The First Total Synthesis of Lipid II
A R T I C L E S
Scheme 3. The Total Synthesis of Lipid IIa
Scheme 4. Preparation of Tetrapeptide 8a
a Reagents and conditions: (a) i. CH2Cl2, TFA; ii. Boc-D-iso-Gln(NHS),
iPr2NEt, THF, 66% yield; (b) EtOH/CH2Cl2, p-TsOH, 97% yield.
phosphorus electrophile. This could become problematic if the
steric constraints imposed by the additional sugar subunit
compromised the nucleophilicity of the anomeric hydroxyl
group.
We were gratified to observe that, after exposure of lactol
10 to dibenzyl-N,N-diethylphosphoramidite and 1H-tetrazole in
dichloromethane followed by oxidation of the phosphite inter-
mediate with 30% hydrogen peroxide, the desired R-phosphate
product 7 was obtained in 78% yield (3JH1H2 ) 3.0 Hz). Our
next step set the stage for elaboration of the pentapeptide side
chain. Thus, unmasking of the lactyl carboxyl group was
achieved through treatment of phenylsulfonylethyl ester 7 with
DBU. The intermediate acid was activated through conversion
to the corresponding NHS ester. Addition of a DMF solution
of tetrapeptide 8, prepared via standard peptide synthesis
protocols (Scheme 426), to a solution of the activated ester and
iPr2NEt in DMF provided disaccharyl pentapeptide 11 (46%
overall yield from 7).27
Hydrogenolytic cleavage of the phosphodiester protecting
groups, followed by evaporation of the crude product from
pyridine, provided monopyridyl salt 12 in 91% yield. The stage
was now set for the final lipid coupling/deprotection sequence
that would allow completion of our lipid II total synthesis.
For the key reaction that would establish the lipid diphosphate
linkage, we utilized the phosphoroimidazolidate method28 that
was exploited in the lipid I total synthesis. The attractive feature
of this method is that it would allow us to employ commercially
available undecaprenyl monophosphate directly in a coupling
reaction with a carbohydrate-derived phosphoroimidazolidate.
The mild reaction conditions were also advantageous for
introduction of the chemically sensitive diphosphate linkage.
In the event, electrophilic activation, achieved by in situ
conversion to the intermediate phosphoroimidazolidate, followed
by exposure to undecaprenyl monophosphate 6 (bis-NH4+ salt)
in DMF/THF over 4 days cleanly afforded the fully protected
version of lipid II 13.29 Global deprotection was achieved
through exposure of 13 to aqueous NaOH and provided lipid II
4 in 24% isolated yield (from 11) after reverse-phase HPLC
purification.30
a Reagents and conditions: (a) H2, Pd/C, MeOH/THF, 94% yield;
(b) i. dibenzyl-N,N-diethylphosphoramidite, 1H-tetrazole, CH2Cl2; ii. 30%
H2O2, THF, -78 °C to room temperature, 78% yield; (c) i. DBU, CH2Cl2;
ii. EDCI, NHS, DMF, then 8 and iPr2NEt, 46% yield; (d) H2, Pd/C, MeOH,
then pyridine, 91% yield; (e) i. CDI/DMF/THF; ii. undecaprenyl mono-
phosphate 6 (bis-NH4+ salt); (f) NaOH/H2O/1,4-dioxane, 24% overall yield
from 11.
was the case in our lipid I synthesis, the phosphate group needed
to be introduced in an R-selective fashion. Given this require-
ment, and the presence of a participating group (NHAc) at C(2),
a sequence employing a nucleophilic carbohydrate component
and an electrophilic phosophorus reagent was mandated.25 As
a result, our initial efforts focused on the phosphitylation/
oxidation sequence that was exploited during our total synthesis
of lipid I. Even with this precedent, we were still concerned
about the possible erosion of the anomeric selectivity that would
arise if in situ anomerization of the free hydroxyl group occurs
at a rate that is competitive with capture by the activated
(23) For previous approaches to the â-[1,4]-linked NAG-NAM disaccharide,
see: (a) Merser, C.; Sinay¨, P. Tetrahedron Lett. 1973, 13, 1029. (b) Durette,
P. L.; Meitzner, E. P.; Shen, T. Y. Carbohydr. Res. 1979, 77, C1. (c) Kiso,
M.; Kaneda, Y.; Shimizu, R.; Hasegawa, A. Carbohydr. Res. 1980, 83,
C8. (d) Kiso, M.; Kaneda, Y.; Shimizu, R.; Hasegawa, A. Carbohydr. Res.
1982, 104, 253. (e) Kusumoto, S.; Yamamoto, K.; Imoto, M.; Inage, M.;
Tsujimoto, M.; Kotani, S.; Shiba, T. Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 1986, 59, 1411.
(f) Kusimoto, S.; Imoto, M.; Ogiku, T.; Shiba, T. Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn.
1986, 59, 1419. (g) Farkas, J.; Ledvina, M.; Brokes, J.; Jezek, J.; Zajicek,
J.; Zaoral, M. Carbohydr. Res. 1987, 163, 63. (h) Kinzy, W.; Schmidt, R.
R. Liebigs Ann. Chem. 1987, 407. (i) Kantoci, D.; Keglevic, D.; Derome,
A. Carbohydr. Res. 1987, 162, 227. (j) Termin, A.; Schmidt, R. R. Liebigs
Ann. Chem. 1989, 789. (k) Ledvina, M.; Farkas, J.; Zajicek, J.; Jezek, J.;
Zaoral, M. Collect. Czech. Chem. Commun. 1989, 54, 2784. (l) Termin,
A.; Schmidt, R. R. Liebigs Ann. Chem. 1992, 527.
(26) Tripeptide 14 was prepared as described in ref 10.
(27) A small amount (<5%) of a second product, of identical molecular weight,
is routinely observed during the coupling reaction. This product may be a
diastereomer that could, presumably, arise from epimerization of the L-Ala
R-stereocenter during the peptide-coupling event.
(28) (a) Fang, X.; Gibbs, B. S.; Coward, J. K. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 1995,
5, 2701. (b) Danilov, L. L.; Maltsev, S. D.; Shibaev, V. N.; Kochetkov, N.
K. Carbohydr. Res. 1981, 88, 203.
(24) Saha, S. L.; VanNieuwenhze, M. S.; Hornback, W. J.; Aikins, J. A.;
Blaszczak, L. C. Org. Lett. 2001, 3, 3575.
(25) Carbohydrates bearing functional groups at C(2) capable of neighboring
group participation generally favor formation of 1,2-trans-linked glycosyl
phosphates.
(29) Undecaprenyl monophosphate was added in portions and reaction progress
was monitored, through tracking the disappearance of the intermediate
phosphoroimidazolidate, by mass spectroscopy.
9
J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 124, NO. 14, 2002 3659