COMMUNICATIONS
[9] As we were attempting to achieve oxidative azaspiroannulations,
Ciufolini and co-workers described novel oxidative cyclizations of
oxazolines produced from tyrosine ± tyrosine dipeptides, which thus
demonstrated for the first time that oxidative azaspiroannulations are
viable reaction processes. See: a) N. A. Braun, M. A. Ciufolini, K.
Peters, E.-M. Peters, Tetrahedron Lett. 1998, 39, 4667 ± 4670; b) N. A.
Braun, J. D. Bray, M. A. Ciufolini, Tetrahedron Lett. 1999, 40, 4985 ±
4988; c) N. A. Braun, M. Ousmer, J. D. Bray, D. Bouchu, K. Peters, E.-
M. Peters, M. A. Ciufolini, J. Org. Chem. 2000, 65, 4397 ± 4408. This
provocative reaction type is related to several interesting oxidative
spiroannulations. For examples, see: d) A. V. R. Rao, M. K. Gurjar,
P. A. Sharma, Tetrahedron Lett. 1991, 32, 6613 ± 6616; e) P. Wipf, Y.
Kim, Tetrahedron Lett. 1992, 33, 5477 ± 5480; f) P. Wipf, Y. Kim, P. C.
Fritch, J. Org. Chem. 1993, 58, 7195 ± 7203; g) P. Wipf, Y. Kim, D. M.
Goldstein, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 11106 ± 11112; h) A.
McKillop, L. McLaren, R. J. K. Taylor, R. J. Watson, N. Lewis, Synlett
1992, 201 ± 203; i) A. McKillop, L. McLaren, R. J. K. Taylor, R. J.
Watson, N. J. Lewis, J. Chem. Soc. Perkin Trans. 1 1996, 1385 ± 1393;
j) K. Marshall Aubart, C. H. Heathcock, J. Org. Chem. 1999, 64, 16 ±
22; k) D. Yang, M.-K. Wong, Z. Yan, J. Org. Chem. 2000, 65, 4179 ±
4184.
[10] For applications of the aldol reaction in syntheses of bicyclo[3.3.1]-
nonanes and azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonanes, see: a) W. A. Kinney, G. D.
Crouse, L. A. Paquette, J. Org. Chem. 1983, 48, 4986 ± 5000; b) R. J. K.
Taylor, S. M. Turner, D. C. Horwell, O. W. Howarth, M. F. Mahon,
K. C. Molloy, J. Chem. Soc. Perkin Trans. 1 1990, 2145 ± 2150; c) H.-J.
Teuber, C. Tsaklakidis, J. W. Bats, LiebigsAnn. Chem . 1990, 781 ± 787;
d) S. Patir, P. Rosenmund, P. H. Götz, Heterocycles 1996, 43, 15 ± 22.
[11] Aldehyde 6 was prepared from the known amino ester 7 by the
following reaction sequence: 1) 4-nitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride, iPr2-
NEt, CH2Cl2, RT, 0.5 h, 88%; 2) MeI, K2CO3, DMF, RT, 1 h, 91%;
3) AlCl3, EtSH, CH2Cl2, RT, 2.5 h, 92%; 4) BH3 ´ THF, THF, 08C, 1 h;
then RT, 2 h, 94%; 5) SO3 ´ pyr, DMSO, iPr2NEt, RT, 10 min,
approximately 100% C6 was used in crude form).
Total Synthesis of $À)-Spirotryprostatin B and
Three Stereoisomers**
Larry E. Overman* and Mark D. Rosen
Small-molecule natural products play an important role in
contemporary studies to understand and control cellular
proliferation.[1] From the fermentation broth of the fungus
Aspergillus fumigatus, Osada and co-workers recently iden-
tified a group of novel diketopiperazine alkaloids that inhibit
G2/M phase progression of the mammalian cell cycle at
micromolar concentrations.[2, 3] Spirotryprostatins A C1) and B
C2) are the most complex of these alkaloids,[2] all of which
appear to arise biosynthetically by prenylation of a diketo-
piperazine derived from tryptophan and proline.
O
O
N
N
H
H
H
N
N
O
O
MeO
N
O
N
O
H
H
Spirotryprostatin A (1)
Spirotryprostatin B (2)
The novelty of their structures and the potential utility of
cell-cycle inhibitors make the spirotryprostatins attractive
targets for total synthesis. If such an undertaking were to be
stereocontrolled, a central challenge would be to relate the
stereochemistry of the quaternary spiro carbon to the
adjacent stereocenter bearing the 2-methylpropenyl side
chain. In 1998, Danishefsky and co-workers reported the
total synthesis of spirotryprostatin A C1), which constituted
the first total synthesis in this area.[4] Earlier this year, the
groups of Williams,[5] Danishefsky,[6] and Ganesan[7] disclosed
inaugural total syntheses of CÀ)-spirotryprostatin B C2).
Our approachto spirotryprostatin B C 2) and congeners is
distinctly different from the previous syntheses CScheme 1).
The logic of our strategy is to correlate the relative config-
urations of C3 and C18 in 2[8] to the geometry of the internal
double bond of a triene cyclization substrate 4 by capitalizing
on the stereochemical selectivity of two palladium-catalyzed
[12] A. F. Abdel-Magid, K. G. Carson, B. D. Harris, C. A. Maryanoff, R. D.
Shah, J. Org. Chem. 1996, 61, 3849 ± 3862.
[13] T. Fukuyama, C.-K. Jow, M. Cheung, Tetrahedron Lett. 1995, 36,
6373 ± 6374.
[14] A. J. Mancuso, D. Swern, Synthesis 1981, 165 ± 185.
[15] Aldehyde 4 was used in crude form because partial epimerization at
C-5 occurred during chromatography on silica. For stimulating
discussions of the stability and chemistry of optically active a-amino
aldehydes, see: A. G. Myers, D. W. Kung, B. Zhong, J. Am. Chem. Soc.
2000, 122, 3236 ± 3237.
[16] Compound 5 was the major component of a mixture of three aldol
cyclization products. The equatorial C-6 epimer of 5 was formed in
approximately 19% yield and a compound tentatively assigned as a
C6 ± C9 aldol adduct was obtained in approximately 21% yield.
[17] This aldol procedure affords 5 in 17% yield and a substance that we
tentatively assigned as the C6 ± C9 aldol adduct in 12% yield Csee
ref. [16]). We have not yet been able to utilize the C-6 epimer of 5 in
our synthesis.
[18] a) O. Mitsunobu, K. Kato, J. Kimura, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1969, 91,
6510 ± 6511; b) D. A. Campbell, J. C. Bermak, J. Org. Chem. 1994, 59,
658 ± 660.
[19] The results of COSY, HMQC, and ROESY NMR spectroscopy
experiments were fully consistent withthe structure of compound 11.
In addition to 11, a C8 ± C9 alkene was formed in 17% yield due to
elimination.
[*] Prof. L. E. Overman, M. D. Rosen
Department of Chemistry
University of California, Irvine
516 Rowland Hall, Irvine, CA 92697-2025 CUSA)
Fax : C1)949-824-3866
[20] Mitsunobu reactions are sensitive to steric environments; therefore,
site-selective modification of polyols is feasible. For examples, see:
a) D. A. Evans, J. R. Gage, J. L. Leighton, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1992,
114, 9434 ± 9453; b) R. S. Coleman, J. R. Fraser, J. Org. Chem. 1993,
58, 385 ± 392.
[**] We thank NIH NIGMS CGM-30859) for financial support, Prof. A. J.
Shaka and N. D. Taylor for DPFGSE experiments, Prof. H. Osada for
providing spectral data for natural 1, and Prof. R. M. Williams and
P. R. Sebahar for providing spectral data and a sample of synthetic ent-
21. We are also grateful to Prof. R. M. Williams and Prof. S. J.
Danishefsky for open exchange of information prior to publication.
NMR and mass spectra were determined at UC Irvine withinstru-
ments purchased with the assistance of the NSF and NIH shared
instrumentation programs.
Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under
4596
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Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2000, 39, No. 24