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Small macrocyclic peptides are promising candidates for new anti-infective drugs. To date, such peptides have been poorly studied in the context of anti-virulence targets. Using phage display and a self-designed peptide library, we identified a cyclic heptapeptide that can bind the carbon storage regulator A (CsrA) from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and displace bound RNA. This disulfide-bridged peptide, showed an IC50 value in the low micromolar range. Upon further characterization, cyclisation was found to be essential for its activity. To increase metabolic stability, a series of disulfide mimetics were designed and a redox-stable 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole analogue displayed activity in the double-digit micromolar range. Further experiments revealed that this triazole peptidomimetic is also active against CsrA from Escherichia coli and RsmA from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This study provides an ideal starting point for medicinal chemistry optimization of this macrocyclic peptide and might pave the way towards broad-acting virulence modulators., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Cyclic peptides, which often exhibit interesting biological properties, can be obtained by macrolactamization of adequately protected linear peptide chains. Because of the remarkable biological properties, methods for the efficient cyclization of peptides are of high interest. We herein describe three different protocols for the cyclization of peptides and depsipeptides via amide bond formation. These methods can, in principal, be applied to any linear peptide chain., (© 2022. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Ilamycins/rufomycins and cyclomarins are marine cycloheptapeptides containing unusual amino acids. Produced by Streptomyces sp., these compounds show potent activity against a range of mycobacteria, including multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis . The cyclomarins are also very potent inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum . Biosynthetically the cyclopeptides are obtained via a heptamodular nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) that directly incorporates some of the nonproteinogenic amino acids. A wide range of derivatives can be obtained by fermentation, while bioengineering also allows the mutasynthesis of derivatives, especially cyclomarins. Other derivatives are accessible by semisynthesis or total syntheses, reported for both natural product classes. The anti-tuberculosis (anti-TB) activity results from the binding of the peptides to the N -terminal domain (NTD) of the bacterial protease-associated unfoldase ClpC1, causing cell death by the uncontrolled proteolytic activity of this enzyme. Diadenosine triphosphate hydrolase (PfAp3Aase) was found to be the active target of the cyclomarins in Plasmodia . SAR studies with natural and synthetic derivatives on ilamycins/rufomycins and cyclomarins indicate which parts of the molecules can be simplified or otherwise modified without losing activity for either target. This review examines all aspects of the research conducted in the syntheses of these interesting cyclopeptides.

Introduction: Miuraenamides belong to natural marine compounds with interesting biological properties., Materials and Methods: Miuraenamides initiate polymerization of monomeric actin and therefore show high cytotoxicity by influencing the cytoskeleton. New derivatives of the miuraenamides have been synthesized containing an N-methylated amide bond instead of the more easily hydrolysable ester in the natural products., Results: Incorporation of an aromatic side chain onto the C-terminal amino acid of the tripeptide fragment also led to highly active new miuraenamides., Conclusion: In this study, we showed that the ester bond of the natural product miuraenamide can be replaced by an N-methyl amide. The yields in the cyclization step were high and generally much better than with the corresponding esters. On the other hand, the biological activity of the new amide analogs was lower compared to the natural products, but the activity could significantly be increased by incorporation of a p-nitrophenyl group at the C-terminus of the peptide fragment., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Cyclomarins are highly potent antimycobacterial and antiplasmodial cyclopeptides isolated from a marine bacterium (Streptomyces sp.). Previous studies have identified the target proteins and elucidated a novel mode of action, however there are currently only a few studies examining the structure-activity relationship (SAR) for both pathogens. Herein, we report the synthesis and biological evaluation of 17 novel desoxycyclomarin-inspired analogues. Optimization via side chain modifications of the non-canonical amino acids led to potent lead structures for each pathogen., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The marine cyclopeptide mozamide A, a member of the class of anabaenopeptin-type peptides, was synthesized for the first time via a convergent and flexible route. The installation of the substituted tryptophan moieties was accomplished at the very end of the synthesis and thus allows easy modifications at this position. Comparison of the NMR data of the synthesized cyclopeptide with the natural product clearly indicates that the originally proposed structure of mozamide A cannot be correct. The synthesis of two other diastereomers allowed correction of the configuration of three amino acid building blocks. Mozamide A contains l-Val, d-Lys, and l-Ile (instead of d-Val, l-Lys, and l-allo-Ile) and is a hydroxylated brunsvicamide.

The marine natural products cyclomarins have remarkable anti-mycobacterial and antiplasmodial activities. The heptapeptic structure of this compound class comprisis four highly interesting non-canonical amino acids, including a rather unusual syn β-methoxyphenylalanine. To get a deeper insight into the structure-activity realtionship of cyclomarines, a straightforward protocol for the stereoselective synthesis of this building block was developed, based on diazonium chemistry.

N-Methylated amino acids and peptides with an 8-aminoquinoline (AQ) directing group can be subjected to stereoselective Pd-catalyzed β-functionalizations. The best results are obtained with aryl iodides, but alkyl and alkenyl side chains can also be introduced. The AQ protecting group can easily be removed, providing the free carboxylic acid, which can be used directly in peptide couplings. This protocol was used successfully as a key step in the synthesis of the cyclopeptide alkaloids abyssenine A and mucronine E.

Chelate enolate Claisen rearrangements are powerful reactions for constructing amino acid scaffolds. They generally proceed via chair-like transition states with excellent transfer of stereogenic information. Utilizing this reaction in natural product synthesis gives access to non-proteinogenic amino acids such as (2S,9S)-2-amino-8-oxo-9,10-epoxydecanoic acid (Aoe), the unusual amino acid of a series of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi). Herein the first total synthesis of Cyl-1, a cyclotetrapeptide from Cylindrocladium scoparium, is described.

Removing the β-hydroxy group from the prenylated tryptophan moiety of cyclomarins simplifies the synthesis of these interesting natural products significantly, without having a noteworthy effect on the anti-tuberculosis activity of the cyclomarins. In contrast, cyclomarazines did not show biological activity.

Cyclomarins are cyclic heptapeptides containing four unusual amino acids. New synthetic protocols toward their synthesis have been developed, leading to the synthesis and biological evaluation of three natural occurring cyclomarins. Interestingly, cyclomarins address two completely different targets: Clp C1, a subunit of the caseinolytic protease of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), as well as PfAp3Ase of Plasmodium falciparum. Therefore, cyclomarins are interesting lead structures for the development of drugs against tuberculosis and malaria.

N- and C-terminal diallylated peptides are obtained by several approaches, such as peptide Claisen rearrangement, N- and O- allylation, and the Ugi reaction of allyl-protected components. These diallylated peptides are suitable substrates for ring-closing metathesis and the success of this cyclisation was investigated with respect to the ring size, the position of the allyl moieties and the reaction parameters. In general, excellent yields are obtained for cyclisation of allyl glycine subunits and N-allylated amides, while allyl esters and allyl carbamates often presented serious problems. However, yields of up to 73% were obtained under optimised conditions, and the new generated double bond is formed with excellent trans-selectivity.

A simple approach to several cyclopeptidmimetics containing an N-alkylated amino acid was found via a multicomponent reaction followed by a ring-closing metathesis starting from readily available precursors. The combinatorial technique has the advantage that different polar, hydrophilic or hydrophobic moieties can be placed at any position in the cycles and unnatural amino acids can also be incorporated.