Spicing it up with fluorine : Enantiomers of α‐fluorinated capsaicin 2 , have been prepared by organocatalytic electrophilic fluorination and have been used as probes for the binding conformation of capsaicin to the TRPV1 pain receptor. No enantiomeric bias is observed, thus suggesting an extended binding conformation along the molecular axis.
Come together right now with L ‐DOPA : Chemical cross‐linking is widely used to study protein–protein interactions. However, many cross‐linking agents suffer from low reactivity or selectivity. An efficient and selective reaction of site‐specific protein cross‐linking was achieved using genetically incorporated 3,4‐dihydroxy‐L ‐phenylalanine.
Form defines function : The effects of β‐hairpin structure on the binding affinity and selectivity for ssDNA versus dsDNA were investigated; this provided insights into the factors that contribute to the selective recognition of both ss‐ and dsDNA and suggested new approaches for designing biomimetic receptors. Binding studies showed that 1) folding is crucial for binding to both ss‐ and dsDNA, and 2) chirality affects binding for duplex but not for ssDNA.
Conformational restriction of naftopidil led to the discovery of a new class of ligands with a 1,3‐dioxolane (1,3‐oxathiolane, 1,3‐dithiolane) structure that bind to α1 adrenoceptor subtypes and 5‐HT1A receptors. Adequate structural modifications address the selectivity toward one or the other receptor system.
The cover picture shows some commonly used antibiotics with heterocyclic side chains inhibit peroxidase‐catalyzed iodination of L‐tyrosine upon hydrolysis by the bacterial enzyme metallo‐beta‐lactamase. This suggests that the production of metallo‐beta‐lactamase and subsequent hydrolysis of antibiotics would affect thyroid activity. For more details, see the Communication by A. Tamilselvi and G. Mugesh on p. 512 ff.
Where a noncovalent interaction is better than a covalent bond : The most stabilising cross‐strand pairs were incorporated into an irregular β‐hairpin, loop 3 of vammin. 1H and 13C NMR conformational analyses of these designed peptides indicated that an edge‐to‐face Trp???Trp interaction leads to a β‐hairpin that is more stable than a disulfide bond.
Broad‐spectrum antibiotics with heterocyclic side chains strongly inhibit peroxidase‐catalyzed iodination in the presence of metallo‐β‐lactamase. This suggests that antibiotic resistance due to hydrolysis of the β‐lactam ring in antibiotics would have negative effects on thyroid activity.
Copper‐induced structural rearrangements of Aβ40 structure and its redox properties are described in this study. Electrochemical and fluorescent methods are used to characterise the behaviour of Aβ–Cu species. The data suggest that time‐dependent folding of Aβ–Cu species may cause changes in the redox potentials.
A novel G‐quadruplex binder , L1H1‐7OTD (shown in color by atom type), was developed. This macrocyclic heptaoxazole potently and selectively stabilizes telomeric DNA in an intramolecular antiparallel G‐quadruplex conformation. L1H1‐7OTD shows selective cytotoxicity toward HeLa cells, a telomerase‐positive cell line.
Sugar‐coated chips : Glycoside clusters are valuable tools for carbohydrate–lectin recognition studies. However, the spatial arrangement of the sugar residues is a key issue in the design of high‐affinity glycoclusters. Here the affinities of linear and antenna‐ and calixarene‐based galactoside clusters towards two lectins derived from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Ricinus communis were compared by means of glycoarrays.
It's alarming : Bacterial alarmone guanosine 5′‐diphosphate 3′‐diphosphate (ppGpp), which is a key regulatory molecule that controls the stringent response, also exists in chloroplasts of plant cells. Cross‐linking experiments with 6‐thioguanosine 5′‐diphosphate 3′‐diphosphate (6‐thioppGpp) and chloroplast RNA polymerase indicate that ppGpp binds the β′ subunit of plastid‐encoded plastid RNA polymerase that corresponds to the Escherichia coli β′ subunit.
Treating African trypanosomiasis : The synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 1‐alkyloxy and 1‐benzyloxyadamantano 2‐guanylhydrazones, their 1‐dioxa congeners and two 1‐benzyladamantano 2‐guanylhydrazones is reported. Preliminary structure–activity relationship data were elucidated and lead compounds suitable for further optimization were discovered.
Access to enantiopure β‐amino acids : β‐Aminopeptidases are hydrolases that possess the unique ability to cleave N‐terminal β‐amino acids from peptides and amides. Hydrolysis of racemic β‐amino acid amides catalyzed by these enzymes displays enantioselectivity with strong preference for substrates with the L ‐configuration, and gives access to various aliphatic β‐amino acids of high enantiopurity.
A series of arotinoids with a central benzofuran or naphthofuran ring structure were synthesized by an efficient three‐step process. Most of these 3‐substituted naphthofuran arotinoids are potent agonists of the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) subtypes, with activities in the nanomolar range.
Protein compatible . Olefin metathesis has emerged as a viable strategy for site‐selective protein modification. This minireview traces its development from early peptide models and metathesis in water to its ultimate application to protein substrates. Prospects in chemistry and biology are also discussed.
The cover picture shows a “reverse” indole derivative in complex with Bacillus stearothermophilus peptide deformylase (PDF). This compound was selected from a structure–activity relationship study as a potent inhibitor of bacterial PDFs and shows antibacterial activity toward Bacillus subtilis as well as other pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. For more details, see the Full Paper by I. Artaud et al. on p. 261 ff.
Dendritic antibacterial agents : Glycopeptide dendrimer biofilm inhibitors were synthesized combinatorially and optimized for binding to the fucose‐specific lectin LecB, which has high affinity of fucose. These dendritic ligands are potential antibacterial agents against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an antibiotic resistant human pathogen.
Site‐specific immobilization of peptides and proteins is crucial to ensure their functionality in surface‐based assays. We report the use of aniline‐catalyzed oxime ligations as a very efficient and broadly applicable method to covalently attach the N terminus of proteins and peptides to a surface functionalized with alkoxy‐amine groups.
Sensing the signal : A gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method for the analysis of the quorum‐sensing autoinducer‐2 is described. It allows, for the first time, the direct analysis and accurate determination of this highly water soluble signaling compound, which exists in complex equilibria. The application on the caries‐causing bacterium Streptococcus mutans is described.
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.
