Dihydrofolate reductase-like protein inactivates hemiaminal pharmacophore for self-resistance in safracin biosynthesis

Dihydrofolate reductase(DHFR),a housekeeping enzyme in primary metabolism,has been extensively studied as a model of acid-base catalysis and a clinic drug target.Herein,we investigated the enzymology of a DHFR-like protein SacH in safracin(SAC)biosynthesis,which reductively inactivates hemiaminal pharmacophore-containing biosynthetic intermediates and antibiotics for self-resistance.Furthermore,based on the crystal structure of SacH−NADPH−SAC-A ternary complexes and mutagenesis,we proposed a catalytic mechanism that is distinct from the previously characterized short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases-mediated inactivation of hemiaminal pharmacophore.These findings expand the functions of DHFR family proteins,reveal that the common reaction can be catalyzed by distinct family of enzymes,and imply the possibility for the discovery of novel antibiotics with hemiaminal pharmacophore.

Aqueous-phase formation of N-containing secondary organic compounds affected by the ionic strength

The reaction of carbonyl-to-imine/hemiaminal conversion in the atmospheric aqueous phase is a critical pathway to produce the light-absorbing N-containing secondary organic compounds(SOC).The formation mechanism of these compounds has been wildly investigated in bulk solutions with a low ionic strength.However,the ionic strength in the aqueous phase of the polluted atmosphere may be higher.It is still unclear whether and to what extent the inorganic ions can affect the SOC formation.Here we prepared the bulk solution with certain ionic strength,in which glyoxal and ammonium were mixed to mimic the aqueous-phase reaction.Molecular characterization by High-resolution Mass Spectrometry was performed to identify the N-containing products,and the light absorption of the mixtures was measured by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy.Thirty-nine N-containing compounds were identified and divided into four categories(N-heterocyclic chromophores,high-molecular-weight compounds with N-heterocycle,aliphatic imines/hemiaminals,and the unclassified).It was observed that the longer reaction time and higher ionic strength led to the formation of more N-heterocyclic chromophores and the increasing of the lightabsorbance of the mixture.The added inorganic ions were proposed to make the aqueous phase somewhat viscous so that the molecules were prone to undergo consecutive and intramolecular reactions to form the heterocycles.In general,this study revealed that the enhanced ionic strength and prolonged reaction time had the promotion effect on the lightabsorbing SOC formation.It implies that the aldehyde-derived aqueous-phase SOC would contribute more light-absorbing particulate matter in the industrial or populated area where inorganic ions are abundant.

Anion cascade reactions Ⅲ:Synthesis of 3-isoquinuclidone bridged polycyclic lactams

Bridged polycyclic lactams are important structural units in organic functional materials,natural products,and pharmaceuticals.A flexible and efficient anion cascade reaction was developed for the preparation of bridged polycyclic lactams from readily available malonamides and 1,4‑dien-3-ones.Various highly substituted bridged polycyclic lactams were synthesized in good to excellent yields by tandem nucleophilic sequences in the presence of t BuOK in commercially available EtOH solvent at 60℃.Notably,the simple reactions can be run on a gram scale.Mechanistically,bis-Michael addition reaction and hemiaminalization reactions are involved in the tandem transformation.