Infection with the free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri leads to lifethreatening primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. Efficacious treatment options for these infections are limited, and the mortality rate is very high (ϳ98%). Parasite metabolism may provide suitable targets for therapeutic design. Like most other organisms, glucose metabolism is critical for parasite viability, being required for growth in culture. The first enzyme required for glucose metabolism is typically a hexokinase (HK), which transfers a phosphate from ATP to glucose. The products of this enzyme are required for both glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway. However, the N. fowleri genome lacks an obvious HK homolog and instead harbors a glucokinase (Glck). The N. fowleri Glck (NfGlck) shares limited (25%) amino acid identity with the mammalian host enzyme (Homo sapiens Glck), suggesting that parasitespecific inhibitors with anti-amoeba activity can be generated. Following heterologous expression, NfGlck was found to have a limited hexose substrate range, with the greatest activity observed with glucose. The enzyme had apparent K m values of 42.5 Ϯ 7.3 M and 141.6 Ϯ 9.9 M for glucose and ATP, respectively. The NfGlck structure was determined and refined to 2.2-Å resolution, revealing that the enzyme shares greatest structural similarity with the Trypanosoma cruzi Glck. These similarities include binding modes and binding environments for substrates. To identify inhibitors of NfGlck, we screened a small collection of inhibitors of glucosephosphorylating enzymes and identified several small molecules with 50% inhibitory concentration values of Ͻ1 M that may prove useful as hit chemotypes for further leads and therapeutic development against N. fowleri.

Enantioselective Cu-catalyzed C–O cross coupling reactions yielding atropisomeric resorcinol-bearing quinazolinones have been developed. Utilizing a new guanidinylated dimeric peptidic ligand, a set of products were generated in good yields with excellent stereocontrol. The transformation was readily scalable, and a range of product derivatizations were performed.

Catalytic enantioselective methods that are generally applicable to a broad range of substrates are rare. We report a strategy for the oxidative desymmetrization of meso -diols predicated on a nontraditional catalyst optimization protocol by using a panel of screening substrates rather than a singular model substrate. Critical to this approach was rational modulation of a peptide sequence in the catalyst incorporating a distinct aminoxyl-based active residue. A general catalyst emerged, providing high selectivity in the delivery of enantioenriched lactones across a broad range of diols, while also achieving up to ~100,000 turnovers.

Infection with pathogenic free-living amoebae, including Naegleria fowleri , Acanthamoeba spp., and Balamuthia mandrillaris , can lead to life-threatening illnesses, primarily because of catastrophic central nervous system involvement. Efficacious treatment options for these infections are lacking, and the mortality rate due to infection is high.

Catalytic enantioselective methods that are general over a broad range of substrates facilitate application in synthetic discovery and development settings; however, truly general catalysts for asymmetric synthesis are rare. Herein, we report a strategy for the oxidative desymmetrization of meso-1,4 diols predicated on a non-traditional optimization protocol utilizing a panel of screening substrates rather than a singular model substrate. Critical to this approach was rational modulation of a peptide sequence incorporating a novel, aminoxyl-based catalytic residue. A general catalyst emerged, providing high selectivity in delivery of enantioenriched lactones across a broad range of diols.