Structure-selectivity comparisons are made between chiral dirhodium(I1) tetrakis( methyl 2-oxopyrrolidine-5-carboxylates), R~z (~S -M E P Y )~ and Rhz(5R-MEPY)d (5), and dirhodium(I1) tetrakis(4-benzyl-2-oxazolidinones), Rh2(4R-BNOX)4 and Rh2(4S-BNOX)4 (6), to ascertain and understand their relative effectiveness as catalysts for enantiocontrol in metal-carbene transformations. The syntheses, spectral characteristics, and X-ray structures for these dirhodium(I1) compounds are reported. Each possesses two oxygen-and two nitrogen-donor atoms bound to each octahedral rhodium with a cis orientation of the nitrogen ligands. The Rhz(MEPY)4 catalysts are significantly more effective than those of Rh2(BNOX)4 in providing a high level of enantiocontrol in intermolecular and intramolecular cyclopropanation reactions, in intermolecular cyclopropenation reactions, and in intramolecular C-H insertion reactions of diazoacetates and diazoacetamides, often reaching >90% enantiomeric excesses. Molecular mechanics calculations that were able to reproduce the X-ray structures of R~z (~S -M E P Y )~ and Rh2(4R-BNOX)4 have been employed to obtain the preferred conformation of the intermediate metal-carbene, but the absolute configurations of cyclopropanation products are opposite to those predicted from the preferred metal-carbene conformation. However, conformational energy minima of the styrene-carbene complex predict the observed enantiomer preference. Dirhodium(I1) compounds possessing four chiral pyrrolidone or oxazolidinone ligands are effective catalysts for highly enantioselective metal-carbene transformations.14 Optical yields of greater than 90% have been achieved in olefin cyclopropanation with diazoacetate esters,* alkyne cyclopropenation,3 and even carbon-hydrogen insertion reactions.4 The basis for this high level of enantiocontrol has been attributed to the organization of the four chiral amide ligands around the dirhodium nucleus and the electronic orientation and the stabilization of the intermediate metal-carbene.5 A limited number of dirhodium(I1) tetrakis(carb0xamidate) compounds have been synthesized and characterized. Those formed from acetamide6 and trifl~oroacetamide~ are constructed so that in the major isomer two oxygen-and two nitrogen-donor atoms (2,2) are bonded to each octadehedral rhodium in a cis configuration (eq 1). When prepared in an acetamide melt by tH, 1 successive substitutions of acetate from dirhodium(I1) tetraacetate, only one tetrakis(acetamidate) 1 has been obtained: but Doyle, M. P.; Brandes, B. D.; Kazala, A. P.; Pieters, R. J.; Jarstfer, M. B.; Watkins, L. M.; Eagle, C. T. Tetrahedron Lett. 1990, 31, 6613. (2) Doyle, M. P.; Pieters, R. J.; Martin, S. F.; Austin, R. E.; Oalmann, C. J.; Miiller, P.

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A Sec14-nodulin protein model is used to identify the nodulin domain as a novel phosphoinositide effector module with a role in controlling lateral organization of phosphoinositide. The domain organization of Sec14-nodulin proteins suggests a versatile principle for the bit mapping of membrane surfaces into high-definition lipid-signaling screens.

Phosphoinositides represent only a small percentage of the total cellular lipid pool. Yet, these molecules play crucial roles in diverse intracellular processes such as signal transduction at membrane-cytosol interface, regulation of membrane trafficking, cytoskeleton organization, nuclear events, and the permeability and transport functions of the membrane. A central principle in such lipid-mediated signaling is the appropriate coordination of these events. Such an intricate coordination demands fine spatial and temporal control of lipid metabolism and organization, and consistent mechanisms for specifically coupling these parameters to dedicated physiological processes. In that regard, recent studies have identified Sec14-like phosphatidylcholine transfer protein (PITPs) as "coincidence detectors," which spatially and temporally link the diverse aspects of the cellular lipid metabolome with phosphoinositide signaling. The integral role of PITPs in eukaryotic signal transduction design is amply demonstrated by the mammalian diseases associated with the derangements in the function of these proteins, to stress response and developmental regulation in plants, to fungal dimorphism and pathogenicity, to membrane trafficking in yeast, and higher eukaryotes. This review updates the recent advances made in the understanding of how these proteins, specifically PITPs of the Sec14-protein superfamily, operate at the molecular level and further describes how this knowledge has advanced our perception on the diverse biological functions of PITPs.