Bioorthogonal chemistries have provided tremendous insight into biomolecule structure and function. However, many popular bioorthogonal transformations are incompatible with one another, limiting their utility for studies of multiple biomolecules in tandem. We identified two reactions that can be used concurrently to tag biomolecules in complex environments: the inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction of tetrazines with 1,3-disubstituted cyclopropenes, and the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile imines with 3,3-disubstituted cyclopropenes. Remarkably, the cyclopropenes used in these transformations differ by the placement of a single methyl group. Such orthogonally reactive scaffolds will bolster efforts to monitor multicomponent processes in cells and organisms.
Cyclopropenones are attractive motifs for bioorthogonal chemistry, owing to their small size and unique modes of reactivity. Unfortunately, the fastest-reacting cyclopropenones are insufficiently stable for routine intracellular use. Here we report cyclopropenones with improved stability that maintain robust reactivity with bioorthogonal phosphines. Functionalized cyclopropenones were synthesized and their lifetimes in aqueous media and cellular environments were analyzed. The most robust cyclopropenones were further treated with a panel of phosphine probes, and reaction rates were measured. Two of the phosphine scaffolds afforded ∼100-fold rate enhancements compared to previously reported reagents. Importantly, the stabilized cyclopropenones were suitable for recombinant protein production via genetic code expansion. The products of the cyclopropenone ligation were also amenable to traceless Staudinger ligations, setting the stage for tandem labeling experiments.
Bioorthogonal chemistries have been widely used to probe biopolymers in living systems. To date, though, only a handful of broadly useful transformations have been identified because of the stringent requirements placed on the reactants. Here we report a novel bioorthogonal ligation between cyclopropenones and functionalized phosphines. These components are stable in physiological buffers and react rapidly with one another to form covalent adducts. The cyclopropenone ligation is also distinct from other bioorthogonal chemistries in that it makes use of readily accessible, commercially available reagents and proceeds via a nucleophilic reaction pathway. On the basis of these features, the cyclopropenone ligation is poised to join the ranks of chemistries with utility in living systems.
The instability of carbamate-protected alkyl imines has greatly hampered the development of catalytic asymmetric Mannich reactions suitable for the synthesis of optically active carbamate-protected chiral alkyl amines. A highly enantioselective Mannich reaction with in situ generation of carbamate-protected imines from stable alpha-amido sulfones catalyzed by an organic catalyst was developed. This reaction provides a concise and highly enantioselective route converting aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes into optically active aryl and alkyl beta-amino acids. [reaction: see text].
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.