Coproporphyrinogen oxidase (copro'gen oxidase), which catalyses the conversion of coproporphyrinogen-III via a monovinylic intermediate to protoporphyrinogen-IX, is one of the least well understood enzymes in the heme biosynthetic pathway. To develop a model for the substrate recognition and binding recognition for this enzyme, a series of substrate analogues were prepared with two alkyl substituents on positions 13 and 17 in place of the usual propionate residues. Although the required substrate probes are porphyrinogens (hexahydroporphyrins), the corresponding porphyrin methyl esters were initialy synthesized via a,c-biladiene intermediates. These were hydrolyzed and reduced with 3% sodium amalgam to give the unstable porphyrinogens needed for the biochemical investigations. These modified structures were metabolized by avian preparations of copro'gen oxidase to give monovinylic products, but the second propionate residue was not further metabolized. In three cases, the metabolites were isolated and further characterized by proton NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. When methyl or ethyl groups were placed at the 13 and 17 positions, the resulting porphyrinogens were very good substrates (although the ethyl version, mesoporphyrinogen-VI, gave slightly better results), but when propyl units were introduced metabolism was significantly inhibited and the butyl-substituted structure was only slightly transformed after long incubation periods. These results suggest the presence of an active-site lipophobic region near the catalytic site for copro'gen oxidase. The observation that the related 3-vinyl- and 3-ethylporphyrinogens with 13,17-diethyl substituents were not substrates for this enzyme confirmed the need for a second propionate residue to hold the substrate in place at the catalytic site.

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Activation of CCR8 by its ligand CCL1 may play an important role in diseases such as asthma, multiple sclerosis, and cancer. The study of small molecule CCR8 antagonists will help establish the validation of these hypotheses. We report the design, synthesis, and progress toward optimization of potent small molecule CCR8 antagonists identified from a high-throughput screen. These analogues exhibit good potency in binding and chemotaxis assays, show good selectivity versus the hERG channel, and have good eADME (early absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) profiles.

Coproporphyrinogen oxidase (copro'gen oxidase) catalyses the oxidative decarboxylation of two propionate side chains on coproporphyrinogen-III to produce protoporphyrinogen-IX. This process is very poorly understood at a molecular level, and copro'gen oxidase remains one of the least well-characterized enzymes in the heme biosynthetic pathway. To provide a rigorous test for a proposed model for substrate recognition and binding by this enzyme, two tripropionate analogues of copro'gen-III were prepared where an ethyl group replaced one of the usual propionate residues on positions 13 or 17. Although the required substrate probes are porphyrinogens (hexahydroporphyrins), the corresponding porphyrin methyl esters were initially synthesized via tripyrrene and a,c-biladiene intermediates. These were hydrolyzed and reduced with 3% sodium-amalgam to give the unstable porphyrinogens needed for the biochemical investigations. The modified structure with a 13-ethyl moiety was metabolized by avian preparations of copro'gen oxidase to give a monovinylic product, but the isomeric 17-ethylporphyrinogen afforded a divinylic product, albeit with poorer overall conversion. These results strongly support the proposed model for substrate binding at the active site of copro'gen oxidase.