Epigenetic mediation through bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) proteins have progressively translated protein imbalance into effective cancer treatment. Perturbation of druggable BET proteins through proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) has recently contributed to the discovery of effective therapeutics. Unfortunately, precise and microenvironment-activatable BET protein degradation content with promising tumor selectivity and pharmacological suitability remains elusive. Here, we present an enzyme-derived clicking PROTACs (ENCTACs) capable of orthogonally cross-linking two disparate small-molecule warhead ligands that recognize BET bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) protein and E3 ligase within tumors only upon hypoxia-induced activation of nitroreductase enzyme. This localized formation of heterobifunctional degraders promotes specific down-regulation of BRD4, which subsequently alters expression of epigenetic targets and, therefore, allows precise modulation of hypoxic signaling in live cells, zebrafish, and living mice with solid tumors. Our activation-feedback system demonstrates compelling superiorities and may enable the PROTAC technology with more flexible practicality and druggable potency for precision medicine in the near future.
The stereoselective construction of vicinal all-carbon quaternary stereocenters has long been a formidable synthetic challenge. Direct asymmetric coupling of a tertiary carbon nucleophile with a tertiary carbon electrophile is the most straightforward approach but it is sterically and energetically disfavored. Herein, we described a catalytic asymmetric substitution, where racemic tertiary bromides directly couple with racemic secondary or tertiary carbanion, creating a series of congested carbon (sp 3 )-carbon(sp 3 ) bonds, including isolated all-carbon quaternary stereocenters, vicinal tertiary/all-carbon quaternary stereocenters and vicinal all-carbon quaternary stereocenters. This double stereoconvergent process, using pentanidium as catalyst, affords substituted products in good enantioselectivities and diastereoselectivities.
The stereoselective construction of vicinal all-carbon quaternary stereocenters has long been a formidable synthetic challenge. Direct asymmetric coupling of a tertiary carbon nucleophile with a tertiary carbon electrophile is the most straightforward approach but it is sterically and energetically disfavored. Herein, we described a catalytic asymmetric substitution, where racemic tertiary bromides directly couple with racemic secondary or tertiary carbanion, creating a series of congested carbon (sp3)-carbon(sp3) bonds, including isolated all-carbon quaternary stereocenters, vicinal tertiary/all-carbon quaternary stereocenters and vicinal all-carbon quaternary stereocenters. This double stereoconvergent process, using pentanidium as catalyst, affords substituted products in good enantioselectivities and diastereoselectivities.
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