Fluorinated amino acids can have dramatic effects on protein stability and protein-protein interactions due to the unique stereoelectronic properties of fluorine. Previous approaches to assessing their properties have mainly focused on helical systems, even though fluoro-amino acids are known to exhibit lower intrinsic helix propensities than their hydrocarbon analogues. Fluorination of specific b-sheet positions within globular proteins has been shown to have a stabilizing effect, suggesting that fluorinated amino acids may generally be well suitable for modulating non-helical structures. Still, fluorinated amino acids have rarely been studied in amyloid forming peptides, which take on a characteristically high cross-b-sheet content. Here, we examine the substitution of natural amino acids within an amyloid forming model peptide by amino acids that contain different stoichiometries of fluorine in their side chains. This approach enables a systematic evaluation of the impact of fluorine on amyloid formation. We have investigated the impact of size, hydrophobicity and secondary structure propensities of the fluorinated amino acids on the amyloid formation process. The structure of the model peptide is based on an engineered coiled coil folding motif that was designed to provide an a-helical starting structure that can fold into b-sheet rich amyloids under controlled conditions. Substitution with fluorinated amino acids was accomplished for two neighboring valine residues that play a key role in the structural transition. The resulting peptides show an unexpected folding behavior as a consequence of the interplay of stereoelectronic effects, helix propensity, hydrophobicity and position of the particular substitution within the amyloid forming system.

A fast palladium(II)-catalyzed and microwavepromoted procedure using 6-methyl-2,2 0 -bipyridyl as ligand to synthesize aryl ketones from aryl sulfinates and nitriles is described. More importantly, the first detailed investigation of the reaction mechanism using direct ESI-MS studies is reported.

A fast and efficient protocol for the palladium(II)-catalyzed production of aryl ketones from sodium arylsulfinates and various organic nitriles under controlled microwave irradiation has been developed. The wide scope of the reaction has been demonstrated by combining 14 sodium arylsulfinates and 21 nitriles to give 55 examples of aryl ketones. One additional example illustrated that, through the choice of the nitrile reactant, benzofurans are also accessible. The reaction mechanism was investigated by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and DFT calculations. The desulfitative synthesis of aryl ketones from nitriles was also compared to the corresponding transformation starting from benzoic acids. Comparison of the energy profiles indicates that the free energy requirement for decarboxylation of 2,6-dimethoxybenzoic acid and especially benzoic acid is higher than the corresponding desulfitative process for generating the key aryl palladium intermediate. The palladium(II) intermediates detected by ESI-MS and the DFT calculations provide a detailed understanding of the catalytic cycle.

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A novel series of ligands for the recombinant human AT2 receptor has been synthesized utilizing a fast and efficient palladium-catalyzed procedure for aminocarbonylation as the key reaction. Molybdenum hexacarbonyl [Mo(CO)6] was employed as the carbon monoxide source, and controlled microwave heating was applied. The prepared N-aryl isoleucine derivatives, encompassing a variety of amide groups attached to the aromatic system, exhibit binding affinities at best with Ki values in the low micromolar range versus the recombinant human AT2 receptor. Some of the new nonpeptidic isoleucine derivatives may serve as starting points for further structural optimization. The presented data emphasize the importance of using human receptors in drug discovery programs.