Cyanobacterial cyclopeptides : A series of analogues of the cyanobacterial cyclopeptide brunsvicamide A was prepared by effective solid‐support‐based total synthesis. Variations in stereochemistry revealed the importance of the D ‐lysine and the L ‐isoleucine residues for the substrate‐competitive inhibitory activity of brunsvicamide A against carboxypeptidase A.
Enzyme‐mediated synthesis of phosphatidylinositol : Engineered phospholipase D enzymes enable the synthesis of phosphatidylinositol by transphosphatidylation. The 1‐ or 3‐hydroxy group of myo‐inositol is selectively reacted.
Illuminating glucosidases : The shown photoaffinity probe for endoplasmic reticulum (ER) α‐glucosidases was found to be a highly potent inhibitor of α‐glucosidase I in vitro and equally effective at inhibiting cellular ER glucosidases, as determined by a free oligosaccharide (FOS) analysis.
Playing polo : Small‐molecule inhibitors of polo‐like kinase 1 are mostly ATP‐competitive, and thus face enormous specificity hurdles. This communication explores the concept of inhibiting Plk1 with a small‐molecule inhibitor of the protein–protein interactions required for Plk1 function.
Virtual screening discovered two prospective hits as potential leads for aldose reductase inhibition. Based on their crystal structures with the enzyme, a systematic optimization has been performed to reveal a first structure–activity relationship. A central thiophen moiety and a terminal nitro group exhibit the best binding properties.
Dynamic and rigid : The prion HET‐s(218–289) consists, in its amyloid form as shown here, of highly ordered and rigid parts and a very dynamic loop, which could be of great importance for fibril formation. Indeed, MD simulations explain the experimental NMR results and describe the dynamics of the salt‐bridge network that stabilizes the amyloid fibril, a feature not easily accessible by experiment.
A series of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) inhibitors were modeled by docking and molecular dynamics studies to rationalize their activity. Our findings will be valuable in guiding research efforts toward the rational design and virtual screening of novel DNMT inhibitors.
Less is more : By starting with a high‐affinity HER2‐binding 3‐helix affibody molecule, we successfully developed 2‐helix small protein binders with 5 nM affinities by using a combination of several different strategies. Our efforts clearly suggest that 2‐helix small proteins against important tumor targets can be obtained by rational protein design and engineering.
Unsaturated Mannich bases with potent antitrypanosomal action against multidrug‐resistant strains of T. brucei brucei were identified. Their observed activities correlated well with their high Michael acceptor properties but not with their affinities to the P2 purine transporter.
Roll with it : The quantitative analysis of specific miRNAs from biological samples is very likely to revolutionize diagnostics of human disease. A novel method for miRNA analysis employing rolling‐circle amplification (RCA) can homogeneously detect miRNA, even at concentrations as low as 10 fM . The use of T4 RNA ligase 2 (T4 RnL2) at elevated temperatures enables very good discrimination of miRNAs differing by a single nucleotide.
SSAO/VAP‐1 substrates may be valuable for the treatment or prevention of diabetes mellitus, as they show insulin‐mimetic properties. This review highlights the importance of studying the relevant steric and electronic features in the development of new ligands with better SSAO/VAP‐1 recognition, enhanced selectivity over other amine oxidases, and improved metabolic behavior.
Novel angular and branched ellipticine‐correlated anticancer agents were developed. In particular, compound 24 , with two basic side chains on opposite sides of the molecule, exhibits cytotoxicity in the nanomolar range, acting as a DNA intercalator and topoisomerase II inhibitor. SAR studies with pyridocarbazole derivatives in comparison with corresponding smaller pyrroloquinolines are discussed.
Selective MMP inhibitors : Eleven α‐sulfonylphosphonates were synthesized and tested as MMP inhibitors. The IC50 values for most of them are in the nanomolar range against MMP‐2, ‐8, ‐13, and ‐14, with an interesting selectivity profile versus MMP‐9.
Oxidation of a specific cysteine residue to Cα‐formylglycine is a novel post‐translational modification that is directed by a short recognition motif commonly found in pro‐ and eukaryotic sulfatases. As recently shown by C. Bertozzi and co‐workers, this system can be employed in protein engineering to equip proteins with genetically encoded aldehyde tags for site‐specific labeling, conjugation and immobilization.
SDS‐concentration‐dependent α‐synuclein structure : Upon interaction with SDS, αSyn folds into a structure with two antiparallel α‐helices. We show from single‐molecule FRET that αSynn adopts this conformation in an all‐or‐none fashion below the SDS critical micelle concentration. Population of the folded species is directly coupled to an increase in α‐helix content; this suggests that the entire N terminus is involved in the transaction.
Long‐lasting sweet proteins : The chemoenzymatic synthesis of a triazole (T)‐linked glycosylated C34 fragment from HIV‐1 gp41 is described. The glycopeptide shows high solubility, excellent fusion inhibition, and as shown in the graph, promising protease resistance.
Cyclase‐free at last : A methylene‐interrupted meso‐bis‐epoxide was stereoselectively converted into dihydroxy‐tetrahydrofuran derivatives with excellent de and ee values through an enzyme‐triggered nucleophilic hydrolysis/cyclisation cascade. Molecular modelling showed that the point of enzyme attack was determined by the stereospecificity of the epoxide hydrolase, whereas the stereochemical course of the cyclisation step was solely governed by Baldwin's rules and did not invoke the involvement of a “cyclase”.
Prodigiosin : Amido‐functionalised prodigiosin‐derived compounds were synthesised via a robust and efficient synthetic route. These compounds were then evaluated against 60 human cell lines consisting of nine diverse tumour cell types and their anticancer activities were assessed.
Weak recognition processes : Weak calcium‐mediated carbohydrate–carbohydrate interactions have been detected by DOSY and TRNOESY NMR methods by employing a gold glyconanoparticle as a multivalent system. In addition, 3D models of trisaccharide‐CaII‐trisaccharide complexes based on results from molecular dynamics simulations are proposed.
Plaque visualisation : We identified three different D ‐enantiomeric peptides that bind to Alzheimer's amyloid β (Aβ1‐42). As there is currently no definitive pre‐mortem diagnosis for Alzheimer's disease, we investigated the peptides' suitability as molecular probes for in vivo imaging in transgenic mouse models.
