No abstract

[Structure: see text] Carboxyfluoresceins are widely utilized as fluorescence labeling reagents, but we recently found that their emission intensity is markedly decreased after esterification. On the basis of our hypothesis that the fluorescence decrease is due to a donor-excited photoinduced electron transfer (d-PeT) process, we have developed novel carboxyfluorescein derivatives in which the d-PeT process is hampered, and the emission intensity is not decreased upon esterification. These novel dye derivatives display high quantum yields and are expected to be useful as labeling agents.

We studied the photobleaching of a library of boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivatives with a range of electron densities, and found that the photobleaching rate is influenced by the electron-withdrawing capacity of the substituents. Electron-deficient BODIPYs generated less singlet oxygen, were less reactive to singlet oxygen, and were highly resistant to photobleaching. We confirmed the utility of one of these fluorophores, 2,6-diCO(2)R-BDP, for visualizing EGF receptor dynamics in cells expressing an SNAP-tagged EGF receptor.

A convergent and versatile racemic total synthesis of the anti-influenza agent BCX-1812 (RWJ-270201) was accomplished on the basis of a sequence of stereoselective reactions. Despite intensive research to develop neuraminidase inhibitors to treat infections due to influenza, currently available agents are still in the need of optimization with respect to selectivity and potency, as well as to minimize adverse effects. Our synthetic approach, introduced in this report, is highly exploitable for further derivatization due to flexibility that will eventually accommodate diversified substituents. In addition, the size of the core ring can be varied depending on the size of the diene used for the preparation of the key cycloadduct 10 using an acylnitroso-based hetero-Diels-Alder reaction. Elaboration of 10 to methyl ester 14 followed by a precedented [3+2] dipolar cycloaddition gave bicyclic isoxazoline 17 in a regio- and stereoselective fashion. Incorporation of the peripheral guanidino group and subsequent deprotection provided the target molecule. The details of the synthesis are described herein.