Spin and charge interactions between nanographene host and ferrocene

• Akira Suzuki,
• Yuya Miyake,
• Ryoga Shibata and
• Kazuyuki Takai

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1011–1019, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.89

• effect, ACFs were ground in a mortar before the measurement. Results and Discussion XPS spectra acquired in a wide binding energy region for ACFs and FeCp2-ACFs-150 are shown in Figure 1. Peaks of C1s and O1s were observed in ACFs, while C1s, O1s, and Fe2p peaks appeared in the spectrum for FeCp2-ACFs

• -150. Figure 2 shows the Fe2p spectrum for FeCp2-ACFs-150 in a narrow binding energy region. The binding energies of the Fe2p peaks are similar to the reported value for FeCp2 [16]. So, the Fe2p peaks observed in FeCp2-ACFs-150 indicate the successful introduction of the FeCp2 molecule into ACFs as

• binding energy region, respectively. Table 1 shows peak positions for XPS C1s, O1s, and Fe2p peaks for ACFs and FeCp2-ACFs-150, where elemental abundances are obtained from the peak intensity. The amount of FeCp2 is calculated as 0.39 mmol in 1 g of FeCp2-ACFs-150 from the total intensity ratio of Fe2p

A Diels–Alder probe for discovery of natural products containing furan moieties

• Alyssa S. Eggly,
• Namuunzul Otgontseren,
• Carson B. Roberts,
• Amir Y. Alwali,
• Haylie E. Hennigan and
• Elizabeth I. Parkinson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1001–1010, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.88

• the MMFs specifically, we have developed a chemical probe that is capable of covalently binding to natural products containing furan moieties. Molecular probes are molecules that covalently bind to a compound of interest in order to make them easier to identify from the complex milieu of the cell

Enhancing structural diversity of terpenoids by multisubstrate terpene synthases

• Min Li and
• Hui Tao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 959–972, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.86

• coelicolor [55] (Figure 8a). Further structure-based engineering of BezA successfully repurposed it to catalyze the unprecedented C6-methylation of FPP by a single residue substitution in its substrate-binding pocket [55]. Moreover, efforts have also been made to engineer the TSs to modulate their product

(Bio)isosteres of ortho- and meta-substituted benzenes

• H. Erik Diepers and
• Johannes C. L. Walker

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 859–890, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.78

• benzenes that have more than one substituent; for example, the ortho-, meta-, or para- relative substitution of a disubstituted benzene should ideally be replicated in the saturated bioisostere to ensure ligand–protein binding is conserved through the bioisosteric swap. Bioisosteres of para-substituted

Activity assays of NnlA homologs suggest the natural product N-nitroglycine is degraded by diverse bacteria

• Kara A. Strickland,
• Brenda Martinez Rodriguez,
• Ashley A. Holland,
• Shelby Wagner,
• Michelle Luna-Alva,
• David E. Graham and
• Jonathan D. Caranto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 830–840, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.75

• these homologs exist mostly as dimers in solution. Next, the heme incorporation of the isolated homologs was measured. UV–vis absorption spectra showed that each NnlA homolog exhibited characteristic Soret absorption features consistent with heme binding to the protein (Figure 3). In addition, the A412

• [32]. We sought to identify the heme binding site, but AlphaFold does not model this. However, this AlphaFold model was predicted to bind a heme cofactor by the consensus modeling tool COACH [33]. This protein–ligand model exhibited steric clashes with the heme and protein side chains (data not shown

• ), limiting the use of this model to predict the heme environment. Nevertheless, this protein–ligand model heme binding between the β-sheet and an α-helix based on similarity to the oxygen-sensing dimeric DosH protein [34]. DosH is also a heme-binding PAS-domain containing protein, further validating the

Substrate specificity of a ketosynthase domain involved in bacillaene biosynthesis

• Zhiyong Yin and
• Jeroen S. Dickschat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 734–740, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.67

• Zhiyong Yin Jeroen S. Dickschat Kekulé-Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Straße 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany 10.3762/bjoc.20.67 Abstract An isotopic labelling method was developed to investigate substrate binding by ketosynthases, exemplified by the

• glutamate decarboxylase, and incubated with BaeJ-KS2. Substrate binding was demonstrated through 13C NMR analysis of the products against the background of various control experiments. Keywords: bacillaene; biosynthesis; enzyme mechanisms; isotopes; trans-AT polyketide synthases; Introduction Polyketides

• analysed by 13C NMR, showing the presence of free 11 after the first centrifugation step (Figure 1C), but not after the last round of centrifugation (Figure 1D). Protein binding of the substrate surrogates 11 was confirmed through digestion of BaeJ-KS2 using protease K after buffer exchange. The digested

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of macrocyclic peptides and polyketides via thioesterase-catalyzed macrocyclization

• Senze Qiao,
• Zhongyu Cheng and
• Fuzhuo Li

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 721–733, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.66

• -binding protein (PBP) family and plays a role in chain termination and macrocyclization in the biosynthesis of surugamides. This PBP-type discrete TE was utilized in the chemoenzymatic synthesis of surugamide B with corresponding peptidyl-SNAC thioester (17b). Most recently, it was observed that SurE

New variochelins from soil-isolated Variovorax sp. H002

• Jabal Rahmat Haedar,
• Aya Yoshimura and
• Toshiyuki Wakimoto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 692–700, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.63

• structure – a linear hexapeptide with β-hydroxyaspartate and hydroxamate functional groups, serving in iron-binding coordination. Three new variochelins C–E (3–5) were characterized by varied fatty acyl groups at their N-termini; notably, 4 and 5 represent the first variochelins with N-terminal unsaturated

A myo-inositol dehydrogenase involved in aminocyclitol biosynthesis of hygromycin A

• Michael O. Akintubosun and
• Melanie A. Higgins

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 589–596, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.51

• essential for in vivo antimicrobial activity suggesting a distinct biological function independent of ribosome binding. The hygromycin A biosynthetic gene cluster has been identified and the biosynthesis of the aminocyclitol has been proposed (Figure 1) [8][9]. Starting from glucose-6-phosphate, the pathway

• PF01408, in which Hyg17 is a member (Figure 3). PF01408 is classified as an oxidoreductase with NAD-binding Rossmann fold family and contains over 340,000 sequences. Many of the family members act as sugar dehydrogenases with diverse sugar substrates (Supporting Information File 1, Table S1). These

• then induced with 50 µL of 20 mg mL−1 thiostrepton and grown for another 24 h at 30 °C while shaking at 200 rpm. Cells were then harvested by centrifugation, resuspended in binding buffer (500 mM NaCl, 20 mM Tris pH8.0) and disrupted by sonication using a Branson Sonifier 450 (5 rounds of 3 s/3 s on

Recent developments in the engineered biosynthesis of fungal meroterpenoids

• Zhiyang Quan and
• Takayoshi Awakawa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 578–588, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.50

• they have similar substrate binding modes but different regional specificities. The rapid increase in genomic information has further expanded the number of available enzyme genes, thus increasing the potential for diversifying DMOA-derived meroterpenoid biosynthesis. Recently, a similar genome mining

• compounds (40, 43, 44, 47, 48, 50, 51, and 53–55) (Figure 7A). In addition, a structure-based mutagenesis study of SptF was performed to further amplify its catalytic potential. Firstly, the hydrophobic residues Ile63, Phe133, and Ile231, which compose the substrate binding site of SptF, were mutated. As a

• change their reaction products depending on the conformation of the terpenoid skeleton, the regiospecificity of the oxidation reaction can be modified by introducing random mutations in the substrate-binding site of αKG-dependent dioxygenase. The αKG-dependent dioxygenase AndA withdraws H-12 of

Possible bi-stable structures of pyrenebutanoic acid-linked protein molecules adsorbed on graphene: theoretical study

• Yasuhiro Oishi,
• Motoharu Kitatani and
• Koichi Kusakabe

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 570–577, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.49

• that similar steric hindrance effects appear when rotation around the alkyl chain occurs. Such an assumption may not be valid when substitutional binding of the linker to the protein causes some effects to the extent which rotation is not defined, such as a strong chemical bond change, a conformational

• proteins is weakly coupled to graphene. It can be concluded that except for bulky structures that allow multiple binding on graphene by several linkers, the above cases will be of a weakly perturbed nature when making a single link for protein capture. Discussion on strategy for improving biosensors The

Synthesis and biological profile of 2,3-dihydro[1,3]thiazolo[4,5-b]pyridines, a novel class of acyl-ACP thioesterase inhibitors

• Jens Frackenpohl,
• David M. Barber,
• Guido Bojack,
• Birgit Bollenbach-Wahl,
• Ralf Braun,
• Rahel Getachew,
• Sabine Hohmann,
• Kwang-Yoon Ko,
• Karoline Kurowski,
• Bernd Laber,
• Rebecca L. Mattison,
• Thomas Müller,
• Anna M. Reingruber,
• Dirk Schmutzler and
• Andrea Svejda

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 540–551, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.46

• binding affinity to enzyme targets, e.g., acyl-ACP thioesterases, belonging to the protein family of FATs, was demonstrated by using co-crystallization, fluorescence-based thermal shift assays, and chemoproteomics techniques [3]. Likewise, methiozolin (2) is a recently assigned FAT inhibitor that has

• . Accordingly, the target binding affinities were considerably lower than those measured for the strongest analogues 7b, 7c, and 13b. To gain further insights into the biological profile, we chose compounds 7b, 7c, and 13b with promising initial in vivo activity as representatives of our new class of FAT

• pI50 values were calculated from plots of inhibition values vs test compound concentration using Model 205 of the ID Business Solutions Ltd Xlfit software suite. The FAT A binding fluorescent tracer was synthesized from (2S,4S)-4-[(2,6-difluorophenyl)methoxymethyl]-4-ethyl-2-methyl-N-(prop-2

Switchable molecular tweezers: design and applications

• Pablo Msellem,
• Maksym Dekthiarenko,
• Nihal Hadj Seyd and
• Guillaume Vives

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 504–539, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.45

• first part will be devoted to chemically responsive tweezers, including stimuli such as pH, metal coordination, and anion binding. Then, redox-active and photochemical tweezers will be presented. Keywords: coordination; molecular recognition; molecular switches; photoswitch; redox; supramolecular

• Schrader [3][4], and more flexible variants by Rebek [5][6], Zimmerman [7][8], Bosnich [9] and others [10][11][12]. Initially serving as agents for guest binding and recognition, molecular tweezers have undergone a remarkable evolution, diversifying their applications into the realms of biology, catalysis

• flourished since the early 2000s. It is worth mentioning, as stated by Leigh in a comprehensive review [15], that a pioneering example of a molecular machine was the photoswitchable molecular tweezers developed by Shinkai [16] in 1981 for photocontrolled cation binding. This novel class of tweezers

Ligand effects, solvent cooperation, and large kinetic solvent deuterium isotope effects in gold(I)-catalyzed intramolecular alkene hydroamination

• Ruichen Lan,
• Brock Yager,
• Yoonsun Jee,
• Cynthia S. Day and
• Amanda C. Jones

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 479–496, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.43

• , acetonitrile, and the triflate counterion [66]. Theoretical calculation of binding constants predict that esters coordinate more strongly than alkynes, and water [68]. Alkenes have been shown in some cases to coordinate more strongly than alkynes, but the trend depends on substitution pattern (alkynes can

Development of a chemical scaffold for inhibiting nonribosomal peptide synthetases in live bacterial cells

• Fumihiro Ishikawa,
• Sho Konno,
• Hideaki Kakeya and
• Genzoh Tanabe

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 445–451, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.39

• investigated the influence of a modification of 2′-OH in the AMS scaffold with different functional groups on binding to target enzymes and bacterial cell penetration. The inhibitor 7 with a cyanomethyl group at 2′-OH showed desirable inhibitory activity against both recombinant and intracellular gramicidin S

• activities against the A-domain of MbtA, a component of mycobactin synthetase and antimicrobial activities against M. tuberculosis [7]. In addition, aminoacyl (AA)-AMS has been designed to inhibit the amino acid-activating A-domains in NRPSs and has been found to be a tight-binding inhibitor (Figure 2b) [8

• introduced a pegylated biotin linker at the 2′-OH group of ʟ-Phe-AMS and confirmed that the probe retains the binding activities toward the A-domain of GrsA, a gramicidin S synthetase. Aldrich et al. developed a Sal-AMS-based activity-based probe (ABP) to profile MbtA in M. tuberculosis [12]. In contrast, we

Enhanced host–guest interaction between [10]cycloparaphenylene ([10]CPP) and [5]CPP by cationic charges

• Eiichi Kayahara,
• Yoshiyuki Mizuhata and
• Shigeru Yamago

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 436–444, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.38

• . Furthermore, Isobe and co-workers also showed that the carbon nanorings with the simplest structural unit of chiral CNTs, such as cyclochrysenylene [34], cyclonaphthylenes [35], and cycloanthanthrenylene [36], are also excellent hosts of fullerenes with exceptionally high binding constants. These results open

Green and sustainable approaches for the Friedel–Crafts reaction between aldehydes and indoles

• Periklis X. Kolagkis,
• Eirini M. Galathri and
• Christoforos G. Kokotos

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 379–426, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.36

• the GPR receptor can aggravate the symptoms of myeloid leukemia. In contrast to most GPR84 agonists which contain long alkyl chains, BIMs are not lipophilic molecules, which allow them to bind to the GPR receptor via an allosteric binding site and modulate GPR84’s rate of expression [2]. One

• -effects that it can cause in the more sensitive subgroups of patients. Specifically, when DIM was used in tandem with tamoxifen, the ratio between 2OHE1/16αOHE1 increased up to 229%, as well as the concentration of the sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) that inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells [4

• related environments [8]. The mechanism of action involves the binding of BIMs to the penicillin-restricting protein PBP2a which inhibits the biosynthesis of the bacterial cell wall, making the treatment feasible without any toxicity to human cells [9][10]. The applications of BIMs have also been extended

Spatial arrangements of cyclodextrin host–guest complexes in solution studied by ¹³C NMR and molecular modelling

• Konstantin Lebedinskiy,
• Ivan Barvík,
• Zdeněk Tošner,
• Ivana Císařová,
• Jindřich Jindřich and
• Radim Hrdina

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 331–335, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.33

• signals in 13C NMR spectra. This signal split can be correlated to the distance of the guest atoms from the wall of the host cavity and to the spatial separation of binding sites preferred by pairs of prochiral carbon atoms. These measurements complement traditional solid-state analyses, which rely on the

• delivery [2][3][4], in analytical and preparative chemistry for compound separation [5] and in materials science for small molecule detection [6][7]. Association (binding) constants between the host and guest molecules [8][9][10] are typically measured by 1H NMR titration [11][12] or isothermal titration

Elucidating the glycan-binding specificity and structure of Cucumis melo agglutinin, a new R-type lectin

• Jon Lundstrøm,
• Emilie Gillon,
• Valérie Chazalet,
• Nicole Kerekes,
• Antonio Di Maio,
• Ten Feizi,
• Yan Liu,
• Annabelle Varrot and
• Daniel Bojar

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 306–320, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.31

• garnered attention for their roles as laboratory probes and potential therapeutics. Here, we report the discovery and characterization of Cucumis melo agglutinin (CMA1), a new R-type lectin from melon. Our findings reveal CMA1’s unique glycan-binding profile, mechanistically explained by its 3D structure

• , augmenting our understanding of R-type lectins. We expressed CMA1 recombinantly and assessed its binding specificity using multiple glycan arrays, covering 1,046 unique sequences. This resulted in a complex binding profile, strongly preferring C2-substituted, beta-linked galactose (both GalNAc and Fuca1-2Gal

• ), which we contrasted with the established R-type lectin Ricinus communis agglutinin 1 (RCA1). We also report binding of specific glycosaminoglycan subtypes and a general enhancement of binding by sulfation. Further validation using agglutination, thermal shift assays, and surface plasmon resonance

Optimizations of lipid II synthesis: an essential glycolipid precursor in bacterial cell wall synthesis and a validated antibiotic target

• Milandip Karak,
• Cian R. Cloonan,
• Brad R. Baker,
• Rachel V. K. Cochrane and
• Stephen A. Cochrane

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 220–227, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.22

• study the mechanism of action of antimicrobial peptides that kill bacteria through binding to these polyprenyls [21][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]. Lipid II has been of particular interest, and during our synthesis of multiple different lipid II analogues, we have developed several optimizations, which we

• in red and antimicrobial-binding motifs highlighted with blue arcs. R1 = H or Ac; R2 = H or Ac; R3 = OH, OMe or NH2; R4 = H or COOH; R5 = Gly5, Ala2, Ala-Ser/Ala or ᴅ-Asp; R6 = OH, OMe or NH2. These structural modifications are described in detail by Münch and co-workers [9]. For more details on

• lipid II-binding antimicrobials, see recent review by Buijs and co-workers [2]. List of i) glycosyl donors and ii) glycosyl acceptors used in this study. Synthesis of disaccharide pentapeptide core 7. Synthesis of lipid II (11) and its analogues 8–10. Optimization of the glycosylation conditions.a

Synthesis of the 3’-O-sulfated TF antigen with a TEG-N₃ linker for glycodendrimersomes preparation to study lectin binding

• Mark Reihill,
• Hanyue Ma,
• Dennis Bengtsson and
• Stefan Oscarson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 173–180, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.17

• (β-ᴅ-GalNAc-(1→4)-β-ᴅ-GlcNAc), which have then been used for production of the glycodenrimersomes and interaction studies with various galectins [1][2]. In the continuation of this collaboration, to investigate the binding of siglec-1 and the chimera of 3’-SuTF-binding siglecs and TF-binding galectin

Photoinduced in situ generation of DNA-targeting ligands: DNA-binding and DNA-photodamaging properties of benzo[c]quinolizinium ions

• Julika Schlosser,
• Olga Fedorova,
• Yuri Fedorov and
• Heiko Ihmels

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 101–117, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.11

• organic solvents (78–20% in MeCN). The quinolizinium derivatives bind to DNA by intercalation with binding constants of 6–11 × 104 M−1, as shown by photometric and fluorimetric titrations as well as by CD- and LD-spectroscopic analyses. These ligand–DNA complexes can also be established in situ upon

• irradiation of the styrylpyridines and formation of the intercalator directly in the presence of DNA. In addition to the DNA-binding properties, the tested benzo[c]quinolizinium derivatives also operate as photosensitizers, which induce DNA damage at relative low concentrations and short irradiation times

• a change of the DNA structure or occupy binding sites of essential enzymes, which in turn may influence or even inhibit important biochemical processes, for example DNA replication or transcription [1][2]. As a result, the development of DNA-targeting drugs still involves the design of suitable DNA

Aldiminium and 1,2,3-triazolium dithiocarboxylate zwitterions derived from cyclic (alkyl)(amino) and mesoionic carbenes

• Nedra Touj,
• François Mazars,
• Guillermo Zaragoza and
• Lionel Delaude

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1947–1956, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.145

• of charges (Figure 1) [13][14][15][16]. Crabtree and co-workers first reported the abnormal binding of an imidazolium salt to an iridium hydride at the C4 carbon atom instead of C2 in 2001 [17][18]. Since then, many other metal complexes bearing imidazol-4-ylidene ligands (F) have been reported [7

Studying specificity in protein–glycosaminoglycan recognition with umbrella sampling

• Mateusz Marcisz,
• Sebastian Anila,
• Margrethe Gaardløs,
• Martin Zacharias and
• Sergey A. Samsonov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1933–1946, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.144

• essential to explain their biological functions. In this study, the umbrella sampling (US) approach is used to pull away a GAG ligand from the binding site and then pull it back in. We analyze the binding interactions between GAGs of three types (heparin, desulfated heparan sulfate, and chondroitin sulfate

• GAG properties, especially protein recognition specificity and multipose binding. We found that the binding free energy landscape in the proximity of the GAG native binding pose is complex and implies the co-existence of several binding poses. The sliding of a GAG chain along a protein surface could

• to multipose binding, wherein various configurations of the protein–GAG complex may exhibit similar free binding energies, allowing them to co-exist. Interpreting the “sulfation code”, the amount (net sulfation) and particular positions of the sulfation group (sulfation pattern), could assist in the

Anion–π catalysis on carbon allotropes

• M. Ángeles Gutiérrez López,
• Mei-Ling Tan,
• Giacomo Renno,
• Augustina Jozeliūnaitė,
• J. Jonathan Nué-Martinez,
• Javier Lopez-Andarias,
• Naomi Sakai and
• Stefan Matile

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1881–1894, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.140

• formation (Figure 1C) [12]. This intriguing mechanism of catalysis should be further intensified on single-walled carbon nanotubes 2 (SWCNTs, Figure 1D) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes 3 (MWCNTs, Figure 1E) [13]. Multiple substrate/transition-state binding should reduce particularly in-plane polarization

• of the π system and thus induced anion–π interactions. Since the polarization caused by substrate/transition-state binding hinders additional binding, this effect should occur only at high concentrations. These expectations were first explored with anion–π catalysis on fullerenes in 2017 [12

• -to-face π stacking because the delocalized π electrons move within the stack away from the charge, which induces a macrodipole along the stack that supports the binding of the anion (Figure 1B) [61]. What works for anion–(π)n–π catalysis on π-stacked foldamers [61] and micelles [8] should apply to