Direct and selective replacement of carbon-hydrogen bonds with new bonds (such as C-C, C-O, and C-N) represents an important and long-standing goal in chemistry. These transformations have broad potential in synthesis because C-H bonds are ubiquitous in organic substances. At the same time, achieving selectivity among many different C-H bonds remains a challenge. Here, we focus on the functionalization of C-H bonds in complex organic substrates catalyzed by transition metal catalysts. We outline the key concepts and approaches aimed at achieving selectivity in complex settings and discuss the impact these reactions have on synthetic planning and strategy in organic synthesis.

Mu-opioid receptor agonists represent mainstays of pain management. However, the therapeutic use of these agents is associated with serious side effects, including potentially lethal respiratory depression. Accordingly, there is a longstanding interest in the development of new opioid analgesics with improved therapeutic profiles. The alkaloids of the Southeast Asian plant Mitragyna speciosa, represented by the prototypical member mitragynine, are an unusual class of opioid receptor modulators with distinct pharmacological properties. Here we describe the first receptor-level functional characterization of mitragynine and related natural alkaloids at the mu-, kappa-, and delta-opioid receptors. These results show that mitragynine and the oxidized analog 7-hydroxymitragynine, are partial agonists of the human mu-opioid receptor and competitive antagonists at the kappa- and delta-opioid receptors. We also show that mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine are G-protein-biased agonists of the mu-opioid receptor, which do not recruit β-arrestin following receptor activation. Therefore, the Mitragyna alkaloid scaffold represents a novel framework for the development of functionally biased opioid modulators, which may exhibit improved therapeutic profiles. Also presented is an enantioselective total synthesis of both (-)-mitragynine and its unnatural enantiomer, (+)-mitragynine, employing a proline-catalyzed Mannich-Michael reaction sequence as the key transformation. Pharmacological evaluation of (+)-mitragynine revealed its much weaker opioid activity. Likewise, the intermediates and chemical transformations developed in the total synthesis allowed the elucidation of previously unexplored structure-activity relationships (SAR) within the Mitragyna scaffold. Molecular docking studies, in combination with the observed chemical SAR, suggest that Mitragyna alkaloids adopt a binding pose at the mu-opioid receptor that is distinct from that of classical opioids.

The nervous system transmits signals between neurons via neurotransmitter release during synaptic vesicle fusion. In order to observe neurotransmitter uptake and release from individual presynaptic terminals directly, we designed fluorescent false neurotransmitters as substrates for the synaptic vesicle monoamine transporter. Using these probes to image dopamine release in the striatum, we made several observations pertinent to synaptic plasticity. We found that the fraction of synaptic vesicles releasing neurotransmitter per stimulus was dependent on the stimulus frequency. A kinetically distinct "reserve" synaptic vesicle population was not observed under these experimental conditions. A frequency-dependent heterogeneity of presynaptic terminals was revealed that was dependent in part on D2 dopamine receptors, indicating a mechanism for frequency-dependent coding of presynaptic selection.

We have recently developed palladium-catalyzed methods for direct arylation of indoles (and other azoles) wherein high C-2 selectivity was observed for both free (NH)-indole and (NR)-indole. To provide a rationale for the observed selectivity ("nonelectrophilic" regioselectivity), mechanistic studies were conducted, using the phenylation of 1-methylindole as a model system. The reaction order was determined for iodobenzene (zero order), indole (first order), and the catalyst (first order). These kinetic studies, together with the Hammett plot, provided a strong support for the electrophilic palladation pathway. In addition, the kinetic isotope effect (KIE(H/D)) was determined for both C-2 and C-3 positions. A surprisingly large value of 1.6 was found for the C-3 position where the substitution does not occur (secondary KIE), while a smaller value of 1.2 was found at C-2 (apparent primary KIE). On the basis of these findings, a mechanistic interpretation is presented that features an electrophilic palladation of indole, accompanied by a 1,2-migration of an intermediate palladium species. This paradigm was used to design new catalytic conditions for the C-3 arylation of indole. In case of free (NH)-indole, regioselectivity of the arylation reaction (C-2 versus C-3) was achieved by the choice of magnesium base.

The structural characteristics of a mucin glycopeptide motif derived from the N-terminal fragment STTAV of the cell surface glycoprotein CD43 have been investigated by NMR. In this study, a series of molecules prepared by total synthesis were examined, consisting of the peptide itself, three glycopeptides having clustered sites of alpha-O-glycosylation on the serine and threonine side chains with the Tn, TF, and STF carbohydrate antigens, respectively, and one with the beta-O-linked TF antigen. Additionally, a glycopeptide having the sequence SSSAVAV, triglycosylated with the Le(y) epitope, was investigated. NMR data for the tri-STF-STTAV glycopeptide were used to solve the structure of this construct through restrained molecular dynamics calculations. The calculations revealed a defined conformation for the glycopeptide core rooted in the interaction of the peptide and the first N-acetylgalactosamine residue. The similarity of the NMR data for each of the alpha-O-linked glycopeptides demonstrates that this structure persists for each construct and that the mode of attachment of the first sugar and the peptide is paramount in establishing the organization of the core. The core provides a common framework on which a variety of glycans may be displayed. Remarkably, while there is a profound organizational effect on the peptide backbone with the alpha-linked glycans, attachment via a beta-linkage has little apparent consequence.