of energy transfer.

An efficient one-pot synthetic procedure for the synthesis of 2,4-disubstituted pyridines has been successfully established. The method proceeds through a 6pi-azaelectrocyclization-aromatization sequence. Using this method, a wide variety of pyridine structures substituted at the 2-position have been rapidly constructed from vinyl stannanes, vinyl iodide, sulfonamide, and a palladium catalyst. The method was further applied to the solid-phase synthesis wherein the use of a "traceless" sulfonamide linker enabled the rapid preparation of a small library of pyridines with high purity, without any chromatographic separation.

The lifetime of the lowest excited singlet (S(1)) state of peridinin and many other carbonyl-containing carotenoids and polyenes has been reported to depend on the polarity of the solvent. This effect has been attributed to the presence of an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state in the manifold of excited states for these molecules. The nature of this ICT state has yet to be elucidated. In the present work, steady-state and ultrafast time-resolved optical spectroscopy have been performed on peridinin and three synthetic analogues, C(33)-peridinin, C(35)-peridinin, and C(39)-peridinin, which have different numbers of conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds. Otherwise, the molecules are structurally similar in that they possess the same functional groups. The trends in the positions of the steady-state and transient spectral profiles for this systematic series of molecules allow an assignment of the spectral features to transitions involving the S(0), S(1), S(2), and ICT states. A kinetics analysis reveals the lifetimes of the excited states and the dynamics of their excited state deactivation pathways. The most striking observation in the data is that the lifetime of the ICT state converges to the same value of 10.0 +/- 2.0 ps in the polar solvent, methanol, for all the peridinin analogues, regardless of the extent of pi-electron conjugation. This suggests that the ICT state is highly localized on the lactone ring, which is a common structural feature in all the molecules. The data further suggest that the S(1) and ICT states behave independently and that the ICT state is populated from both S(1) and S(2), the rate and efficiency from S(1) being dependent on the length of the pi-electron chain of the carotenoid and the solvent polarity.

The syntheses of optically homogeneous sphingomyelin analogues, which possess CH2, NH, and S instead of the phosphate oxygen connecting the phosphocholine head group to the sphingosine backbone, were successfully achieved by employing the olefin cross-metathesis protocol between 1-pentadecene and the amino alcohol parts possessing the suitable building block or functional group for construction of the phosphocholine moiety. In addition, fluorescence-labeled sphingomyelin methylene analogue was also synthesized.

We have characterized the molecular properties and membrane behavior of synthetically modified sphingomyelin analogues, modified on the oxygen connecting the phosphocholine group to the ceramide backbone. The oxygen was replaced with an S-atom (S-PSM), an NH-group (NH-PSM) or a CH(2)-group (CH(2)-PSM). Diphenylhexatriene and Laurdan anisotropy experiments showed that an S-linkage increased and NH- and CH(2)-linkages decreased the stability of PSM-analogue bilayer membranes as compared to PSM. When the polarity of the interface was probed using Laurdan, S-PSM appeared to have a lower polarity as compared to PSM whereas NH-PSM and CH(2)-PSM had higher polarities of their respective interfaces. Fluorescence quenching-studies with cholestatrienol showed that all compounds formed SM/cholesterol-rich domains. The S-PSM/cholesterol and PSM/cholesterol domains displayed a similar thermostability, whereas NH-PSM/cholesterol and CH(2)-PSM/cholesterol domains were less thermostable. DSC on vesicles containing the PSM-analogues showed a more complex melting behavior as compared to PSM, whereas equimolar mixtures of the PSM-analogues and PSM showed almost ideal mixing with PSM for NH- and S-PSM. Our data show that the properties of the bond linking the phosphocholine head group to the 1-hydroxyl on the ceramide molecule is important for the stability of SM/SM and SM/cholesterol interactions.

In a previous study, we synthesized a novel inhibitor of ceramide kinase, K1. In this study, we determined that inhibition by K1 is non-competitive and that four intact six-membered rings are important to the inhibitory activity. Furthermore, we identified an effective in vivo concentration for K1, at which it did not influence any cellular lipid synthesis other than that of ceramide 1-phosphate (C1P) using RBL-2H3 cells, and found that K1 suppressed the activation of mast cells.

Ceramides and diacylglycerols are lipids with a large hydrophobic part (acyl chains and long-chain base) whereas their polar function (hydroxyl group) is small. They need colipids with large head groups to coexist in bilayer membranes. In this study, we have determined how saturated and unsaturated ceramides and acyl-chain matched diacylglycerols form ordered domains in 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine bilayers as a function of bilayer concentration. The formation of ordered domains was determined from lifetime analysis of trans-parinaric acid. Ceramides formed ordered domains with equal average tPA lifetime at lower bilayer concentration when compared to acyl-chain matched diacylglycerols. This was true for both saturated (16:0) and mono-unsaturated (18:1) species. This finding suggested that hydrogen bonding among ceramides contributed to their more efficient ordered phase formation, since diacylglycerols do not form similar hydrogen bonding networks. The role of hydrogen bonding in ordered domain formation was further verified by using palmitoyl ceramide analogs with 2N and 3OH methylated long-chain bases. These analogs do not form hydrogen bonds from the 2NH or the 3OH, respectively. While methylation of the 3OH did not affect ordered phase formation compared to native palmitoyl ceramide, 2NH methylation markedly attenuated ceramide ordered phase formation. We conclude that in addition to acyl chain length, saturation, molecular order, and lack of large head group, also hydrogen bonding involving the 2NH is crucial for efficient formation of ceramide-rich domains in fluid phosphatidylcholine bilayers.

The novel example of a vinylic hydrogen more reactive than a benzylic hydrogen was found by treatment of a twisted styrene derivative with a strong base followed by D(2)O quenching. In this paper, the full details of the examples of the highly activated vinyl hydrogens in twisted styrene derivatives are described, with a discussion on the correlation between the reactivity of the vinyl hydrogens and the magnitude of the twist. The highly reactive vinyl hydrogens could be rationalized by considering the novel orbital interaction between the pi(*) orbital of the benzene ring and the pi(*) orbital of the vinylic C-H bond in the twisted styrene derivatives.

[reaction: see text] A one-pot procedure for tetracyclic chiral aminoacetals, the useful precursors for substituted piperidine synthesis, has been established via Stille-Migita coupling, 6pi-azaelectrocyclization, and aminoacetal formation from readily prepared vinylstannanes, vinyliodides, and cis-aminoindanol derivatives. Based on the method, chiral 2,4-disubstituted 1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridines, bearing a variety of aromatic substituents at the C-2 position, have been prepared.

As a new sphingomyelinase inhibitor, a novel sphingomyelin CF2 analogue was designed and synthesized. One key step of this synthesis is the very mild hydrolysis of the oxazolidinone ring, a suitable intermediate for the introduction of a diethyl difluoromethylphosphonate group, by utilizing the characteristic electron withdrawing nature of the nosyl group at the oxazolidinone ring in an alcoholic solvent to produce the corresponding carbonate attaching at the secondary hydroxy group. The synthesized CF2 analogue inactivated toward B. cereus sphingomyelinase with nearly the same attitude as the nitrogen analogue that we previously reported.

Recently, we found that (E)-3-carbonyltrienal compounds irreversibly reacted with the specific Lys of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) to produce 1, 2-dihydropyridine via facile 6π-azaelectrocyclization leading to inactivation of the enzyme. The smooth azaelectrocyclization was due to the presence of both the C 4-carbonyl group and the C 6-alkenyl group in 1-azatriene: this attractive discovery prompted us to investigate the substituent effects on azaelectrocyclization and to develop it as a method of natural products synthesis. The paper describes our efforts on (i) establishing the new synthesis of 3-cis-1-azatrienes as the precursors of azaelectrocyclization, (ii) cyclization studies, and (iii) rationale for smooth electrocyclization based on molecular orbital calculation. Then, we achieved (iv) one-pot pyridine synthesis and (v) highly stereoselective asymmetric azaelectrocyclization, which were applied to the formal syntheses of the ocular age pigment, A 2-E, and an optically active indole alkaloid, 20-epiuleine, respectively.

Antigen-induced degranulation of mast cells plays a pivotal role in allergic and inflammatory responses. Recently, ceramide kinase (CERK) and its phosphorylated product ceramide 1-phosphate (C1P) have emerged as important players in mast cell degranulation. Here, we describe the synthesis of a novel F-12509A olefin isomer, K1, as an effective CERK inhibitor. In vitro kinase assays demonstrated that K1 effectively inhibits CERK without inhibiting sphingosine kinase and diacylglycerol kinase. Treating RBL-2H3 cells with K1 reduced cellular C1P levels to 40% yet had no effect on cell growth. Furthermore, treatment with K1 significantly suppressed both calcium ionophore- and IgE/antigen-induced degranulation, indicating that K1 interferes with signals that happen downstream of Ca(2+) mobilization. Finally, we show that K1 affects neither IgE/antigen-induced global tyrosine phosphorylation nor subsequent Ca(2+) elevation, suggesting a specificity for CERK-mediated signals. Our novel CERK inhibitor provides a useful tool for studying the biological functions of CERK and C1P. Moreover, to our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating that inhibition of CERK suppresses IgE/antigen-induced mast cell degranulation. This finding suggests that CERK inhibitors might be a potential therapeutic tool in the treatment of allergic diseases.

Peridinin, which was isolated from the planktonic algae dinoflagellates causing red tides, is a highly oxidized carotenoid containing an allene and a characteristic (Z)-gamma-ylidenebutenolide function in the main conjugated polyene chain in addition to functionalized cyclohexane rings at both ends of the molecule. We achieved a stereocontrolled total synthesis of peridinin by featuring the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation under precise reaction conditions, Wittig reaction with silylfuranmethylide followed by photosensitized oxygenation, stereocontrolled Pd-catalyzed one-pot (Z)-gamma-ylidenebutenolide synthesis, and modified Julia-Kocienski olefination. This synthesis is the first example of controlling the stereochemistry of polyfunctional allenic carotenoids.

The highly stereoselective asymmetric 6pi-azaelectrocyclization was achieved as a general synthetic method based on the reaction between the (E)-3-carbonyl-2,4,6-trienal compounds and the (-)-7-alkyl-cis-1-amino-2-indanol derivatives which are effective chiral amines. The 7-alkyl-substituted 2-indanol moiety of the cyclized products was efficiently removed by the novel manganese dioxide oxidation under remarkably mild conditions, and the method was successfully applied to the formal synthesis of optically active 20-epiuleine.

Bisphenol A (BpA), an endocrine-disrupting chemical, is known to be a xenoestrogen and to affect the reproductive functions of animals. Recent reports have documented BpA-induced developmental abnormalities in the neuronal systems of humans and animals, and these effects appear to be non-estrogenic. In this study, we found that BpA inhibited the hypoxic response of human hepatoma cells. The expression of hypoxic response genes such as the erythropoietin (EPO) gene is done via a hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1)-dependent signaling pathway. To investigate possible structural requirements for this inhibitory effect, several BpA analogs were synthesized and added to this system. The blocking of two phenol groups in BpA did not change the effect, but the inhibition completely disappeared by the removal of two central methyl groups in BpA (the resulting compound is designated BpF). BpA, but not BpF, promoted degradation of the HIF-1alpha protein, which is a component of HIF-1, followed by inhibition of EPO induction. An immunoprecipitation assay indicated that BpA dissociated heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) from HIF-1alpha and destabilized HIF-1alpha protein. HIF-1alpha is usually degraded first by ubiquitination and then by the proteasome pathway. Cobalt ion inhibits ubiquitination of HIF-1alpha and stabilizes it. In the present study, BpA promoted HIF-1alpha degradation in the presence of cobalt and in the presence of proteasome inhibitor. These results suggest that BpA degraded HIF-1alpha via a currently unknown pathway, and that this phenomenon required two methyl groups in BpA.

The synthesis of new chiral auxiliaries, 7-alkyl substituted cis-1-amino-2-indanol derivatives, was established by the Diels–Alder reaction of 1-substituted dienes with cyclopentenone followed by the asymmetric epoxidation of the resulting indene derivatives and then the Ritter reaction. These bulky cis-aminoindanol derivatives are very effective as chiral auxiliaries and nitrogen sources in the asymmetric 6π-azaelectrocyclization. The corresponding 4-alkyl derivative was also prepared using a similar method.

[structure: see text] Sphingomyelin nitrogen analogue 1 was designed and synthesized as a sphingomyelinase inhibitor. The synthesis was established by continuous Hofmann rearrangement and Crutius rearrangement as key steps in constructing the 3-hydroxy-1,2-diamine structure in the backbone of 1. This analogue showed moderate inhibitory activity toward SMase isolated from B. cereus.

A fluorescence-labeled sphingosine and sphingosine 1-phosphate have been successfully synthesized from the oxazolidinone methyl ester derived from glycidol via monoalkylation and the stereoselective reduction of the resulting ketone. The labeled sphingosine was converted into its phosphate by treatment with sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) from mouse, and in platelets, and it was incorporated into the Chinese Hamster Ovarian (CHO) cells. In addition, MAPK was activated by NBD-Sph-1-P through Edg-1, Sph-1-P receptor.

A novel synthesis of the allene moiety of carotenoids was achieved by the regioselective ene reaction of the vinyl hydrogen rather than the allyl hydrogen of the significantly twisted 1,3-dienes, (3 R )-alkoxy- cis -β-ionol derivative, followed by selective allyl rearrangement.

We have developed a simple and practical method for providing enantiomerically pure bi-, tri-, and tetracyclic frameworks having a 1,1,5-trimethyl-trans-decalin nucleus, and demonstrated their utility for terpenoid synthesis. Thus, we achieved the stereocontrolled total syntheses of (+)-acuminolide as a bicyclic, (−)-spongianolide A as a tricyclic, and (+)-scalarenedial as a tetracyclic terpenoid from the corresponding optically pure cyclic β-ketoesters, which were obtained by repeating the same method of the ring construction, including the olefin cyclization with Lewis acid, followed by simple optical resolution using chiral auxiliaries for acetal formation, respectively. This is a general and valuable strategy for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure cyclic terpenoids having the 1,1,5-trimethyl- trans -decalin nucleus.

The remarkable acceleration of 6π-azaelectrocyclization due to the combination of the C4-carbonyl and the C6-alkenyl or phenyl substituents in 1-azatrienes was found. This observation was rationalized by considering the remarkable orbital interaction between the HOMO and LUMO of 1-azatrienes, which were obtained by molecular orbital calculations. The formal synthesis of the unusual retinal metabolite, A2-E, was achieved by two types of the new one-pot synthesis of substituted pyridines by utilizing the obtained facile 6π-azaelectrocyclization, one of which is compatible with the proposed metabolic pathway of A2-E.

The highly efficient asymmetric total synthesis of indole alkaloid, (−)-corynantheidol, containing a 2,4,5-trisubstituted piperidine core, was achieved using a new version of the one-pot azaelectrocyclization reaction. The formal synthesis of (−)-corynantheidine was also achieved using the common synthetic intermediate for these corynantheines.

The highly diastereoselective allene formation by photosensitized oxygenation of the significantly twisted novel 1,3-dienes which possess an sp 3 chiral center due to a secondary hydroxy group and a tertiary alkoxy group at allylic positions is described.