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Modification of cysteine (Cys) residues in proteins, due to (i) the participation of the thiol moiety of this amino acid in oxido-reductions reactions; (ii) its ability to strongly coordinate transition metal ions; or (iii) its nucleophilic nature and facile reaction with electrophiles, may be of critical importance for the design of novel types of pharmacological agents. Application of such procedures, recently led to the design of novel antivirals, mainly based on the reaction of zinc finger proteins with disulfides and related derivatives. This approach was particularly successful for developing novel anti-HIV and anti-HPV agents. Several new anticancer therapeutic approaches, mainly targeting tubulin, Ras and fanesyl transferase among others, have also been reported. Miscellaneous other agents/procedures which found less applications for the moment, and which are based on Cys modification reactions, are reviewed. This unique amino acid offers very interesting possibilities to develop particularly useful pharmacological agents, which generally possess a completely different mechanism of action as compared to classical agents in clinical use, avoiding their major problems such as multidrug-resistance of antivirals or antitumor agents or high toxicity associated with classical such chemotherapeutic agents.

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X-ray absorption spectroscopy has been utilized to investigate the structure of the active site of iron(II) catechol 2,3-dioxygenase from Pseudomonas putida mt2 both in the native and the 2-chlorophenol inhibited forms. XANES (X-ray absorption near edge structure) and EXAFS (extended X-ray absorption fine structure) results allow us to discuss the coordination number and geometry of the ferrous ion in the native enzyme. The metal geometry is not significantly affected by the binding of the inhibitor. The EXAFS spectrum is consistent with an iron(II) bound to six N/O atoms at an average distance of 2.05 A or to five N/O at an average distance of 2.04 A. The stimulation of the experimental data is greatly enhanced by considering the iron ligands divided in two different shells. Analysis of the outer shells performed using multiple scattering theory shows that there are histidines in the coordination sphere. The best fitting is obtained assuming the presence of two of them. Similar results are obtained for the inhibited enzyme, which, however, are indicative of a slight shortening of the average metal-donor bond distances. The direct binding of inhibitors to the metal center is confirmed by 1H NMR data.

L-alanine hydroxamate derivatives were obtained by reaction of alkyl/arylsulfonyl halides with L-alanine, followed by treatment with benzyl chloride, and conversion of the COOH moiety to the CONHOH group with hydroxylamine in the presence of carbodiimides. Other derivatives were obtained by reaction of N-benzyl-alanine with aryl isocyanates, arylsulfonyl isocyanates or benzoyl isothiocyanate, followed by a similar conversion of the COOH to the CONHOH moiety. The obtained compounds were assayed as inhibitors of Clostridium histolyticum collagenase, ChC (EC 3.4.24.3), a zinc enzyme which degrades triple helical collagen. The hydroxamate derivatives were generally 100-500 times more active than the corresponding carboxylates. In the series of synthesized derivatives, substitution patterns leading to the most potent ChC inhibitors were those involving perfluoroalkylsulfonyl- and substituted-arylsulfonyl moieties, such as pentafluorophenylsulfonyl, 3- and 4-protected-aminophenylsulfonyl-, 3- and 4-carboxy-phenylsulfonyl-, 3-trifluoromethyl-phenylsulfonyl-, or 1- and 2-naphthylsulfonyl among others. Similarly to the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) hydroxamate inhibitors, ChC inhibitors of the type reported here must incorporate hydrophobic moieties at the P(2') and P(3') sites, in order to achieve tight binding to the enzyme.

The single crystal linearly polarized electronic spectra of tetragonal Ni(en)2(NCS)z and Ni(en)2(N02)z over the 8000-30000 cm™1 range have been reported and assigned. Ligand field parameters, Dq, Ds, and Dt, and angular overlap parameters, ea' and er' were derived from the assigned d-d spectra. These parameters have been compared with those of the respective tetragonal amine nickel complexes with known structure whose spectra were reliably assigned. The strong dependence of Dq on the metal-donor distance has been found for en and amine nickel complexes. The possibility of transferring the ea and tV parameters of the donor atoms, corrected for the appropriate distance, is also discussed.

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