A one-pot protocol for the cyanomethylation of aryl halides through a palladium-catalyzed reaction with isoxazole-4-boronic acid pinacol ester was developed. Mechanistically, the reaction proceeds through (1) Suzuki coupling, (2) base-induced fragmentation, and (3) deformylation as shown by characterization of all postulated intermediates. Under optimized conditions (PdCl(2)dppf, KF, DMSO/H(2)O, 130 °C) a broad spectrum of aryl bromides could be converted into arylacetonitriles with up to 88% yield.
Small-molecule competitors of protein-protein interactions are urgently needed for functional analysis of large-scale genomics and proteomics data. Particularly abundant, yet so far undruggable, targets include domains specialized in recognizing proline-rich segments, including Src-homology 3 (SH3), WW, GYF, and Drosophila enabled (Ena)/vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) homology 1 (EVH1) domains. Here, we present a modular strategy to obtain an extendable toolkit of chemical fragments (ProMs) designed to replace pairs of conserved prolines in recognition motifs. As proofof-principle, we developed a small, selective, peptidomimetic inhibitor of Ena/VASP EVH1 domain interactions. Highly invasive MDA MB 231 breast-cancer cells treated with this ligand showed displacement of VASP from focal adhesions, as well as from the front of lamellipodia, and strongly reduced cell invasion. General applicability of our strategy is illustrated by the design of an ErbB4-derived ligand containing two ProM-1 fragments, targeting the yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1)-WW domain with a fivefold higher affinity.Ena | VASP | protein-protein interaction | actin cytoskeleton | cell migration
Battling metastasis through inhibition of cell motility is considered a promising approach to support cancer therapies. In this context, Ena/VASP-depending signaling pathways, in particular interactions with their EVH1 domains, are promising targets for pharmaceutical intervention. However, protein–protein interactions involving proline-rich segments are notoriously difficult to address by small molecules. Hence, structure-based design efforts in combination with the chemical synthesis of additional molecular entities are required. Building on a previously developed nonpeptidic micromolar inhibitor, we determined 22 crystal structures of ENAH EVH1 in complex with inhibitors and rationally extended our library of conformationally defined proline-derived modules (ProMs) to succeed in developing a nanomolar inhibitor (Kd=120 nM,MW=734Da). In contrast to the previous inhibitor, the optimized compounds reduced extravasation of invasive breast cancer cells in a zebrafish model. This study represents an example of successful, structure-guided development of low molecular weight inhibitors specifically and selectively addressing a proline-rich sequence-recognizing domain that is characterized by a shallow epitope lacking defined binding pockets. The evolved high-affinity inhibitor may now serve as a tool in validating the basic therapeutic concept, i.e., the suppression of cancer metastasis by inhibiting a crucial protein–protein interaction involved in actin filament processing and cell migration.
With the aim of developing polyproline type II helix (PPII) secondary-structure mimetics for the modulation of prolin-rich-mediated protein-protein interactions, the novel diproline mimetic ProM-2 was designed by bridging the two pyrrolidine rings of a diproline (Pro-Pro) unit through a Z-vinylidene moiety. This scaffold, which closely resembles a section of a PPII helix, was then stereoselectively synthesized by exploiting a ruthenium-catalyzed ring-closing metathesis (RCM) as a late key step. The required vinylproline building blocks, that is, (R)-N-Boc-2-vinylproline (Boc=tert-butyloxycarbonyl) and (S,S)-5-vinylproline-tert-butyl ester, were prepared on a gram scale as pure stereoisomers. The difficult peptide coupling of the sterically demanding building blocks was achieved in good yield and without epimerization by using 2-(1H-7-azabenzotriazol-1-yl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate (HATU)/N,N-diisopropylethylamine (DIPEA). The RCM proceeded smoothly in the presence of the Grubbs II catalyst. Stereostructural assignments for several intermediates were secured by X-ray crystallography. As a proof of concept, it was shown that certain peptides containing ProM-2 exhibited improved (canonical) binding towards the Ena/VASP homology 1 (EVH1) domain as a relevant protein interaction target.
Polycyclic proline‐derived scaffolds (ProMs) have recently demonstrated their value as conformationally defined dipeptide analogs for the modular construction of secondary structure mimetics, specifically interfering with PPII helix‐mediated protein–protein interactions. We disclose the stereoselective synthesis of two new tricyclic amino acid scaffolds (ProM‐4 and ProM‐8) that differ from the first generation scaffold ProM‐1 by the size of ring A. Conformational preferences and subtle structural differences of the three homologous scaffolds were analyzed by X‐ray crystallography, computational calculations, and NMR spectroscopy. N‐tert‐butoxycarbonyl(Boc)‐3‐(1‐propenyl)azetidine‐2‐carboxylic acid was prepared from L‐aspartic acid through β‐lactam intermediates. The corresponding piperidine‐based building block rac‐N‐Boc‐3‐vinylpipecolic acid was synthesized by Cu‐catalyzed 1,4‐addition of vinyl‐MgBr to methyl N‐Boc‐2,3‐dehydropipecolate. Target molecules were prepared through peptide coupling of the respective ring A building blocks with cis‐5‐vinylproline tert‐butyl ester and subsequent ring‐closing metathesis. Selective deprotection of a tert‐butyl carbamate (N‐Boc protecting group) in the presence of a tert‐butyl ester was achieved with trifluoroacetic acid at 0 °C.
In the course of our studies towards the synthesis of proline-based secondary-structure mimetics, we developed a straightforward methodology for the diastereoselective preparation of 4-alkyl-5-vinyl-substituted proline derivatives. Starting from N-Boc-protected tert-butyl pyroglutamate, α-alkylation, lactam reduction and acid-catalyzed methanolysis afforded 4-alkyl-5-methoxyproline derivatives. After BF 3 -induced formation
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