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The spliceosome is a dynamic ribonucleo-protein complex that is in charge of removing introns from pre-mRNA. Five small nuclear ribonucleic proteins (snRNPs) (U1, U2, U4, U5, U6) build the spliceosome, and each contain their own special RNA. In particular, U2 snRNP is unique, in that it guides the spliceosome to the correct branch point sequence. SF3B1 is the largest and keystone protein of U2 snRNP. Mutations in SF3B1 have been associated with misregulation in splicing and disease such as cancer. Spliceostatin A, Pladienolide B and herboxidiene are small drug molecules that target SF3B1. They are used as tools to help study the importance of SF3B1 and initiation of splicing assembly. However, the mechanism of action of these molecules is not known. More studies need to research how these drugs bind and inhibit. I used in vitro order of addition splicing assays, and studied SF3B1 in different conditions: temperature, time, and competition assay. My findings clearly demonstrate that temperature affects competition between active and inactive compounds. Time course experiments clearly imply that SF3B inhibitors exchange more slowly than inactive analogs. Lastly, we show positions C1 and C6 of herboxidiene are important for binding and inhibiting SF3B1 in the binding pocket. We also model drug-protein interaction. Our work will help elucidate how SF3B1 selects the correct branch point sequence and give medicinal chemists new insights to make small molecule drugs more potent.

Small molecules that target the spliceosome SF3B complex are potent inhibitors of cancer cell growth. The compounds affect an early stage of spliceosome assembly when U2 snRNP first engages the branch point sequence of an intron. Employing an inactive herboxidiene analog (iHB) as a competitor, we investigated factors that influence inhibitor interactions with SF3B to inhibit pre-mRNA splicing in vitro. Order-of addition experiments show that inhibitor interactions are long lasting and affected by both temperature and the presence of ATP. Our data are also consistent with the idea that not all SF3B conformations observed in structural studies are conducive to productive inhibitor interactions. Notably, SF3B inhibitors do not impact an ATP-dependent rearrangement in U2 snRNP that exposes the branch binding sequence for base pairing. We also report extended structure activity relationship analysis of the splicing inhibitor herboxidiene. We identified features of the tetrahydropyran ring that mediate its interactions with SF3B and its ability to interfere with splicing. Analyzing our data in the context of recent structural models of SF3B interactions with inhibitors, our results lead us to extend the model for early spliceosome assembly and inhibitor mechanism. We postulate that interactions between a carboxylic acid substituent of herboxidiene and positively charged SF3B1 sidechains in the inhibitor binding channel are required to maintain inhibitor occupancy while counteracting the SF3B transition to a closed state that is required for stable U2 snRNP interactions with the intron.

Small molecules that target the spliceosome SF3B complex are potent inhibitors of cancer cell growth. The compounds affect an early stage of spliceosome assembly when U2 snRNP first engages the branch point sequence of an intron. Recent cryo-EM models of U2 snRNP before and after intron recognition suggest several large-scale rearrangements of RNA and protein interactions involving SF3B. Employing an inactive herboxidiene analog as a competitor with SF3B inhibitors, we present evidence for multiple conformations of SF3B in the U2 snRNP, only some of which are available for productive inhibitor interactions. We propose that both thermodynamics and an ATP-binding event promote the conformation conducive to SF3B inhibitor interactions. However, SF3B inhibitors do not impact an ATP-dependent rearrangement in U2 snRNP that exposes the branch binding sequence for base pairing. We also report extended structure activity relationship analysis of herboxidiene, which identified features of the tetrahydropyran ring that mediate its interactions with SF3B and its ability to interfere with splicing. In combination with structural models of SF3B interactions with inhibitors, our data leads us to extend the model for early spliceosome assembly and inhibitor mechanism. We postulate that interactions between a carboxylic acid substituent of herboxidiene and positively charged SF3B1 sidechains in the inhibitor binding channel are required to maintain inhibitor occupancy and counteract the SF3B transition to a closed state that is promoted by stable U2 snRNA interactions with the intron.

Marine-derived Streptomyces sp. GMY01 is a biotechnologically potential bacterium which has anticancer activity. This research aimed to investigate the anticancer activity of GMY01 extract on human lung cancer cell line A549 and its mechanism using Western blot analysis and in silico molecular docking. Ethyl acetate extract was obtained from the supernatant of an 11-day fermented product and it was fractionated using flash chromatography. An in vitro assay of the selected fractions (F5, F6, F7, F8, and F14) on the A549 cell line showed moderate activity (IC50 value of 18.41–231.6 µg/ml), whereas the IC50 value of the crude extract (CE) was 34.26 µg/ml. Western blot analysis revealed the mode of action of GMY01 fractions F6 and F7 to be that of an autophagy induction mechanism, similar to that of the CE. Targeted liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis of GMY01 extract detected eight compounds: herboxidiene (C25H42O6 ), vazabitide A (C12H21N3 O4 ), albaflavenone (C15H22O), grincamycin (C49H62O18), isorenieratene (C40H48), geosmin (C12H22O), hopene (C30H50), and saframycin A (C60H68N10O14). A molecular docking study on target proteins of antiapoptotic proteins (BCL-2 and BCL-XL) and autophagy proteins mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR-C1 and mTORC2) showed that these compounds had a high affinity. Among all the compounds, grincamycin (C49H62O18) had the highest affinity on antiapoptotic proteins (−11.8 and −10.4) and on autophagy proteins (−12.1 and −11.5) within all binding domains. These results indicate that Streptomyces sp. GMY01 has a promising anticancer agent, grincamycin, for human lung cancer.

Re2 O7 catalysis effects efficient and stereoselective dehydrative cyclization reactions from monoallylic diols, with stereocontrol arising from thermodynamic equilibration. This method was applied to a rapid synthesis of the spliceosome inhibitor herboxidiene. The route was also utilized for the synthesis of an analogue that highlights the importance of a single methyl group in biasing the conformation in the acyclic region of the molecule.

GEX1A/herboxidiene (1) is a natural product isolated from Streptomyces sp. and has been reported to target the pre-mRNA splicing process. Although 1 was shown to have antitumor activity in vivo, weight loss was observed in mice when 1 was consecutively administered. We assumed that the carboxylic acid moiety was one of the causes of this toxicity. In this study, a series of amide, carbamate and urea analogues of 1 were synthesized and their antiproliferative activity was evaluated in vitro. The synthesis of urea analogues featured Curtius rearrangement following amine treatment with the one-pot procedure from 1. Furthermore, a structure-activity relationship study of the urea analogues revealed that the pharmacologically preferable basic side chains were acceptable and that compound 9g was equipotent to parent 1. These basic urea analogues would be promising leads for the development of novel antitumor agents.

Increasing genetic diversity via directed evolution holds great promise to accelerate trait development and crop improvement. We developed a CRISPR/Cas-based directed evolution platform in plants to evolve the rice (Oryza sativa) SF3B1 spliceosomal protein for resistance to splicing inhibitors. SF3B1 mutant variants, termed SF3B1-GEX1A-Resistant (SGR), confer variable levels of resistance to splicing inhibitors. Studies of the structural basis of the splicing inhibitor binding to SGRs corroborate the resistance phenotype. This directed evolution platform can be used to interrogate and evolve the molecular functions of key biomolecules and to engineer crop traits for improved performance and adaptation under climate change conditions. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13059-019-1680-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

An efficient synthesis of highly enantio-enriched tetrahydropyrans from readily available aldehydes, allylboronates, and syngas has been established by multiply relay catalysis of rhodium and chiral phosphoric acid. The cascade reaction integrates the asymmetric allylboration of aldehydes and alkene hydroformylation, providing a structurally diverse range of products with different workup procedures. The concise synthesis of key chiral building blocks to access herboxidiene and leucascandrolide A demonstrates the high synthetic utility of this method. The cascade reaction employing alkenes to replace aldehydes was also successful.

Total synthesis of herboxidiene/GEX1A/TAN-1609 has been accomplished in the 22 longest linear sequences starting from 2-butyne-1,4-diol following our recently developed gold-catalyzed Hosomi-Sakurai type of reaction on lactols with allyltrimethyl silane and Stille cross coupling to assemble the advanced fragment. The synthesis of the C10-C19 fragment was accomplished by means of Sharpless epoxidation and asymmetric alkylation reactions starting from (R)-methyl lactate.

Doxorubicin, produced by Streptomyces peucetius ATCC 27952, is tightly regulated by dnrO, dnrN, and dnrI regulators. Genome mining of S. peucetius revealed the presence of the IclR (doxR) type family of transcription regulator mediating the signal-dependent expression of operons at the nonribosomal peptide synthetase gene cluster. Overexpression of doxR in native strain strongly repressed the drug production. Furthermore, it also had a negative effect on the regulatory system of doxorubicin, wherein the transcript of dnrI was reduced to the maximum level in comparision with the other two. Interestingly, the overexpression of the same gene also had strong inhibitory effects on the production of actinorhodin (blue pigment) and undecylprodigiosin (red pigment) in Streptomyces coelicolor M145, herboxidiene production in Streptomyces chromofuscus ATCC 49982, and spinosyn production in Saccharopolyspora spinosa NRRL 18395, respectively. Moreover, DoxR exhibited pleiotropic effects on the production of blue and red pigments in S. coelicolor when grown in different agar media, wherein the production of blue pigment was inhibited in R2YE medium and the red pigment was inhibited in YEME medium. However, the production of both blue and red pigments from S. coelicolor harboring doxR was halted in ISP2 medium, whereas S. coelicolor produced both pigmented antibiotics in the same plate. These consequences demonstrate that the on and off production of these antibiotics was not due to salt stress or media compositions, but was selectively controlled in actinomycetes.

A formal synthesis of herboxidiene/GEX 1A is described. This approach demonstrates successful application of the Prins cyclization for the construction of the tetrahydropyran core of the target molecule. The chirality of the side chain has been established through the Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation and Evan's alkylation. The olefin cross-metathesis was applied to couple both key fragments.

The spliceosome mediates precursor mRNA (pre-mRNA) splicing in eukaryotes, including the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast). Despite decades of study, no chemical inhibitors of yeast splicing in vivo are available. We have developed a system to efficiently inhibit splicing and block proliferation in living yeast cells using compounds that target the human spliceosome protein SF3B1. Potent inhibition is observed in yeast expressing a chimeric protein containing portions of human SF3B1. However, only a single point mutation in the yeast homolog of SF3B1 is needed for selective inhibition of splicing by pladienolide B (PB), herboxidiene (HB), or meayamycin (MAM) in liquid culture. Mutations which enable inhibition also improve splicing of branch sites containing mismatches between the intron and snRNA—suggesting a link between inhibitor sensitivity and usage of weak branch sites in humans. This approach provides powerful new tools for manipulating splicing in live yeast and studies of spliceosome inhibitors.

A total synthesis of (+)-herboxidiene/GEX 1A has been accomplished from (R)- and (S)-lactate esters in a highly efficient manner. Key steps of the synthesis involve substrate-controlled titanium-mediated aldol reactions from chiral lactate-derived ethyl ketones, an oxa-Michael cyclization, an Ireland-Claisen rearrangement, and a Suzuki coupling. Furthermore, computational studies of the oxa-Michael reaction have unveiled the dramatic influence of intramolecular hydrogen bonds on the stereochemical outcome of such cyclizations, whereas biological analyses have clearly proved the important cytoxicity of (+)-herboxidiene/GEX 1A.

Pladienolide, herboxidiene and spliceostatin have been identified as splicing modulators that target SF3B1 in the SF3b subcomplex. Here we report that PHF5A, another component of this subcomplex, is also targeted by these compounds. Mutations in PHF5A-Y36, SF3B1-K1071, SF3B1-R1074 and SF3B1-V1078 confer resistance to these modulators, suggesting a common interaction site. RNA-seq analysis reveals that PHF5A-Y36C has minimal effect on basal splicing but inhibits the global action of splicing modulators. Moreover, PHF5A-Y36C alters splicing modulator-induced intron-retention/exon-skipping profile, which correlates with the differential GC content between adjacent introns and exons. We determine the crystal structure of human PHF5A demonstrating that Y36 is located on a highly conserved surface. Analysis of the cryo-EM spliceosome Bact complex shows that the resistance mutations cluster in a pocket surrounding the branch point adenosine, suggesting a competitive mode of action. Collectively, we propose that PHF5A–SF3B1 forms a central node for binding to these splicing modulators., A number of natural occurring small-molecule splicing modulators are known. Here, the authors combine chemogenomic, structural and biochemical methods and show that these compounds also target the spliceosome-associated protein PHF5A and propose a potential modulator binding site in the PHF5A–SF3B1 complex.

Herboxidiene is a potent inhibitor of spliceosomes. It exhibits excellent anticancer activity against multiple human cancer cell lines. Herein, we describe an enantioselective synthesis of a desmethyl derivative and the corresponding carba-derivatives of herboxidiene. The synthesis involved Suzuki coupling of a vinyl iodide with boronate as the key reaction. For the synthesis of carba-derivatives, the corresponding optically active cyclohexane-1,3-dicarbonyl derivatives were synthesized using an enantioselective desymmetrization of meso-anhydride. The biological properties of these derivatives were evaluated in an in vitro splicing assay.

The 53-kb biosynthetic gene cluster for the novel anticholesterol natural product herboxidiene was identified in Streptomyces chromofuscus ATCC 49982 by genome sequencing and gene inactivation. In addition to herboxidiene, a biosynthetic intermediate, 18-deoxy-herboxidiene, was also isolated from the fermentation broth of S. chromofuscus ATCC 49982 as a minor metabolite.

GEX1A is a microbial product with antitumor activity. HeLa cells cultured with GEX1A accumulated p27(Kip) and its C-terminally truncated form p27*. GEX1A inhibited the pre-mRNA splicing of p27, producing p27* from the unspliced mRNA containing the first intron. p27* lacked the site required for E3 ligase-mediated proteolysis of p27, leading to its accumulation in GEX1A-treated cells. The accumulated p27* was able to bind to and inhibit the cyclin E-Cdk2 complex that causes E3 ligase-mediated degradation of p27, which probably triggers the accumulation of p27. By using a series of photoaffinity-labeling derivatives of GEX1A, we found that GEX1A targeted SAP155 protein, a subunit of SF3b responsible for pre-mRNA splicing. The linker length between the GEX1A pharmacophore and the photoreactive group was critical for detection of the GEX1A-binding protein. GEX1A serves as a novel splicing inhibitor that specifically impairs the SF3b function by binding to SAP155.

Covering: 1992 to 2015 The natural products FR901464, pladienolide, and herboxidiene were discovered as activators of reporter gene systems. Unexpectedly, these compounds target neither transcription nor translation; rather, they target splicing factor 3B subunit 1 of the spliceosome, causing changes in splicing patterns. All of them showed anticancer activity in a low nanomolar range. Since their discovery, these molecules have been used in a variety of biological applications.

Pladienolide is a naturally occurring antitumor macrolide that was discovered by using a cell-based reporter gene expression assay controlled by the human vascular endothelial growth factor promoter. Despite the unique mechanisms of action and prominent antitumor activities of pladienolides B and D in diverse in vitro and in vivo systems, their target protein has remained unclear. We used 3H-labeled, fluorescence-tagged and photoaffinity/biotin (PB)-tagged 'chemical probes' to identify a 140-kDa protein in splicing factor SF3b as the binding target of pladienolide. Immunoblotting of an enhanced green fluorescent protein fusion protein of SF3b subunit 3 (SAP130) revealed direct interaction between the PB probe and SAP130. The binding affinities of pladienolide derivatives to the SF3b complex were highly correlated with their inhibitory activities against reporter gene expression and cell proliferation. Furthermore, pladienolide B impaired in vivo splicing in a dose-dependent manner. Our results demonstrate that the SF3b complex is a pharmacologically relevant protein target of pladienolide and suggest that this splicing factor is a potential antitumor drug target.

Antiangiogenesis is now thought of as one of the most important approaches for anticancer therapy. In this study, we determined the antiangiogenic property of herboxidiene, a polyketide natural product. Herboxidiene effectively inhibited the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) at concentrations not exhibiting cytotoxicity. Furthermore, the natural product significantly suppressed vascular endothelial growth factor-induced invasion and tube formation in HUVECs as well as neovascularization of the chorioallantoic membrane in developing chick embryos. We also identified an association between the antiangiogenic activity of herboxidiene and the downregulation of both the phosphorylation of VEGF receptor 2 (KDR/Flk-1) and the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α at the transcriptional level. These results suggest that herboxidiene functions as a potential antiangiogenic agent and may be applicable for anticancer therapy by targeting tumor angiogenesis.

A formal synthesis of herboxidiene/GEX 1A is described. This approach demonstrates successful application of the Prins cyclization for the construction of the tetrahydropyran core of the target molecule. The chirality of the side chain has been established through the Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation and Evan's alkylation. The olefin cross-metathesis was applied to couple both key fragments.

En route to (+)-varitriol 4, Xue-Wei Liu of Nanyang Technological University coupled (Org. Lett. 2011, 13, 42) the glycosyl fluoride derived from 1 with the alkynyl fluoroborate salt 2 to give 3. James S. Panek of Boston University condensed (Org. Lett. 2011, 13, 502) the enantiomerically pure allyl silane 6 with the aldehyde 5 to give the tetrahydrofuran 7. Further elaboration led to (+)-isatisine A 8, the only alkaloid so far isolated from the roots and leaves of the traditional Asian folk medicine Isatis indigotica. Arun K. Ghosh of Purdue University effected (Org. Lett. 2011, 13, 66) oxidative ring expansion of the enantiomerically pure furan 9 to give, after reduction, the enone 10. This established the tetrahydropyran of (+)-herboxidiene 11, also known as GEXIA. William J. Chain of the University of Hawaii observed (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 6553) unusual diastereoselectivity in the conjugate addition of the enone 12 to the enantiomerically pure aldehyde 13. Although eight diastereomers could have been formed, the reaction mixture was 2/3 the diastereomer 14. Reductive cyclization (SmI2) of 14 then led to (–)-englerin A 15. Martin J. Lear of the National University of Singapore cyclized (Org. Lett. 2010, 12, 5510) the enantiomerically pure lactol 16 to 17 with catalytic Bi(OTf)3. Dennis L. Wright of the University of Connecticut prepared (Org. Lett. 2011, 13, 2263) 21 by dipolar cycloaddition of 20 to 19. Both 17 and 21 were carried on via intramolecular alkylation toward platensimycin 18.

Six structurally related antitumor antibiotics named GEX1 compounds were isolated from a culture broth of Streptomyces sp. GEX1A was identified as a known herbicide, herboxidiene, structurally interested by the tetrahydropyran moiety and the side chain including a conjugated diene. GEX1Q1 to approximately Q5 were determined as novel compounds related to herboxidiene. All GEX1 compounds showed cytotoxicity with IC50 values of 0.0037 to approximately 0.99 microM against human tumor cell lines in vitro, but were not active against both gram-positive and -negative bacteria. Though GEX1A/herboxidiene exhibited antitumor activity in murine tumor-planted mouse models, both GEX1Q3 and GEX1Q5 did not.

Six GEX1 compounds, GEX1A/herboxidiene and its related 5 novel compounds, were isolated from a culture broth of Streptomyces sp. GEX1 compounds induced both G1 and G2/M arrest in a human normal fibroblast cell line, WI-38. All six compounds up-regulated luciferase reporter gene expression directed by enhancer/promoter of various genes, such as cdc2, IL-2 and SV40 early genes. All GEX1 compounds showed cytotoxic activities in the same order of the up-regulating activities on gene expression, suggesting that these two activities are related. Despite the up-regulating activities on the reporter gene expression, GEX1A/herboxidiene did not enhance the expression of any endogenous genes involved in the cell cycle, proliferation and apoptosis. Although the unique effects of GEX1 compounds on cell cycle and the reporter gene expression were similar to those of trichostatin A (TSA), an inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDAC), GEX1A/herboxidiene did not affect histone acetylation in cells. In addition, GEX1A/herboxidiene treatment gave rise to the shorter sized transcripts of the cdc25A and cdc2 genes as well as the normal sized ones. These results suggest that GEX1 compounds modulate gene expression by an unknown mechanism.

The (6R*,9S*,11S*) and (22S*,23R*,27R*,31R*) stereochemistry, respectively, of the tetrahydropyranyl and spiroacetal moieties in bistramide A (1) have been established by stereoselective syntheses and high field NMR comparisons. Routes to the gamma-amino acid moiety are outlined. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

A catalyst that couples together three reactants to form just one compound out of several possibilities, as a single mirror-image isomer, should simplify the synthesis of biologically relevant molecules. See Article p.367 This paper reports a catalytic process that combines two simple unsaturated organic molecules — a highly selective copper–diboron reagent and a monosubstituted allene — to produce a boron-substituted organocopper intermediate that then participates in a chemoselective, site-selective and enantioselective allylic substitution. The authors use this approach in the enantioselective synthesis of gram quantities of two natural products: the anti-tumour agent herboxidiene and stereoisomerically pure rottnestol, a hemiketal originally isolated from a marine sponge. Further development of this procedure should lead to economical protocols for the synthesis of other difficult-to-access alkenylboron-containing organocopper compounds.

A formal total synthesis of the polyketide herboxidiene (1) has been achieved by Horner-Wittig coupling of the side-chain fragment 12-epi-(2) with the tetrahydropyran-2-acetic acid derivative (3) followed by desilylation of the resulting triene (19) and hydroxyl-directed mono-epoxidation of the ensuing bis-homoallylic alcohol (20).

The natural herbicide herboxidiene was constructed from two key fragments using a modified Julia olefination based on the benzothiazolyl sulfone activator. Key steps in the synthesis of the C1–C10 oxane fragment were (a) a modified Julia olefination using a 1-phenyl-1H-tetrazolyl sulfone as activator and (b) an intramolecular addition of an alkoxide to an α,β-unsaturated ester. Key steps in the synthesis of the C11–C19 polyketide fragment were (a) a directed aldol reaction using a camphor-10,2-sultam as auxiliary; (b) an Ireland–Claisen rearrangement and (c) a hydroxy-directed epoxidation.

A diastereoselective synthesis of compound 2, which embodies the tetrahydropyranyl core of the polyketide herbicide herboxidiene (1), has been developed using asymmetric epoxidation of nerol as the initial step. Ketone 2 has been elaborated to phosphine oxide 24 which engages in a Horner–Wittig reaction with nonanal to give the E,E-diene 27, an analogue of herboxidiene. However, unlike compound 1, congeners 2 and 27 are not phytotoxic.

En la present Tesi Doctoral en primer lloc s’ha completat un estudi previ de reaccions aldòliques d’α-hidroxi metil cetones, tant per a grups protectors benzílics com silílics. Així, al Capítol 1 s’ha demostrat que la tria adequada del grup protector de l’α-hidroxi cetona i l’àcid de Lewis permet accedir a aldols 1,4-anti o 1,4-sin amb bons rendiments (5697%) i diastereoselectivitats en ocasions excel•lents (fins a rd 96:4), dins el context de l’aldòlica d’acetat. Les metodologies desenvolupades també s’han avaluat amb aldehids quirals en processos doblement asimètrics. La notable capacitat d’inducció asimètrica dels enolats de titani d’α-benziloxi metil cetones ha quedat demostrada per l’obtenció dels seus aldols amb unes diastereoselectivitats excel•lents, independentment de la configuració de l’aldehid. Fins i tot, un d’aquests aldols obtingut enantiomèricament pur s’ha utilitzat en la síntesi del fragment C12C16 de l’epotilona B. A més, una seqüència de reacció aldòlica-reducció desenvolupada anteriorment al grup s’ha aplicat a l’(S)-3-tert-butildimetilsililoxi-4-metil-2-pentanona per obtenir els corresponents triols 1,2-sin-2,4-sin amb rendiments excel•lents (9192%) i un control estereoquímic que depèn, majoritàriament, de la reacció aldòlica inicial (rd 80:2094:6). Al Capítol 2 s’ha demostrat la utilitat sintètica de les reaccions aldòliques d’enolats de titani d’α-hidroxi etil cetones desenvolupades anteriorment en el grup de recerca. Aquestes metodologies s’han aplicat amb èxit en la síntesi total de l’herboxidiè, contribuint a la construcció de gran part del seu esquelet carbonat i dels estereocentres requerits. La reacció aldòlica de l’(S)-2-benziloxi-3-pentanona i la seqüència d’aldòlica-reducció de l’(R)-2-tert-butildimetilsililoxi-3-pentanona han estat etapes clau en la síntesi dels fragments C1C9 (17%, deu etapes) i C10C19 (43%, set etapes), respectivament. La unió d’aquests fragments ha permès obtenir l’herboxidiè amb un 8% de rendiment global amb la seqüència lineal més llarga de catorze etapes. Després d’haver estudiat a fons les reaccions aldòliques d’enolats de titani d’α-hidroxi cetones, s’ha explorat la reactivitat d’aquests nucleòfils en altres processos de construcció d’enllaços CC. Al Capítol 3 s’ha desenvolupat l’addició de Michael de l’enolat de titani de l’(S)-2-benziloxi-3-pentanona a cetones α,β-insaturades, amb què s’han obtingut els corresponents adductes 1,3-anti-3,4-anti amb excel•lents diastereoselectivitats (rd ≥ 89:11). Partint del mateix nucleòfil, en aquest Capítol també s’ha iniciat un estudi d’addicions de Michael a nitro alquens. L’addició de l’enolat de titani de l’(S)-2-benziloxi-3-pentanona a l’(E)-4-metoxi-β-nitroestirè ha produït el corresponent adducte de Michael amb excel•lent diastereoselectivitat (rd ≥ 97:3). Aquests primers resultats són prou esperançadors i demostren l’interès sintètic que poden arribar a tenir aquestes reaccions, que actualment constitueixen una línia activa d’investigació al grup de recerca. Finalment, prenent com a punt de partida el caràcter biradicalari de determinats enolats de titani, en aquesta Tesi s’ha iniciat un estudi de la reactivitat d’aquests substrats en reaccions de formació d’enllaços CC i CO. Així, al Capítol 4 s’ha estudiat l’al•lilació d’N-acil oxazolidinones quirals amb al•lil estannans, amb què s’han obtingut els corresponents adductes amb un control estereoquímic excel•lent (rd ≥ 97:3). D’altra banda, en la constitució d’una nova línia d’investigació al grup, en el darrer Capítol també s’ha desenvolupat l’oxidació estereoselectiva d’N-acil oxazolidinones quirals amb TEMPO. S’ha demostrat que la utilització d’aquest radical estable permet l’oxidació dels corresponents enolats de titani i condueix als α-aminoxi derivats amb rendiments i diastereoselectivitats excel•lents (9095%, rd ≥ 93:7) i, a més, s’ha descrit l’aminoxilació estereoselectiva en la posició d’enolats conjugats. L’eliminació de l’auxiliar quiral i/o el trencament reductiu de l’enllaç NO han permès arribar a derivats sintèticament útils. Per últim, s’ha descobert que es pot assolir la hidroxilació directa d’aquests substrats a través de la reacció dels seus enolats de titani amb O2., The first Chapter of the present text deals with substrate-controlled titanium-mediated aldol reactions of chiral α-hydroxy methyl ketones. The appropriate choice of the Lewis acid and the protecting group in the α-hydroxy ketone gives access to either 1,4-anti or 1,4-syn aldol adducts in good yields (5697%) and diastereoselectivities up to ≥ 97:3 with a broad range of aldehydes. Furthermore, a sequential aldol reaction-reduction transformation from (S)-3-tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone provides 1,2-syn-2,4-syn triols in excellent yields (9192%) and a stereochemical control which mostly relies on the aldol step of the sequence (dr 80:2094:6). The usefulness of these methodologies is proven in Chapter 2 with its application in the total synthesis of herboxidiene. Most of the carbon backbone and the required stereocentres are constructed through an aldol reaction of (S)-2-benzyloxy-3-pentanone and an aldol reaction-reduction sequence from (R)-2-tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy-3-pentanone, which are key steps in the synthesis of C1C9 fragment (17%, 10 steps) and C10C19 fragment (43%, 7 steps), respectively. Assembling of both fragments affords herboxidiene in 8% overall yield (14 steps, longest linear sequence). After a thorough study of aldol reactions of titanium enolates from α-hydroxy ketones, the reactivity of these nucleofiles is explored in other CC bond-forming reactions. In Chapter 3, the Michael addition of the titanium enolate of (S)-2-benzyloxy-3-pentanone to α,β-unsaturated ketones is developed, which provides 1,3-anti-3,4-anti adducts in excellent diastereoselectivities (dr ≥ 89:11). Finally, considering the biradical character of certain titanium enolates, in Chapter 4 the reactivity of such substrates in some CC and CO bond-forming reactions is investigated. Allylation of chiral N-acyl oxazolidinones with allyl stannanes is achieved and the corresponding adducts are obtained with excellent levels of stereocontrol (dr ≥ 97:3). Moreover, the stereoselective oxidation of chiral N-acyl oxazolidinones with TEMPO is described. The use of this stable radical leads to α-aminoxy derivatives in excellent yields and diastereomeric ratios (9095%, dr ≥ 93:7), and the stereoselective oxidation in the position of conjugate enolates is also accomplished. Elimination of the chiral auxiliary and/or reductive cleavage of the NO bond provides synthetically useful derivatives.

Herboxidiene is a natural product that has previously been shown to exhibit antitumor activity by targeting the spliceosome. This activity makes herboxidiene a valuable starting point for the development of anticancer drugs. Here, we report an improved enantioselective synthesis of herboxidiene and the first report of its biologically active totally synthetic analog: 6-norherboxidiene. The synthesis of the tetrahydropyran moiety utilizes the novel application of inverse electron-demand Diels–Alder chemistry and the Ferrier-type rearrangement as key steps. We report, for the first time, cytotoxicity IC50s for synthetic herboxidiene and analogs in human tumor cell lines. We have also demonstrated that synthetic herboxidiene and its analogs can potently modulate the alternate splicing of MDM-2 pre-mRNA.

Pladienolide B (PB) is a potent cancer cell growth inhibitor that targets the SF3B1 subunit of the spliceosome. There is considerable interest in the compound as a potential chemotherapeutic, as well as a tool to study SF3B1 function in splicing and cancer development. The molecular structure of PB, a bacterial natural product, contains a 12-member macrolide ring with an extended epoxide-containing side chain. Using a novel concise enantioselective synthesis, we created a series of PB structural analogs and the structurally related compound herboxidiene. We show that two methyl groups in the PB side chain, as well as a feature of the macrolide ring shared with herboxidiene, are required for splicing inhibition in vitro. Unexpectedly, we find that the epoxy group contributes only modestly to PB potency and is not absolutely necessary for activity. The orientations of at least two chiral centers off the macrolide ring have no effect on PB activity. Importantly, the ability of analogs to inhibit splicing in vitro directly correlated with their effects in a series of cellular assays. Those effects likely arise from inhibition of some, but not all, endogenous splicing events in cells, as previously reported for the structurally distinct SF3B1 inhibitor spliceostatin A. Together, our data support the idea that the impact of PB on cells is derived from its ability to impair the function of SF3B1 in splicing and also demonstrate that simplification of the PB scaffold is feasible.

Degradation of the novel polyketide herbicide herboxidiene leads to useful fragments for further analogue synthesis and also enabled determination of the absolute configuration of the natural product via asymmetric synthesis of the respective fragments. A combination of degradation, and asymmetric synthetic studies enabled the absolute configuration of herboxidiene to be determined. The fragments obtained from degradation are useful for the preparation of semi-synthetic herboxidiene analogues.

The aldehyde 5, corresponding to the C-11 to C-19 fragment of the polyketide herbicide herboxidiene 1, has been prepared in enantio-enriched form.

Actinomycetes that produce potent antibiotics withbroad pharmacological and agricultural profiles havereceived special attention for resolving the problem ofantibiotic resistance to conventional drugs [2, 30]. Thepolyketide herboxidiene was isolated from Streptomyceschromofuscus ATCC 49982 (Streptomyces sp. A7847) and wasfound to control (>90%) several important biannual weedsat relatively low application rates (

Recent discoveries that splicing factors such SF3B1, U2AF1, SRSF2 are frequently mutated in multiple hematological malignancies including chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and myelodysplastic syndromes have generated interest in therapeutic approaches to target the splicesome dependency in cancer cells bearing mutations in splicing factors. Previously, several structurally unrelated natural compounds including pladienolide, herboxidiene, and FR901464 have been shown to exert potent anti-proliferative effects in cancer cells grown in vitro. Further optimization has led to the discovery of natural product analogs (e.g. E7107) with anti-tumor efficacy in vivo in xenograft models. Target identification has revealed the SF3B complex of the splicesome as the common action site for these compounds. Recent work has demonstrated biological and genetic evidence that single amino acid substitution (R1074H) in SF3B1 completely abolished the anti-proliferative effect of pladienolide derivative E7107, suggesting that SF3B1 is the direct binding partner for pladienolides. However, the same SF3B1 R1074H mutation does not provide equal level of protections for cells treated with herboxidiene derivatives, indicating differential mechanism of action for these two classes of splicing modulators. To identify targets for herboxidiene-like compounds, we have generated resistant HCT116 clones upon continuous administration of herboxidiene derivative H3B-37045 in vitro. Whole exome sequencing from 6 resistant clones revealed a common Y36C mutation in SF3B subunit component PHF5A (SF3B14b). Over-expression of PHF5A Y36C but not the wild-type form in parental HCT116 cells confirmed the protective effect of this mutation to H3B-37045. Surprisingly, PHF5A Y36C expression also conferred resistance to the pladienolide derivative E7107, which indicates that, unlike the SF3B1 R1074H mutation, PHF5A resides within a common node of action site among different splicing modulators. RNA-seq, biochemical and structure homology-modeling analysis suggested that PHF5A Y36C mutation disrupted the action of splicing modulators through interfering with the compounds’ interaction with the SF3B complex. Detailed analysis of the function of the Y36C mutant and wild-type PHF5A in the SF3B complex is currently ongoing. Understanding the function of PHF5A in splicing and the molecular mechanism of Y36C mutation shall provide new insights of the biological role of splicesome, and guide the development of next generation splicesome inhibitors. Citation Format: Teng Teng, Xiaoling Puyang, Shouyong Peng, Jacob Feala, Betty Chan, Jennifer Tsai, Benjamin Caleb, Craig Karr, Eunice Park, Laura Corson, Yoshiharu Mizui, Peter Smith, Nicholas Larsen, Lihua Yu, Markus Warmuth, Ping Zhu, Agustin Chicas. Identification of PHF5A as a common cellular target of splicing-modulating chemical probes. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3013.

A substrate-controlled synthesis of (+)-herboxidiene from two lactate-derived chiral ketones is described. Remarkably, most of the carbon backbone was constructed through highly stereoselective titanium-mediated aldol reactions and an Ireland–Claisen rearrangement. Furthermore, an oxa-Michael cyclization and a high-yield Suzuki coupling were used to assemble the pyran ring and the diene moiety respectively.

A catalyst that couples together three reactants to form just one compound out of several possibilities, as a single mirror-image isomer, should simplify the synthesis of biologically relevant molecules. See Article p.367 This paper reports a catalytic process that combines two simple unsaturated organic molecules — a highly selective copper–diboron reagent and a monosubstituted allene — to produce a boron-substituted organocopper intermediate that then participates in a chemoselective, site-selective and enantioselective allylic substitution. The authors use this approach in the enantioselective synthesis of gram quantities of two natural products: the anti-tumour agent herboxidiene and stereoisomerically pure rottnestol, a hemiketal originally isolated from a marine sponge. Further development of this procedure should lead to economical protocols for the synthesis of other difficult-to-access alkenylboron-containing organocopper compounds.