Isoorotamide-based peptide nucleic acid nucleobases with extended linkers aimed at distal base recognition of adenosine in double helical RNA

• Grant D. Walby,
• Brandon R. Tessier,
• Tristan L. Mabee,
• Jennah M. Hoke,
• Hallie M. Bleam,
• Angelina Giglio-Tos,
• Emily E. Harding,
• Vladislavs Baskevics,
• Martins Katkevics,
• Eriks Rozners and
• James A. MacKay

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2513–2523, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.193

• regions of RNA. We herein report the synthesis and binding studies of new isoorotamide-based PNA monomers that target uridine–adenosine base pairs via a distal base recognition strategy. Monomers were designed with an arylisoorotamide core attached to a linker aimed at bypassing the uridine in a U–A pair

• distal binding monomers (Db) demonstrated slightly higher affinity for A–U base pairs while one demonstrated slightly higher affinity for the G–C base pair. These results provide insight into the nature of PNA monomer design particularly around linker design and rigidity. Keywords: Hoogsteen hydrogen

• Hoogsteen face of the RNA duplex allowing for recognition of U–A base pairs through a distal base recognition approach (Figure 3c). We proposed that by developing a linker of appropriate length that could reach across the uridine base, we could recognize the distal adenosine base and in turn essentially

Rotaxanes with integrated photoswitches: design principles, functional behavior, and emerging applications

• Jullyane Emi Matsushima,
• Khushbu,
• Zuliah Abdulsalam,
• Udyogi Navodya Kulathilaka Conthagamage and
• Víctor García-López

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2345–2366, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.179

• modulated the co-conformation of the rotaxane. However, the folded geometry of the axle restricts long-range movement of the macrocycle. Therefore, the authors later reported a photoswitchable rotaxane with an unfolded molecular thread, achieved by modifying the stopper groups and adjusting the linker chain

Research towards selective inhibition of the CLK3 kinase

• Vinay Kumar Singh,
• Frédéric Justaud,
• Dabbugoddu Brahmaiah,
• Nangunoori Sampath Kumar,
• Blandine Baratte,
• Thomas Robert,
• Stéphane Bach,
• Chada Raji Reddy,
• Nicolas Levoin and
• René L. Grée

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2250–2259, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.172

• previously described DB18 [23][24], a moderate inhibitor (IC50 = 1.28 μM) docked into CLK3 (Figure 2A), and we proposed to introduce, through an appropriate linker, an acid group close to this lysine 241 (Figure 2B). Preliminary studies indicated that a simple aromatic group could be very appropriate as a

• linker between the core of the inhibitor and the acidic function. The acid could be placed in meta or para positions taking into account the flexible backbone of lysine 241 (Figure 3). Further, in case the binding of these new targets would require a little more flexibility around the basic skeleton, we

• -bromo-5-chloroaniline (2b). Next, we prepared the final targets by Suzuki-type reactions using the aromatic bromides 7. As indicated before, the acid function designed to interact with the lysine 241 has been introduced both in para and meta positions of the aromatic linker. Further we have prepared two

Discovery of cytotoxic indolo[1,2-c]quinazoline derivatives through scaffold-based design

• Daniil V. Khabarov,
• Valeria A. Litvinova,
• Lyubov G. Dezhenkova,
• Dmitry N. Kaluzhny,
• Alexander S. Tikhomirov and
• Andrey E. Shchekotikhin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 2062–2071, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.161

• -stranded calf thymus DNA, as evidenced by ligand fluorescence quenching (Figure 2). Elongation of the linker in the carboxamide residue is accompanied by weaker DNA complexation (Table 4). The interaction of the compounds with DNA was found to be largely dependent on electrostatic forces. Reducing the

• stoichiometry of one ligand per two base pairs at maximal DNA saturation. While the DNA binding affinity increased by an order of magnitude at low ionic strength, the characteristic decrease in affinity with longer linker lengths was still maintained. A similar trend was observed in the results of MTT assay

Aryl iodane-induced cascade arylation–1,2-silyl shift–heterocyclization of propargylsilanes under copper catalysis

• Rasma Kroņkalne,
• Rūdolfs Beļaunieks,
• Armands Sebris,
• Anatoly Mishnev and
• Māris Turks

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1984–1994, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.154

• linker provides entry to 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridines. Additionally, in the absence of internal nucleophiles, this methodology yields aryl-substituted 1,3-dienes. This work introduces a palladium-free, single-step alternative to multistep heterocycle construction from propargylsilanes and highlights the

Systematic pore lipophilization to enhance the efficiency of an amine-based MOF catalyst in the solvent-free Knoevenagel reaction

• Pricilla Matseketsa,
• Margret Kumbirayi Ruwimbo Pagare and
• Tendai Gadzikwa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1854–1863, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.144

• -workers. In two separate reports, they synthesized well-defined MOFs composed of three different linkers: a proline-functionalized linker acted as the catalytic unit, while two auxiliary linkers were varied to alter catalyst activity and enantioselectivity [24], or product selectivity [25]. In those works

• mixed-linker MOF with molecular formula Zn2(BDC-NH2)2(DPG), each unit cell has a 2:1 ratio of dicarboxylate to dipyridyl and, therefore, a 1:1 ratio of amine (–NH2) to hydroxy (–OH) groups. The Zn atoms in the paddlewheel metal clusters are coordinatively saturated [45], thus we anticipated that only

• determined that, when incubated with secondary or tertiary isocyanates, KSU-1 reacts exclusively at the hydroxy groups of the DPG linker before proceeding to react at the amines of BDC-NH2 (Table 1, entries 1 and 2). Thus, we had a method to generate, from a single framework, a series of amine-based MOFs

Photoswitches beyond azobenzene: a beginner’s guide

• Michela Marcon,
• Christoph Haag and
• Burkhard König

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1808–1853, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.143

Synthesis of chiral cyclohexane-linked bisimidazolines

• Changmeng Xi,
• Qingshan Sun and
• Jiaxi Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1786–1790, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.140

• the substrate scope due to their complete rigidity. Cyclohexane-1,2-linked bisoxazolines (cHBOX) are a class of bisoxazoline ligands with the more flexible cyclohexane as linker [21][22]. Chiral cyclohexane-1,2-linked bisoxazolines fix transition states in catalytic asymmetric reactions, in whch the

3,3'-Linked BINOL macrocycles: optimized synthesis of crown ethers featuring one or two BINOL units

• Somayyeh Kheirjou,
• Jan Riebe,
• Maike Thiele,
• Christoph Wölper and
• Jochen Niemeyer

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1719–1729, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.134

• ]. For the synthesis of macrocycles M2 with two BINOL units, we relied on the monoiodide 12, which was first reacted in a two-fold Suzuki coupling to install the first linker, followed by silyl deprotection and introduction of the second linker via nucleophilic substitution [51]. Both procedures require

• this publication, the suffix denotes the number of ethylene glycol units in a single linker, for the structures of 75/6/7/8, see Figure 3a). The reactivity of 76 had previously been established in the reaction with the unsymmetric monoiodide 12 (see Figure 1e), which proceeded in 59% yield [51

• were slightly increased (40% for H-M18, 53% for iPr-M18). As a general trend, we observed that the pentaethylene glycol linker seems to be too short to result in efficient macrocyclization (both in Suzuki and Williamson reactions), while the longer linkers give moderate to good yields of the desired

Structural analysis of stereoselective galactose pyruvylation toward the synthesis of bacterial capsular polysaccharides

• Tsun-Yi Chiang,
• Mei-Huei Lin,
• Chun-Wei Chang,
• Jinq-Chyi Lee and
• Cheng-Chung Wang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1671–1677, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.131

• linker at the reducing end adopts a rotamer configuration, leading to the broad singlet at δ 4.22 ppm. The 13C chemical shift of the methyl groups in galactose for all (R)-4,6-O-pyruvylated residues was determined to be between δ 25.5–25.7 ppm, with corresponding δ 1.50–1.65 ppm in 1H NMR. This NMR

On the aromaticity and photophysics of 1-arylbenzo[a]imidazo[5,1,2-cd]indolizines as bicolor fluorescent molecules for barium tagging in the study of double-beta decay of ¹³⁶Xe

• Eric Iván Velazco-Cabral,
• Fernando Auria-Luna,
• Juan Molina-Canteras,
• Miguel A. Vázquez,
• Iván Rivilla and
• Fernando P. Cossío

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1627–1638, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.126

• interactions. Finally, a spacer (denoted as X and Y in Figure 2) and a linker (denoted as Z) to anchor the sensor to a suitable surface via a covalent interaction are required. Ideally, different configurations and conformations of the fluorophore in the free and chelated states would result in a bicolor

• -generation bicolor fluorescent indicators based on 1-aryl benzo[a]imidazo[5,1,2-cd]indolizines. X and Y represent the spacer and Z stands for the linker to the surface, respectively. The different emission wavelengths in the free and bound states are highlighted. (A) Total, peripheral and modular

Thermodynamic equilibrium between locally excited and charge transfer states in perylene–phenothiazine dyads

• Issei Fukunaga,
• Shunsuke Kobashi,
• Yuki Nagai,
• Hiroki Horita,
• Hiromitsu Maeda and
• Yoichi Kobayashi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1577–1586, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.121

• -catalyzed cross-coupling reactions between bromo-substituted perylene or phenothiazine precursors and appropriate donor or linker units, followed by purification via column chromatography and gel permeation chromatography (Figures S18–S21 in Supporting Information File 1). The details of the syntheses are

Facile synthesis of hydantoin/1,2,4-oxadiazoline spiro-compounds via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxides to 5-iminohydantoins

• Juliana V. Petrova,
• Varvara T. Tkachenko,
• Victor A. Tafeenko,
• Anna S. Pestretsova,
• Vadim S. Pokrovsky,
• Maxim E. Kukushkin and
• Elena K. Beloglazkina

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1552–1560, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.118

• therapeutic efficacy (lower IC50 values) [18] but greater toxicity to healthy cells in comparison with spiro compounds [19]. Such hybrid-designed molecules may contain a third heterocycle as a linker, spiro-joined with one of the pharmacophore moieties. In this case, another pharmacophore fragment is included

Recent advances and future challenges in the bottom-up synthesis of azulene-embedded nanographenes

• Bartłomiej Pigulski

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 1272–1305, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.99

• gap, aromaticity of azulene subunit and anti-Kasha’s emission from higher excited states. In such cases, the azulene unit merely acts as a linker within a more complex benzenoid framework. This review covers all types of azulene-embedded molecular scaffolds, regardless of whether they contain a

On the photoluminescence in triarylmethyl-centered mono-, di-, and multiradicals

• Daniel Straub,
• Markus Gross,
• Mona E. Arnold,
• Julia Zolg and
• Alexander J. C. Kuehne

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 964–998, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.80

Synthesis of HBC fluorophores with an electrophilic handle for covalent attachment to Pepper RNA

• Raphael Bereiter and
• Ronald Micura

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 727–735, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.56

• -cyanophenylacetonitrile afforded HBC 4 and HBC-like ligands 5 and 6 as bright orange solids. Finally, the bromo group was introduced under Appel conditions with carbon tetrabromide and triphenylphosphine to give the fluorophores 7, 8, and 9, with linker lengths of two, three, and five atoms. Unfortunately, this strategy

• additionally synthesized the HBC series with different linker lengths with the mesyloxy group, yielding the derivatives 16 to 18 (Scheme 5). All of these derivatives – although well soluble in the reaction buffer without the need for additional DMSO – were less reactive than N-(3-mesyloxypropyl) HBC derivative

Acyclic cucurbit[n]uril bearing alkyl sulfate ionic groups

• Christian Akakpo,
• Peter Y. Zavalij and
• Lyle Isaacs

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 717–726, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.55

• ][66][67]. Previously, we have studied the influence of the length of the O(CH2)nSO3Na sidearm (n = 0, 2, 3, 4) and found that the M0 host – where the hydrophobic linker (CH2)n was completely removed – displayed higher binding affinity than M1 which we attributed to the location of the ionic group

• closer to the ureidyl C=O portals [68][69]. However, a close examination of the structures of M0 and M1 show that the ionic group for M1 is a sulfonate and for M0 is a sulfate. Accordingly, M1 and M0 differ in two ways: a) different (CH2)n linker length and b) different ionic group (sulfonate versus

Origami with small molecules: exploiting the C–F bond as a conformational tool

• Patrick Ryan,
• Ramsha Iftikhar and
• Luke Hunter

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 680–716, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.54

• also seen when Ar–O–CF2- is a linker moiety. For example, consider compound 47 (Figure 6), which is a fluorinated analogue of the antipsychotic drug, aripiprazole (46). The presence of the fluorine atoms in 47 causes a change in the conformation of the aryl ether moiety from planar in 46 [83] to

• that lies outside the sugar ring, is the C-1–O anomeric bond in glycosides (highlighted in 74, Figure 10). This anomeric bond serves as a linker between the sugar and the rest of the glycoside; rotation about this bond can dramatically change the overall shape of the molecule, which in turn can affect

Photocatalyzed elaboration of antibody-based bioconjugates

• Marine Le Stum,
• Eugénie Romero and
• Gary A. Molander

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 616–629, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.49

• specifically recognizes and binds to surface antigens present on tumor or other targeted cells. (2) Linker: the linker connects the antibody to the payload. The nature of the moiety linking the drug/radiolabel/imaging agent to the antibody plays a crucial role in the pharmacokinetic properties [4][5

• ], therapeutic index, selectivity, and overall success of the ADC. The linker will ideally be stable in plasma for an extended period before the intended target can be reached, and after internalization, linkers play a key role in the drug-releasing event. Importantly, some exceptions exist. For example, in

• trodelvy, used in a treatment for patients with triple-negative breast cancer, the linker may release the drug prior to internalization. (3) Payload: The payload may be a subunit used in cellular tracking, imaging, or most commonly toxic drug therapeutics. The overall goal of ADCs is to deliver the payload

Cryptophycin unit B analogues

• Thomas Schachtsiek,
• Jona Voss,
• Maren Hamsen,
• Beate Neumann,
• Hans-Georg Stammler and
• Norbert Sewald

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 526–532, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.40

• connected to the homing device by a linker. For covalent attachment of the drug to the linker a suitable functional group is needed such as an amino, hydroxy, carboxy or sulfhydryl group [7]. Since the cryptophycins’ discovery, considerable efforts were made for the establishment of structure–activity

• chain length [21]. The exchange by an amino group showed a similar trend, however, N,N-dimethylation of the amino group again increased cytotoxicity significantly [20]. Nevertheless, this cryptophycin might only be conjugated via an ammonium-based self-immolative linker [22]. We envisioned the synthesis

Synthesis of electrophile-tethered preQ₁ analogs for covalent attachment to preQ₁ RNA

• Laurin Flemmich and
• Ronald Micura

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 483–489, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.35

• ). Synthesis of preQ1 and DPQ1 derivatives with electrophilic handles For the synthesis of haloalkyl- and mesyloxyalkyl-modified preQ1 and DPQ1 ligands 3a,b and 4a–e (for target structures see Scheme 1), a divergent synthetic route was sought that provided flexibility with respect to linker length and nature

Identification and removal of a cryptic impurity in pomalidomide-PEG based PROTAC

• Bingnan Wang,
• Yong Lu and
• Chuo Chen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 407–411, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.28

• drug”) class of PROTAC molecules with a PEG linker is frequently used to promote targeted protein degradation. The standard protocol for their synthesis involves nucleophilic aromatic substitution of 4-fluorothalidomide with a PEG-amine. We report herein the identification of a commonly ignored

• polyethylene glycol (PEG) linker of various lengths is typically used to build a small library to identify a lead compound. For example, iVeliparib-AP6 (Figure 1) developed through this practice is a PROTAC that degrades poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 2 (PARP2) selectively [5]. Results and Discussion The

Synthesis, characterization, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and carbonic anhydrase inhibition activities of multifunctional pyrazolo-1,2-benzothiazine acetamides

• Ayesha Saeed,
• Shahana Ehsan,
• Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman,
• Erin M. Marshall,
• Sandra Loesgen,
• Abdus Saleem,
• Simone Giovannuzzi and
• Claudiu T. Supuran

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 348–357, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.25

• , makes them a suitable linker unit [34]. The leading example is paracetamol highlighting the utility of an amide containing scaffold in medicinal chemistry. A series of novel scaffolds adjoining benzothiazine with a pyrazole moiety has been reported with antioxidant activity and antibacterial potential

Red light excitation: illuminating photocatalysis in a new spectrum

• Lucas Fortier,
• Corentin Lefebvre and
• Norbert Hoffmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 296–326, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.22

Synthesis of disulfides and 3-sulfenylchromones from sodium sulfinates catalyzed by TBAI

• Zhenlei Zhang,
• Ying Wang,
• Xingxing Pan,
• Manqi Zhang,
• Wei Zhao,
• Meng Li and
• Hao Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 253–261, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.17

• groups in organic synthesis [1][2][3][4]. In chemistry and biology, disulfide bonds play crucial roles in protein folding and stabilization [5][6][7][8] and in the rubber industry, they are used to link different polymer chains [9][10]. The disulfide bond backbone is commonly used as a linker for