We discovered a new CK2 inhibitor and revealed its mechanism of action, connecting the circadian clock and cancer regulation.

No abstract

D-(+)-Camphor forms the enamine 2 with piperidine. Compound 2 adds HB(C(6)F(5))(2) at the enamine carbon atom C3 to form a Lewis acid/Lewis base adduct (exo-/endo-isomers of 3). Exposure of 3 to dihydrogen (2.5 bar, room temperature) leads to heterolytic splitting of H(2) to form the H(+)/H(-) addition products (4, two diastereoisomers) of the "invisible" frustrated Lewis pairs (5, two diastereoisomers) that were apparently generated in situ by enamine hydroboration under equilibrium conditions.

E2 conjugating enzymes are the key catalytic actors in the transfer of ubiquitin, SUMO, and other ubiquitin-like modifiers to their substrate proteins. Their high rates of transfer and promiscuous binding complicate studies of their interactions and binding partners. In order to access specific, covalently-linked conjugates of the SUMO E2 conjugating enzyme Ubc9, we prepared synthetic variants bearing site-specific non-native modifications including: 1) replacement of Cys93 to 2,3-diaminopropionic acid to form the amide-linked stable E2-SUMO conjugate, which is known to have high affinity for E3 ligases; 2) a photoreactive group (diazirine) to trap E3 ligases upon UV irradiation; and 3) an N-terminal biotin for purification and detection. To construct these Ubc9 variants in a flexible, convergent manner, we combined the three leading methods -native chemical ligation (NCL), α-ketoacid-hydroxylamine (KAHA) ligation, and serine/threonine ligation (STL). Using the synthetic proteins, we demonstrated the selective formation of Ubc9-SUMO conjugates and the trapping of an E3 ligase (RanBP2) to form the stable, covalently linked SUMO1-Ubc9-RanBP2 ternary complex. The powerful combination of ligation methods -which minimizes challenges of functional group manipulations -will enable chemical probes based on E2 conjugating enzymes to trap E3 ligases and facilitate the synthesis of other protein classes.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a potent virulence factor of pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria. To better understand the role of LPS in host-pathogen interactions and to elucidate the antigenic and immunogenic properties of LPS inner core region, a collection of well-defined L-glycero-D-manno-heptose (Hep) and 3-deoxy-α-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid (Kdo)-containing inner core oligosaccharides is required. To address this need, we developed a diversity-oriented approach based on a common orthogonal protected disaccharide Hep-Kdo. Utilizing this new approach, we synthesized a range of LPS inner core oligosaccharides from a variety of pathogenic bacteria including Y. pestis, H. influenzae, and Proteus that cause plague, meningitis, and severe wound infections, respectively. Rapid access to these highly branched core oligosaccharides relied on elaboration of the disaccharide Hep-Kdo core as basis for the elongation with various flexible modules including unique Hep and 4-amino-4-deoxy-β-L-arabinose (Ara4N) monosaccharides and branched Hep-Hep disaccharides. A regio- and stereoselective glycosylation of Kdo 7,8-diol was key to selective installation of the Ara4N moiety at the 8-hydroxyl group of Kdo moiety of the Hep-Kdo disaccharide. The structure of the LPS inner core oligosaccharides was confirmed by comparison of (1)H NMR spectra of synthetic antigens and isolated fragments. These synthetic LPS core oligosaccharides can be covalently bound to carrier proteins via the reducing end pentyl amine linker, to explore their antigenic and immunogenic properties as well as potential applications such as diagnostic tools and vaccines.