Search

Bioactive compound design based on natural product (NP) structure may be limited because of partial coverage of NP‐like chemical space and biological target space. These limitations can be overcome by combining NP‐centered strategies with fragment‐based compound design through combination of NP‐derived fragments to afford structurally unprecedented “pseudo‐natural products” (pseudo‐NPs). The design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of a collection of indomorphan pseudo‐NPs that combine biosynthetically unrelated indole‐ and morphan‐alkaloid fragments are described. Indomorphane derivative Glupin was identified as a potent inhibitor of glucose uptake by selectively targeting and upregulating glucose transporters GLUT‐1 and GLUT‐3. Glupin suppresses glycolysis, reduces the levels of glucose‐derived metabolites, and attenuates the growth of various cancer cell lines. Our findings underscore the importance of dual GLUT‐1 and GLUT‐3 inhibition to efficiently suppress tumor cell growth and the cellular rescue mechanism, which counteracts glucose scarcity., Combination therapy: Indomorphan pseudo‐natural products (pseudo‐NPs) have been synthesized that combine biosynthetically unrelated indole and morphan alkaloid fragments. This new glucose uptake inhibitor chemotype selectively targets and upregulates the glucose transporters GLUT‐1 and GLUT‐3 and inhibits the growth of cancer cells.

Identification and validation of the targets of bioactive small molecules identified in cell-based screening is challenging and often meets with failure, calling for the development of new methodology. We demonstrate that a combination of chemical proteomics with in silico target prediction employing the SPiDER method may provide efficient guidance for target candidate selection and prioritization for experimental in-depth evaluation. We identify 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) as the target of the Wnt pathway inhibitor Lipoxygenin. Lipoxygenin is a non-redox 5-LO inhibitor, modulates the β-catenin-5-LO complex and induces reduction of both β-catenin and 5-LO levels in the nucleus. Lipoxygenin and the structurally unrelated 5-LO inhibitor CJ-13,610 promote cardiac differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells and inhibit Hedgehog, TGF-β BMP, and Activin A signaling, suggesting an unexpected and yet unknown role of 5-LO in these developmental pathways. Using cell-based screening, Brand et al. identified 3,5-substituted-2,4-dimethoxypyridines as inhibitors of Wnt signaling. Combination of chemical proteomics and computational target prediction followed by target validation revealed 5-lipoxygenase as the target.

Macrocyclic natural products (NPs) and analogues thereof often show high affinity, selectivity, and metabolic stability, and methods for the synthesis of NP-like macrocycle collections are of major current interest. We report an efficient solid-phase/cyclorelease method for the synthesis of a collection of macrocyclic depsipeptides with bipartite peptide/polyketide structure inspired by the very potent F-actin stabilizing depsipeptides of the jasplakinolide/geodiamolide class. The method includes the assembly of an acyclic precursor chain on a polymeric carrier, terminated by olefins that constitute complementary fragments of the polyketide section and cyclization by means of a relay-ring-closing metathesis (RRCM). The method was validated in the first total synthesis of the actin-stabilizing cyclodepsipeptide seragamide A and the synthesis of a collection of structurally diverse bipartite depsipeptides.

The biosynthetic origin of 1,2,5,6-tetraoxygenated phenylphenalenones and the sequence according to which their oxygen functionalities are introduced during the biosynthesis in Wachendorfia thyrsiflora were studied using two approaches. (1) Oxygenated phenylpropanoids were probed as substrates of recombinant W. thyrsiflora polyketide synthase 1 (WtPKS1), which is involved in the diarylheptanoid and phenylphenalenone biosynthetic pathways, (2) Root cultures of W. thyrsiflora were incubated with (13)C-labelled precursors in an (18)O2 atmosphere to observe incorporation of the two isotopes at defined biosynthetic steps. NMR- and HRESIMS-based analyses were used to unravel the isotopologue composition of the biosynthetic products, lachnanthoside aglycone and its allophanyl glucoside. Current results suggest that the oxygen atoms decorating the phenalenone tricycle are introduced at different biosynthetic stages in the sequence O-1→O-2→O-5. In addition, the incubation of W. thyrsiflora root cultures with (13)C-labelled lachnanthocarpone established a direct biosynthetic precursor-product relationship with 1,2,5,6-tetraoxygenated phenylphenalenones.

Process and outcome quality of inpatient treatment of depression in Germany was described in a multicenter study of 10 hospitals in North-Rhine Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. The treatment of more than 2000 depressive patients was assessed by quality indicators and outcome was compared between the hospitals (benchmarking). Results show great variance in length of stay between the hospitals. While in one hospital patients with depressive episodes were discharged after 36.8 days (average), the average length of stay in another hospital was 64.3 days. Furthermore the study revealed that hospitals differ strongly regarding their case-mix. Using stepwise multiple regression analyses potential confounding variables (sociodemographics, history of previous treatment, severity of depression) were identified and their influence on length of stay was calculated. After cross validation the regression analyses model explained 7% of the variance and included 5 predictors. Length of stay is prolonged by patients with a recurrent depressive disorder, by patients with impairment of social functioning and by severity of the depression. Length of stay is reduced if the indication of inpatient treatment was crisis intervention and if there was a previous suicide attempt. It was shown that differences in patient case-mix only account for a small percentage of hospital differences in length of stay. Method, effort and benefit of the regression analyses approach are discussed.

Chalcone synthase (CHS) related type III plant polyketide synthases (PKSs) are likely to be involved in the biosynthesis of diarylheptanoids (e.g. curcumin and polycyclic phenylphenalenones), but no such activity has been reported. Root cultures from Wachendorfia thyrsiflora (Haemodoraceae) are a suitable source to search for such enzymes because they synthesize large amounts of phenylphenalenones, but no other products that are known to require CHSs or related enzymes (e.g. flavonoids or stilbenes). A homology-based RT-PCR strategy led to the identification of cDNAs for a type III PKS sharing only approximately 60% identity with typical CHSs. It was named WtPKS1 (W. thyrsiflora polyketide synthase 1). The purified recombinant protein accepted a large variety of aromatic and aliphatic starter CoA esters, including phenylpropionyl- and side-chain unsaturated phenylpropanoid-CoAs. The simplest model for the initial reaction in diarylheptanoid biosynthesis predicts a phenylpropanoid-CoA as starter and a single condensation reaction to a diketide. Benzalacetones, the expected release products, were observed only with unsaturated phenylpropanoid-CoAs, and the best results were obtained with 4-coumaroyl-CoA (80% of the products). With all other substrates, WtPKS1 performed two condensation reactions and released pyrones. We propose that WtPKS1 catalyses the first step in diarylheptanoid biosynthesis and that the observed pyrones are derailment products in the absence of downstream processing proteins.