1054
S.F. Wnuk et al.
The 5,6,7,8,9-pentadeoxy-6-fluoro-D-ribo-dec-5(Z)-enofuranuronate 6
and 5,6-dideoxy-6-fluoro-D-ribo-hex-5-enofuranose and their xylo epimers
were evaluated as potential inhibitors of Bacillus subtilis S-ribosylhomocys-
teinase (LuxS) using the inhibition assays as described previuosly.[6] None
of the compounds showed significant activity. These results might indicate
that LuxS has more rigid requirements for binding than SAH hydrolase
and that the intact Hcy unit in substrate/inhibitor is required for proper
binding.
REFERENCES
1. a) Yuan, C.-S.; Liu, S.; Wnuk, S.F.; Robins, M.J.; Borchardt, R.T. In Advances in Antiviral Drug De-
sign; De Clercq, E., Ed.; JAI Press: Greenwich, 1996; vol. 2, pp. 41–88; b) Wnuk, S.F. Targeting
“hydrolytic” activity of the S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase. Mini-Rev. Med. Chem. 2001, 1, 307–
316.
2. a) Chen, X.; Schauder, S.; Potier, N.; Van Dorsselaer, A.; Pelczer, I.; Bassler, B.L.; Hughson, F.M.
Structural identification of a bacterial quorum-sensing signal containing boron. Nature 2002, 415,
545–549; b) Pei, D.; Zhu, J. Mechanism of action of S-ribosylhomocysteinase (LuxS). Curr. Opin.
Chem. Biol. 2004, 8, 492–497.
3. Miller, M.B.; Bassler, B.L. Quorum sensing in bacteria. Annu. Rev. Microbiol. 2001, 55, 165–
199.
4. a) Zhu, J.; Hu, X.; Dizin, E.; Pei, D. Catalytic mechanism of S-ribosylhomocysteinase (LuxS): Direct
observation of ketone intermediates by 13C NMR spectroscopy. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 13379–
13381; b) Rajan, R.; Zhu, J.; Hu, X.; Pei, D.; Bell, C.E. Crystal structure of S-ribosylhomocysteinase
(LuxS) in complex with
3753.
a catalytic 2-ketone intermediate. Biochemistry 2005, 44, 3745–
5. Alfaro, J.F.; Zhang, T.; Wynn, D.P.; Karschner, E.L. Zhou, Z.S. Synthesis of LuxS inhibitors targeting
bacterial cell-cell communication. Org. Lett. 2004, 6, 3043–3046.
6. Shen, G.; Rajan, R.; Zhu, J.; Bell, C.E.; Pei, D. Design and synthesis of substrate and intermediate
analogue inhibitors of S-ribosylhomocysteinase. J. Med. Chem. 2006, 49, 3003–3011.
7. Xie, M.; Berges, D.A.; Robins, M.J. Efficient “dehomologation” of di-O-isopropylidenehexofuranose
derivatives to give O-isopropylidenepentofuranoses by sequential treatment with periodic acid in
ethyl acetate and sodium borohydride. J. Org. Chem. 1996, 61, 5178–5179.
8. Wnuk, S.F.; Bergolla, L.A.; Garcia, P.I., Jr. Studies toward the synthesis of α-fluorinated phosphonates
via tin-mediated cleavage of α-fluoro-α-(pyrimidin-2-ylsulfonyl)alkylphosphonates. Intramolecular
cyclization of the α-phosphonyl radicals. J. Org. Chem. 2002, 67, 3065–3071.
9. Wnuk, S.F.; Yuan, C.-S.; Borchardt, R.T.; Balzarini, J.; De Clercq, E.; Robins, M.J. Nucleic acid-related
compounds. 84. Synthesis of 6ꢁ-(E and Z)-halohomovinyl derivatives of adenosine, inactivation of
S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase, and correlation of anticancer and antiviral potencies with
enzyme inhibition. J. Med. Chem. 1994, 37, 3579–3587.
10. For recent developments on the selective monoalkylation of vinyl dihalides with the alkylzinc halides
(Csp2−Csp3 cross-couplings) see: a) Andrei, D.; Wnuk S.F. Synthesis of the multisubstituted halo-
genated olefins via cross-coupling of dihaloalkenes with alkylzinc bromides. J. Org. Chem. 2006, 71,
405–408; b) Tan, Z.; Negishi, E.-I. Widely applicable Pd-catalyzed trans-selective monoalkylation of
unactivated 1,1-dichloro-1-alkenes and Pd-catalyzed second substitution for the selective synthesis
of E or Z trisubstituted alkenes. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 762–765.
11. Typical Procedure: Pd[P(Ph)3]4 (22 mg, 0.01 mmol) was added to a stirred solution of 4 (42 mg,
0.097 mmol; E/Z, 3:2) in anhydrous benzene (4 mL) under N2 at ambient temperature. After
2 minutes, 4-ethoxy-4-oxobutylzinc bromide (0.5M/THF; 0.30 mmol, 0.60 mL) was added and the
resulting mixture was heated at 55◦C for 5 hours. EtOAc (30 mL) and NaHCO3/H2O (10 mL) were
added and the separated organic layer was washed with H2O (10 mL), NaCl/H2O (10 mL), dried
(Na2SO4), and then was evaporated. Column chromatography (10 → 30% EtOAc/hexanes) gave
5(Z) (22 mg, 54%; 90% based on the conversion of E-isomer): 1H NMR δ 1.24 (t, J = 7.1 Hz, 3,