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Post‐translational modifications (PTMs) of histones play a key role in epigenetic regulation. Unraveling the roles of each epigenetic mark can provide new insights into their biological mechanisms. On the other hand, it is generally difficult to prepare homogeneously‐modified histones/nucleosomes to investigate their specific functions. Therefore, synthetic approaches to acquire precisely mimicked histones/nucleosomes are in great demand, and further development of this research field is anticipated. In this review, synthetic strategies to modify histones/nucleosomes, including cysteine modifications, transformations of dehydroalanine residues and lysine acylation using a catalyst system, are cited. In addition, the functional evaluation of synthetically modified histones/nucleosomes is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iridoids are a large family of monoterpenoids found in traditional medicinal plants and show significant effects for the human species. In addition to their wide range of biological activities, such as neuroprotective and antitumor activities, the cis‐fused bicyclic ring systems of iridoids are still attractive as synthetic targets to apply novel synthetic methodologies. Accordingly, recent progress regarding the biosynthesis and chemical synthesis of iridoids is covered in this minireview. Identification of new enzymes for the iridoid biosynthesis in Catharanthus roseus and ingenious synthetic strategies for the construction of the iridoid skeleton are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A structure-activity relationship study on three classes of polymyxin analogues focusing on hydrophobicity was conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new compound, a derivative of 3,4,5-trimethoxy-N-phenyl benzamide bearing an 8′′-methylimidazopyridine moiety, is found to demonstrate neuroprotective effects by preventing cell death caused by oxidative stress. The compound possesses high solubility and metabolic stability, and inhibits MPTP-induced effects in vivo, indicating high potential as a therapeutic drug for Parkinson's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plinabulin and KPU-300 are promising anti-microtubule agents; however, the low water solubility of these compounds (<0.1 µg/mL) has limited their pharmaceutical advantages. Here, we developed five water-soluble derivatives of plinabulin and KPU-300 with a click strategy using disodium salts of amino acids. The mother skeleton, diketopiperazine (DKP), was transformed into a monolactim-type alkyne and a copper-catalyzed alkyne azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) combined azides that was derived from amino acids as a water-solubilizing moiety. The conversion of carboxyl groups into disodium salts greatly improved the water solubility by 0.8 million times compared to the solubility of the parent molecules. In addition, the α-amino acid side chains of the water-solubilizing moieties affected both the water solubility and the half-lives of the compounds during enzymatic hydrolysis. Our effort to develop a variety of water-soluble derivatives using the click strategy has revealed that the replaceable water-solubilizing moieties can alter molecular solubility and stability under enzymatic hydrolysis. With this flexibility, we are approaching to the in vivo study using water-soluble derivative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Solid-phase synthesis of fluorescent probe of Park's nucleotide, lipid I and lipid II. • Introduction of fluorescent groups at the late stage of synthesis and sigle HPLC purification. • Potential to modular synthesis of functional analogues of Park's nucleotide, lipid I and lipid II. Solid-phase modular synthesis of fluorescent analogues of Park's nucleotide, lipid I and II, is described. The Fmoc protected lysine side chain of resin-bound intermediates were selectively modified by various fluorescent groups. This is the first example of solid-phase synthesis of these compounds. This synthetic strategy allows the preparation of various fluorescent probes for investigating the mechanisms of bacterial cell-wall biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: 4-Hydroxycoumarin (1) is a useful synthon in synthetic organic chemistry and a basic skeleton of several bioactive compounds. The direct functionalization of 1 with novel catalytic system would provide an efficient meaning for construction of a chemical library. Here, we developed a new catalytic system using palladium(II) acetate for the C3 regioselective mono-arylation of 1. The 3-mono-arylated and the 3,4-disubstituted coumarins were synthesized to enable derivatization. This palladium-catalyzed direct arylation of 1 is effective for rapid diversification and chemical library construction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The highly diastereoselective construction of substituted tetrahydropyrans, a common core segment (C3–C10) of the thiomarinols and the pseudomonic acid antibiotics, has been accomplished using the intramolecular oxy-Michael reaction under both basic and high-pressure conditions followed by regio- and stereoselective epoxide opening with acetylide. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is known to be a carcinogenic agent that causes AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). When KSHV infects host's cells, one of the virus's proteins, latency-associated nuclear antigen 1 (LANA), binds to the host's nucleosomes to retain episomes and create latency circumstances. Although the infectious mechanism of KSHV is partly elucidated, the development of drug candidates for targeting KS is ongoing. In this study, we developed cyclic peptides corresponding to an N -terminal LANA sequence that disrupt the LANA–nucleosome interaction. The cyclic peptides showed a different secondary structure compared to their corresponding linear peptide derivatives, which suggests that our cyclization strategy imitates the N -terminal LANA binding conformation on nucleosomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death, thus a novel chemotherapeutic agent for colon cancer therapy is needed. In this study, analogues of echinomycin, a cyclic peptide natural product with potent toxicity to several human cancer cell lines, were synthesized, and their biological activities against human colon cancer cells were investigated. Analogue 3 as well as 1 inhibit HIF-1α-mediated transcription. Notably, transcriptome analysis indicated that the cell cycle and its regulation were involved in the effects on cells treated with 3. Analogue 3 exhibited superior in vivo efficacy to echinomycin without significant toxicity in mouse xenograft model. The low dose of 3 needed to be efficacious in vivo is also noteworthy and our data suggest that 3 is an attractive and potentially novel agent for the treatment of colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel catalytic system is developed for the C3 regioselective mono-arylation of 4-hydroxycoumarin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Development of selective or dual proteasome subunit inhibitors based on syringolin B as a scaffold is described. We focused our efforts on a structure–activity relationship study of inhibitors with various substituents at the 3-position of the macrolactam moiety of syringolin B analogue to evaluate whether this would be sufficient to confer subunit selectivity by using sets of analogues with hydrophobic, basic and acidic substituents, which were designed to target Met45, Glu53 and Arg45 embedded in the S1 subsite, respectively. The structure–activity relationship study using systematic analogues provided insight into the origin of the subunit-selective inhibitory activity. This strategy would be sufficient to confer subunit selectivity regarding β5 and β2 subunits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tunicamycins, which are nucleoside natural products, inhibit both bacterial phospho-N-acetylmuraminic acid (MurNAc)-pentapeptide translocase (MraY) and human UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc): polyprenol phosphate translocase (GPT). The improved synthesis and detailed biological evaluation of an MraY-selective inhibitor, 2, where the GlcNAc moiety was modified to a MurNAc amide, has been described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed transgenic (Tg) rats that express human CD4, CCR5, CXCR4, CyclinT1, and CRM1 genes. Tg rat macrophages were efficiently infected with HIV-1 and supported production of infectious progeny virus. By contrast, both rat primary CD4+ T cells and established T cell lines expressing human CD4, CCR5, CyclinT1, and CRM1 genes were infected inefficiently, but this was ameliorated by inhibition of cyclophilin A. The infectivity of rat T cell-derived virus was lower than that of human T cell-derived virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myostatin,an endogenous negative regulator of skeletal musclemass, is a therapeutic target for muscle atrophic disorders. Here,we identified minimum peptides 2and 7toeffectively inhibit myostatin activity, which consist of 24 and 23amino acids, respectively, derived from mouse myostatin prodomain.These peptides, which had the propensity to form α-helix structure,interacted to myostatin with KDvaluesof 30–36 nM. Moreover, peptide 2significantlyincreased muscle mass in Duchenne muscular dystrophy model mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuromedin U (NMU) are bioactivepeptides with a common C-terminalheptapeptide sequence (FLFRPRN-amide, 1a) among mammals,which is responsible for receptor activation, namely NMU receptortypes 1 (NMUR1) and 2 (NMUR2). Among the various physiological actionsof NMU, the anorexigenic effect has recently attracted attention indrug discovery efforts for treating obesity. Although several structure–activityrelationship (SAR) studies have been reported, receptor-selectivesmall peptide agonists have yet to be disclosed. Herein a SAR studyof 1a-derived peptide derivatives is described. We initiallyscreened both human NMUR1- and NMUR2-selective peptides in calcium-mobilizationassays with cells transiently expressing receptors. Then we performeda precise assay with a stable expression system of receptors and consequentlydiscovered hexapeptides 8dand 6bpossessingselective agonist activity toward each respective receptor. Hexapeptide 6b, which selectively activates NMUR2 without significantNMUR1 activation, should aid in the development of anorexigenic drugsas well as advance NMU-related endocrinological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review: 63 refs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report the design and synthesis of a series of dipeptide-type inhibitors with novel P3 scaffolds that display potent inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV 3CLpro. A docking study involving binding between the dipeptidic lead compound 4 and 3CLpro suggested the modification of a structurally flexible P3 N-(3-methoxyphenyl)glycine with various rigid P3 moieties in 4. The modifications led to the identification of several potent derivatives, including 5c–k and 5n with the inhibitory activities (K i or IC50) in the submicromolar to nanomolar range. Compound 5h, in particular, displayed the most potent inhibitory activity, with a K i value of 0.006 μM. This potency was 65-fold higher than the potency of the lead compound 4 (K i = 0.39 μM). In addition, the K i value of 5h was in very good agreement with the binding affinity (16 nM) observed in isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). A SAR study around the P3 group in the lead 4 led to the identification of a rigid indole-2-carbonyl unit as one of the best P3 moieties (5c). Further optimization showed that a methoxy substitution at the 4-position on the indole unit was highly favorable for enhancing the inhibitory potency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This work describes the design, synthesis, and evaluation of low-molecular weight peptidic SARS-CoV 3CL protease inhibitors. The inhibitors were designed based on the potent tripeptidic Z-Val-Leu-Ala(pyrrolidone-3-yl)-2-benzothiazole (8; K i = 4.1 nM), in which the P3 valine unit was substituted with a variety of distinct moieties. The resulting series of dipeptide-type inhibitors displayed moderate to good inhibitory activities against 3CLpro. In particular, compounds 26m and 26n exhibited good inhibitory activities with K i values of 0.39 and 0.33 μM, respectively. These low-molecular weight compounds are attractive leads for the further development of potent peptidomimetic inhibitors with pharmaceutical profiles. Docking studies were performed to model the binding interaction of the compound 26m with the SARS-CoV 3CL protease. The preliminary SAR study of the peptidomimetic compounds with potent inhibitory activities revealed several structural features that boosted the inhibitory activity: (i) a benzothiazole warhead at the S1′ position, (ii) a γ-lactam unit at the S1-position, (iii) an appropriately hydrophobic leucine moiety at the S2-position, and (iv) a hydrogen bond between the N-arylglycine unit and a backbone hydrogen bond donor at the S3-position. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We describe here the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of a series of molecules toward the development of novel peptidomimetic inhibitors of SARS-CoV 3CLpro. A docking study involving binding between the initial lead compound 1 and the SARS-CoV 3CLpro motivated the replacement of a thiazole with a benzothiazole unit as a warhead moiety at the P1′ site. This modification led to the identification of more potent derivatives, including 2i, 2k, 2m, 2o, and 2p, with IC50 or K i values in the submicromolar to nanomolar range. In particular, compounds 2i and 2p exhibited the most potent inhibitory activities, with K i values of 4.1 and 3.1nM, respectively. The peptidomimetic compounds identified through this process are attractive leads for the development of potential therapeutic agents against SARS. The structural requirements of the peptidomimetics with potent inhibitory activities against SARS-CoV 3CLpro may be summarized as follows: (i) the presence of a benzothiazole warhead at the S1′-position; (ii) hydrogen bonding capabilities at the cyclic lactam of the S1-site; (iii) appropriate stereochemistry and hydrophobic moiety size at the S2-site and (iv) a unique folding conformation assumed by the phenoxyacetyl moiety at the S4-site. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: KPU-105 (4), a potent anti-microtubule agent that contains a benzophenone was derived from the diketopiperazine-type vascular disrupting agent (VDA) plinabulin 3, which displays colchicine-like tubulin depolymerization activity. To develop derivatives with more potent anti-microtubule and cytotoxic activities, we further modified the benzophenone moiety of 4. Accordingly, we obtained a 4-fluorobenzophenone derivative 16j that inhibited tumor cell growth in vitro with a subnanomolar IC50 value against HT-29 cells (IC50 =0.5nM). Next, the effect of 16j on mitotic spindles was evaluated in HeLa cells. Treatment with 3nM of 16j partially disrupted the interphase microtubule network. By contrast, treatment with the same concentration of CA-4 barely affected the microtubule network, indicating that 16j exhibited more potent anti-mitotic effects than did CA-4. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report here the design and synthesis of a novel and selective SH-group biotinylating reagent, KSH-1 (1), for the biotinylation of small molecules using solid phase chemistry. The results demonstrate that 1 efficiently biotinylated a small molecule, captopril, and afforded the product in high yield and purity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A new bioactive photoaffinity probe KPU-252-B1 (4) possessing a biotin tag on the oxazole ring of a potent plinabulin derivative KPU-244 (2) was synthesized via the CuI-catalyzed Huisgen’s cycloaddition reaction to understand the precise binding mode of the diketopiperazine-based anti-microtubule agent plinabulin on tubulin. Probe 4 showed significant binding affinity toward tubulin and cytotoxicity against an HT-29 cells. A photoaffinity labeling study suggested that probe 4 specifically recognizes tubulin at a binding site that binds plinabulin or colchicine, most likely near or at the colchicine binding site, which is located at the interfacial region formed by α-and β-tubulin association. The results also demonstrated that probe 4 may serve as a useful plinabulin chemical probe to investigate the molecular mechanism by which anti-microtubule diketopiperazine derivatives operate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Plinabulin (1, NPI-2358), a potent microtubule-targeting agent derived from the natural diketopiperazine ‘phenylahistin’ with a colchicine-like tubulin depolymerization activity, is an anticancer agent undergoing Phase II clinical trials in four countries including the United States. In order to understand the precise binding mode of plinabulin with tubulin, a new bioactive biotin-tagged photoaffinity probe 4 (KPU-244-B3) was designed and synthesized. Probe 4 showed significant binding affinity to tubulin in a binding assay, and selectively bound to tubulin in an HT-1080 cell lysate without photo-irradiation. In a tubulin photoaffinity labeling study, probe 4 labeled both α- and β-tubulin subunits and these interactions were competitively inhibited by plinabulin during photo-irradiation. These results suggest that plinabulin binds in the boundary region between α- and β-tubulin near the colchicine binding site, and not inside the colchicine binding cavity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: (+)-Negamycin was prepared in 13 steps in an overall yield of 31% from commercially available ethyl (R)-(+)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutanoate. The key step in the reaction sequence was a highly stereoselective asymmetric Michael addition of chiral amine (−)-21 [(1S,2R)-(−)-2-methoxybornyl-10-benzylamine] into the α,β-unsaturated carbonyl moiety of key intermediate 8, thus establishing the second chiral center in (+)-negamycin. 5-epi-Negamycin was also prepared in a similar fashion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] To develop methodology to predict the potential druggability of middle molecules, we examined the structure, solubility, and permeability relationships of a diverse library (HKDL ver.1) consisting of 510 molecules (359 natural product derivatives, 76 non-natural products, 46 natural products, and 29 non-natural product derivatives). The library included peptides, depsipeptides, macrolides, and lignans, and 476 of the 510 compounds had a molecular weight in the range of 500–2000 Da. The solubility and passive diffusion velocity of the middle molecules were assessed using the parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA). Quantitative values of solubility of 471 molecules and passive diffusion velocity of 287 molecules were obtained, and their correlations with the structural features of the molecules were examined. Based on the results, we propose a method to predict the passive diffusion characteristics of middle molecules from their three-dimensional structural features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]