One of the most important reactions in organic chemistry--amide bond formation--is often overlooked as a contemporary challenge because of the widespread occurrence of amides in modern pharmaceuticals and biologically active compounds. But existing methods are reaching their inherent limits, and concerns about their waste and expense are becoming sharper. Novel chemical approaches to amide formation are therefore being developed. Here we review and summarize a new generation of amide-forming reactions that may contribute to solving these problems. We also consider their potential application to current synthetic challenges, including the development of catalytic amide formation, the synthesis of therapeutic peptides and the preparation of modified peptides and proteins.

Highly enantioselective, N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed aza-Diels-Alder reactions are described. A novel chiral triazolium salt based on the cis-1,2-aminoindanol platform serves as an efficient precatalyst for the NHC-catalyzed redox generation of enolate dienophiles that undergo LUMOdiene-controlled Diels-Alder reactions with N-sulfonyl-alpha,beta-unsaturated imines in good yields and with exceptional diastereo- and enantioselectivities (>99% ee). In contrast to uncatalyzed variants, this organocatalytic process proceeds at room temperature without stoichiometric reagents, producing synthetically valuable, enantiomerically pure cis-3,4-disubstituted dihydropyridinone products.

Additive‐free: The chemoselective amide‐bond‐forming ligation between N‐alkylhydroxylamines and α‐ketoacids requires no reagents and the only by‐products are water and carbon dioxide. This process proceeds on unprotected peptide substrates without epimerization, and as such, this process has the potential to serve as a novel chemoselective ligation for the synthesis of peptides and complex materials.

Complete control of the product of a catalytic reaction can be achieved on the basis of catalyst structure, even when the reaction conditions are nearly identical. Catalyst-controlled selectivity is well established for enantioselective catalysis but less formulated for catalytic regio-, chemo-, or product-selective reactions. This Review describes selective transformations of the same starting materials into two or more different products simply by the choice of catalyst. By collecting and highlighting examples of selective catalysis, we hope that the field will be encouraged by the progress that has been made while bringing attention to unmet needs in the design and mechanistic understanding of selective catalysts.

N-Heterocyclic carbenes, prepared in situ from diarylimidazolium salts, serve as highly effective catalysts for the generation of reactive homoenolates from alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes. The catalyst-bound homoenolate reacts with electrophilic aldehydes leading, via the key intermediacy of an activated carboxylate, to gamma-butyrolactones in good yields and stereoselectivities. Importantly, this process demonstrates an unprecedented reaction mode for the generation of nucleophilic carbanions with a multifunctional organocatalyst under exceptionally mild and convenient reaction conditions.

Chemoselective ligation reactions have contributed immensely to the development of organic synthesis and chemical biology. However, the ligation of stoichiometric amounts of large molecules for applications such as protein-protein conjugates is still challenging. Conjugation reactions need to be fast enough to proceed under dilute conditions and chemoselective in the presence of unprotected functional groups; the starting materials and products must be stable under the reaction conditions. To compare known ligation reactions for their suitability under these conditions, we determined the second-order rate constants of ligation reactions using peptide substrates with unprotected functional groups. The reaction conditions, the chemoselectivity of the reactions, and the stability of the starting materials and products were carefully evaluated. In some cases, the stability could be improved by modifying the substrate structure. These data obtained under the ligation conditions provide a useful guide to choose an appropriate ligation reaction for synthesis of large molecules by covalent ligation reactions of unprotected substrates in water.

Programmed ribosomal frameshifting is a key event during translation of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome allowing synthesis of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and downstream proteins. Here we present the cryo-electron microscopy structure of a translating mammalian ribosome primed for frameshifting on the viral RNA. The viral RNA adopts a pseudoknot structure that lodges at the entry to the ribosomal mRNA channel to generate tension in the mRNA and promote frameshifting, whereas the nascent viral polyprotein forms distinct interactions with the ribosomal tunnel. Biochemical experiments validate the structural observations and reveal mechanistic and regulatory features that influence frameshifting efficiency. Finally, we compare compounds previously shown to reduce frameshifting with respect to their ability to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication, establishing coronavirus frameshifting as a target for antiviral intervention.

Programmed ribosomal frameshifting is the key event during translation of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome allowing synthesis of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and downstream viral proteins. Here we present the cryo-EM structure of the mammalian ribosome in the process of translating viral RNA paused in a conformation primed for frameshifting. We observe that the viral RNA adopts a pseudoknot structure lodged at the mRNA entry channel of the ribosome to generate tension in the mRNA that leads to frameshifting. The nascent viral polyprotein that is being synthesized by the ribosome paused at the frameshifting site forms distinct interactions with the ribosomal polypeptide exit tunnel. We use biochemical experiments to validate our structural observations and to reveal mechanistic and regulatory features that influence the frameshifting efficiency. Finally, a compound previously shown to reduce frameshifting is able to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication in infected cells, establishing coronavirus frameshifting as target for antiviral intervention.