New types of asymmetric functionalizations of alkenes are highly desirable for chemical synthesis. Here, we develop three novel types of regio- and enantioselective multiple oxy- and amino-functionalizations of terminal alkenes via cascade biocatalysis to produce chiral α-hydroxy acids, 1,2-amino alcohols and α-amino acids, respectively. Basic enzyme modules 1-4 are developed to convert alkenes to (S)-1,2-diols, (S)-1,2-diols to (S)-α-hydroxyacids, (S)-1,2-diols to (S)-aminoalcohols and (S)-α-hydroxyacids to (S)-α-aminoacids, respectively. Engineering of enzyme modules 1 &2, 1 &3 and 1, 2 &4 in Escherichia coli affords three biocatalysts over-expressing 4-8 enzymes for one-pot conversion of styrenes to the corresponding (S)-α-hydroxyacids, (S)-aminoalcohols and (S)-α-aminoacids in high e.e. and high yields, respectively. The new types of asymmetric alkene functionalizations provide green, safe and useful alternatives to the chemical syntheses of these compounds. The modular approach for engineering multi-step cascade biocatalysis is useful for developing other new types of one-pot biotransformations for chemical synthesis.

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Highly regio- and enantioselective multiple oxy- and amino-functionalizations of alkenes by modular cascade biocatalysis

Progress of the synthesis of condensed pyrazole derivatives (from 2010 to mid-2013).

The p21-activated kinase (PAK) family of serine/threonine protein kinases plays important roles in cytoskeletal organization, cellular morphogenesis, and survival, and members of this family have been implicated in many diseases including cancer, infectious diseases, and neurological disorders Owing to their large and flexible ATP binding cleft, PAKs, particularly group I PAKs (PAK1, -2, and -3), are difficult to drug; hence, few PAK inhibitors with satisfactory kinase selectivity and druglike properties have been reported to date Examples are a recently discovered group II PAK (PAK4, -5, -6) selective inhibitor series based on a benzimidazole core, a group I PAK selective series based on a pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-7-one core, and an allosteric dibenzodiazepine PAK1 inhibitor series Only one compound, an aminopyrazole based pan-PAK inhibitor, entered clinical trials but did not progress beyond phase I trials Clinical proof of concept for pan-group I, pan-group II, or PAK isoform selective inhibition ha

Inhibitors of p21-activated kinases (PAKs).

Development of a Selective CDK7 Covalent Inhibitor Reveals Predominant Cell-Cycle Phenotype.

Susceptibility to metabolism is a common issue with the tert-butyl group on compounds of medicinal interest. We demonstrate an approach of removing all the fully sp3 C–Hs from a tert-butyl group: replacing some C–Hs with C–Fs and increasing the s-character of the remaining C–Hs. This approach gave a trifluoromethylcyclopropyl group, which increased metabolic stability. Trifluoromethylcyclopropyl-containing analogues had consistently higher metabolic stability in vitro and in vivo compared to their tert-butyl-containing counterparts.

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Metabolically Stable tert-Butyl Replacement.

The P21-activated kinases (PAK) are emerging antitumor therapeutic targets. In this paper, we describe the discovery of potent PAK inhibitors guided by structure-based drug design. In addition, the efflux of the pyrrolopyrazole series was effectively reduced by applying multiple medicinal chemistry strategies, leading to a series of PAK inhibitors that are orally active in inhibiting tumor growth in vivo.

Christine Del-Carmen

Papers

Discovery of pyrroloaminopyrazoles as novel PAK inhibitors.