A stereodivergent, two-directional synthesis of stereoisomeric C-linked disaccharide mimetics

Article abstract of DOI:10.1039/b208781b

Dipyranones, such as 1,2-bis[(2R,3S,6S)-3-hydroxy-6-methoxy-3-oxo-6H-pyran-2-yl]ethane, were exploited as templates for the synthesis of some novel C-linked disaccharide analogues. Efficient methods, such as stereoselective reduction and dihydroxylation, were developed for two-directional functionalisation of these templates. Peracetylated derivatives of ten stereoisomeric disaccharide analogues {acetic acid 4,5-diacetoxy-6-methoxy-[(3′,4′,5′-triacetoxy-6′-methoxy tetrahydropyran-2′-yl)ethyl]tetrahydropyran-3-yl esters} were synthesised from a virtual library of 136 compounds; furthermore, an additional eight stereoisomers could have been synthesised simply by using the enantiomeric ligand in the enantioselective step. The ability of (2S,3S,4R,5R,6R)-6-methoxy-2-[2′-((2′R,3′R,4′S,5′R ,6′S)-3′,4′,5′-trihydroxy-6′- methoxytetrahydropyran-2′-yl)ethyl]tetrahydropyran-3,4,5-triol to bind to the repressor protein, LacI, was estimated to be similar to that of isopropyl-β-thiogalactoside. The disaccharide mimetics were concluded to be a new and interesting class of C-linked disaccharide mimetics with promising, though largely unstudied, biological activity.

Full text of DOI:10.1039/b208781b

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A stereodivergent, two-directional synthesis of stereoisomeric
C-linked disaccharide mimetics
Michael Harding,a Robert Hodgson,a Tahir Majid,b Kenneth J. McDowallc and
Adam Nelson*a,c
a Department of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK LS2 9JT
b Aventis Pharma US, Route 202-206, Bridgewater, New Jersey 08807, USA
c Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK LS2 9JT
Received 9th September 2002, Accepted 11th November 2002
First published as an Advance Article on the web 17th December 2002
Dipyranones, such as 1,2-bis[(2R,3S,6S)-3-hydroxy-6-methoxy-3-oxo-6H-pyran-2-yl]ethane, were exploited as
templates for the synthesis of some novel C-linked disaccharide analogues. Efficient methods, such as stereoselective
reduction and dihydroxylation, were developed for two-directional functionalisation of these templates. Peracetylated
derivatives of ten stereoisomeric disaccharide analogues {acetic acid 4,5-diacetoxy-6-methoxy-[(3Ј,4Ј,5Ј-triacetoxy-
6Ј-methoxytetrahydropyran-2Ј-yl)ethyl]tetrahydropyran-3-yl esters} were synthesised from a virtual library of 136
compounds; furthermore, an additional eight stereoisomers could have been synthesised simply by using the
enantiomeric ligand in the enantioselective step. The ability of (2S,3S,4R,5R,6R)- 6-methoxy-2-[2Ј-((2ЈR,3ЈR,4ЈS,
5ЈR,6ЈS)-3Ј,4Ј,5Ј-trihydroxy-6Ј-methoxytetrahydropyran-2Ј-yl)ethyl]tetrahydropyran-3,4,5-triol to bind to the
repressor protein, LacI, was estimated to be similar to that of isopropyl-β-thiogalactoside. The disaccharide mimetics
were concluded to be a new and interesting class of C-linked disaccharide mimetics with promising, though largely
unstudied, biological activity.
was similarly competitively inhibited by both O-lactose (Ki = 1.2
Introduction
mM) and C-lactose (Ki = 3.3 mM),12 and the free energy of
Libraries of stereo- and regioisomeric oligosaccharides can
probe large areas of conformational space, and can be used
association of some C-linked oligo-β-1,6-galacosides with three
monoclonal immunoglobulins were remarkably similar to those
to identify unnatural ligands for carbohydrate receptors.1 A
of the parent immunodeterminants.4
key milestone in this area has been the synthesis of a 1 300
Synthetic methods have been developed for the preparation
of C-linked stereoisomeric di- and trisaccharides. These
methods enable the synthesis of mimetics which would other-
wise need to be made from monosaccharides which are either
member library of acylated amino di- and trisaccharides.2 This
approach enabled the identification of two compounds which
exhibited a higher affinity for a bacterial lectin from Bauhinia
purpurea than the known natural ligand.
C-Linked glycosides, in which exo-anomeric oxygen atoms
expensive or unavailable, for example C-linked analogues of
disaccharides formed from  and  hexoses.13 Twelve stereo-
are replaced by methylene groups, are a particularly interesting
chemically and structurally diverse C-trisaccharides have been
synthesised; at three steps of the synthesis, this approach relied
class of carbohydrate mimetic which are resistant to enzymatic
degradation and have potential as inhibitors of glycosidases3
on the separation of two diastereoisomers which were sub-
and glycosyl transferases.4 A number of reliable methods have
sequently functionalised.
been developed for the synthesis of C-linked disaccharides.5
We have designed a new class of C-(1 6)-linked disacchar-
For example, most methods for the synthesis of C-(1 6)-
linked disaccharides (3) involve the coupling of two mono-
saccharide derivatives using a key connective reaction, such as the
Kishi,6 Ramberg–Bäcklund,7 Wittig,8 Henry9 or metathesis10
reactions. This is an excellent approach to the synthesis of
C-glycosides which can be synthesised from cheap, available
monosaccharides.
ide mimetic 2 in which C-6 of ring 1 has been replaced with a
methoxy group (see Scheme 1). In this paper, we describe our
There is considerable debate in the literature concerning
the similarity between the conformations of C-glycosides and
their parent O-linked oligosaccharides, particularly concerning
ground state conformational preferences around the aglyconic
bond. The ground state and bound conformations of C- and
O-lactose have been studied in detail by the Kishi11 and the
Schmidt and Jiménez-Barbero groups.12 Kishi has concluded
that C- and O-lactose both populate the same two conformers
in solution, and that the same high-energy conformation ligates
to peanut lectin.11 Schmidt and Jiménez-Barbero assert that
Escherichia coli β-galactosidase binds a high energy con-
formation of C-lactose which is barely present in solution for
C-lactose, and absent for lactose itself.12
Several studies have shown that the biological activity of
C-linked mimetics often does mirror that of the correspond-
ing O-linked structure in a remarkable way. For example, the
β-galactosidase-catalysed cleavage of p-nitrophenyl galactose
Scheme 1
O r g . B i o m o l . C h e m . , 2 0 0 3 , 1, 3 3 8 – 3 4 9
T h i s j o u r n a l i s © T h e R o y a l S o c i e t y o f C h e m i s t r y 2 0 0 3
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Table 1 Synthesis of some of the possible stereoisomers of general structure 2
a Formed in low yield (<40%). b Enantiomeric compound prepared.
progress towards a general synthesis of these compounds which
mimic both natural and unnatural disaccharides. A library of
the mimetics 2 would probe large regions of conformational
space and would be valuable in the identification of therapeutic
agents15 based on carbohydrates.
chiral and would need to be made from either optically active
diol (R,R)-4 or (S,S)-4. In contrast, the enantioselective step
required for the synthesis of the remaining 56 chiral stereo-
isomers would need to be delayed, and strategies for the
desymmetrisation of meso compounds derived from meso-4
have been described.19 The remaining eight stereoisomers are
not chiral.
Asymmetric synthesis of the C2-symmetric diol 9
Reduction of the diketone 7 using borane–dimethyl sulfide
complex and 10 mol% of the catalyst 10 gave the diol 4 as a
85 : 15 mixture of diastereoisomers in 80% yield; (R,R)-4 had
>98% ee (Scheme 3). The ratio of diastereomeric products was
determined by careful examination of the 13C NMR spectrum
of the crude reaction mixture, and the enantiomeric excess
of the chiral diastereoisomer was measured by analytical
chiral HPLC. The observation of moderate diastereoselectivity
accompanied by excellent enantioselectivity has also been
observed in other asymmetric reactions of bifunctional
compounds (for example, in similar reductions20); this “proof-
reading” behaviour stems from the fact that most additions to
the Si-face of either ketone lead to meso-4 rather than (S,S)-4.
Results and discussion
At the start of our investigation, we envisaged that the difuryl
diols 4 could be expanded to give dipyranones such as 5 which
would serve as a template for further stereoselective functionis-
ation. It was hoped that minor changes to a general reaction
sequence would enable different relative stereochemistry to be
installed in the products at will. A strength of the approach is
that a large number of stereoisomers could, in principle, be
made from a single precursor, so the choice of the configuration
of the products would be made at a late stage in each synthesis.
Ignoring anomers, there are eight possible relative configur-
ations in each ring of the mimetics 2 (see Fig. 1) and we have
developed methods for installing six of these combinations
(Table 1).16 † Our approach lends itself to a two-directional
synthetic strategy,17 which would greatly reduce the number of
synthetic steps required.18
There are 136 possible stereoisomeric mimetics 2 (ignoring
anomers), and these can be divided into two groups according
to the 1,4-stereochemical relationship between the two pyran
rings (Scheme 2). This distinction is strategically very important
since it governs the synthetic approach which must be used.
There are 72 stereoisomers which would need to be derived
from the chiral diastereoisomer 4; all of these analogues are
Oxidative ring expansion of the furan rings of (R,R)-4, using
VO(acac)2–tBuOOH, and acetalisation, gave the dipyranone 8
as a 75 : 25 mixture of C2-symmetric and unsymmetrical ano-
mers. This mixture 8 was reduced with sodium borohydride to
give an anomeric mixture of diols from which C2-symmetric
diastereoisomer 9 was isolated by careful column chromato-
graphy.
Two-directional synthesis of C-linked disaccharides
The stage was now set for the two-directional synthesis18 of
some C-linked disaccharides (Scheme 4). The C2-symmetric
diol 9 was converted into its C2-symmetric diastereoisomer 11
† In this paper, we have labelled the eight possible relative configur-
ations of the rings A–H; rings labelled AЈ–HЈ belong to the other enan-
tiomeric series.
O r g . B i o m o l . C h e m . , 2 0 0 3 , 1, 3 3 8 – 3 4 9
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Fig. 1
by double Mitsunobu inversion and methanolysis, and into
its unsymmetrical diastereoisomer 14 by statistical benzoyl-
ation of one of its homotopic alcohols ( 13), inversion and
methanolysis.
Fig. 2
Subjection of the diols 9, 11 and 14 to Upjohn’s di-
hydroxylation conditions (OsO4, NMO) resulted in double
dihydroxylation of each alkene to give, after peracetylation,
predominantly the hexaacetates 12AA, 12BB and 12AB respect-
ively. The new syn 1,2-diol was introduced predominantly anti
to the neighbouring hydroxy group regardless of the configur-
ation of the starting material, though the process was markedly
more diastereoselective when the pre-existing hydroxy group
was pseudo equatorial (i.e. when installing stereochemistry A,
Fig. 2). Even in the most troublesome case, the double di-
hydroxylation of 11 with its two pseudo axial hydroxy groups
(see Fig. 3), a 53% yield of the carbohydrate mimetic 12BB was
Fig. 3
obtained along with its diastereoisomer 12BC (23% yield). In
the case of 12AA, the two-directional strategy is very efficient
indeed: in the reaction sequence 8
genic centres were introduced with almost complete diastereo-
selectivity in just two steps. The two-directional approach was
not restricted to symmetrical diastereoisomers, since the hexa-
acetate 12AB was obtained in 60% yield from the diol 14 (which
9
12AA, six new stereo-
O r g . B i o m o l . C h e m . , 2 0 0 3 , 1, 3 3 8 – 3 4 9
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Scheme 2
behaviour has been noted previously in the synthesis of some
monosaccharide derivatives.23 The stereochemical outcomes
of two-directional double dihydroxylation of the diol 14 are
summarised in Fig. 4.
Fig. 4
The relative configuration of the products was determined
using a combination of three approaches: (a) analysis of the
coupling constants around the six-membered rings, (b) the
observation of nuclear Overhauser enhancements, and (c)
Scheme 3
1
has both an pseudo axial and an pseudo equatorial hydroxy
group). The stereochemical outcome of these reactions is con-
sistent with previous observations that dihydroxylations under
Upjohn’s conditions generally proceed anti to a preexisting
allylic oxygen substituent (Figs. 2 and 3).21
comparison of the H spectra of compounds containing rings
1
with the same relative configuration. Details of the H NMR
spectra of the hexaacetates 12 and related compounds are
summarised in Table 2, and important NOE observations are
shown in Figs. 5–7.
Donohoe’s dihydroxylation reaction,22 in which the
TMEDA–OsO4 complex is delivered to the reacting double
bond by an allylic hydroxy group, was an extremely valuable
alternative to Upjohn’s conditions. Hence, simply by changing
the reagent used at the final step of the divergent synthesis, two
further diastereoisomers could be prepared (see Fig. 2). In the
case of 11, both of its pseudo axial hydroxy groups delivered the
reagent to the alkene, giving 12CC as a single diastereoisomer.
More remarkably, however, was the reaction of the unsym-
metrical diol 14 under Donohoe’s conditions; 14 was elabor-
ated in a two-directional fashion such that the stereochemical
outcome of dihydroxylation was different in each of the rings.
The pseudo axial hydroxy group directed the reagent to the
alkene as before but the pseudo equatorial hydroxy group was
unable to deliver the reagent, resulting in anti-selective di-
Fig. 5
hydroxylation (
12AC) as before (see Figs. 2 and 3). This
Fig. 6
O r g . B i o m o l . C h e m . , 2 0 0 3 , 1, 3 3 8 – 3 4 9
341

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Scheme 4
have led to the formation of a mixture of esters 17 and 18.
Hydrolysis of the esters 17 and 18 with aqueous potassium
hydroxide solution, and ring-closure, would give the corre-
sponding epoxide (see Scheme 6); opening of this epoxide by
hydroxide ion (conformation 19
12AЈE and conformation
20 12AЈD), and peracetylation, gave a 75 : 25 mixture of dia-
Fig. 7
stereoisomers. Purification by preparative HPLC gave the hexa-
acetates 12AЈD and 12AЈE in 64% and 11% yield respectively.
In an unsuccessful desymmetrisation reaction, the meso diol
21 was treated with OsO4ؒ22 complex (Scheme 7). Double di-
hydroxylation of 21, anti to each hydroxy group, followed by
peracetylation of the products, gave the meso hexaacetate
12AAЈ in 40% yield.
Synthetic transformations of desymmetrised dihydroxylation
products
We have described some desymmetrisation reactions in which
compounds similar to 6 (Scheme 2) were prepared in moderate
to good enantiomeric excess;19 stereoselective functionalisation
of the remaining double bond in these compound would lead to
mimetics 2XYЈ (Scheme 2). For example, acetylation of the diol
15 (which had 60% ee) gave 16, which was treated with iodine
and silver benzoate in dry carbon tetrachloride (Scheme 5); this
reaction, by analogy with the transformation of similar model
compounds under identical reaction conditions, is presumed to
Comparison of the mimetics 2 with disaccharides: conformation
of the rings and the linking chain
The mimetics 2 are C-linked analogues of (1 6)-linked
disaccharides in which the free C-6 has been replaced by a
O r g . B i o m o l . C h e m . , 2 0 0 3 , 1, 3 3 8 – 3 4 9
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Table 2 Coupling constants and chemical shifts of the hexaacetates 12
J(H2H1Ј)/
Hz
J(H2H3)/
Hz
J(H3H4)/
Hz
J(H4H5)/
Hz
J(H5H6)/
Hz
δ (H2)-
(ppm)
δ (H3)-
(ppm)
δ (H4)-
(ppm)
δ (H5)-
(ppm)
δ (H6)-
(ppm)
Compound
ring
4J/Hz
12AA
12AB
A
A
B
A
C
B
a, 10.0
2.9, 9.6
5.3, 7.6
2.9, 9.3
a, 7.3
10.0
9.6
2.3
9.3
10.0
9.5
3.6
10.0
3.8
3.8
3.8
3.9
3.9
10.0
9.6
3.5
3.4
4.1
3.6
3.8
3.8
3.8
3.9
3.9
3.5
10.1
3.6
3.7
3.5
1.7
1.6
4.0
1.7
1.5
3.8
3.9
1.7
1.4
1.7
3.7
1.5
1.7
1.7
—
—
—
3.77
3.71
4.14
3.68
3.95
4.17
4.18
5.12
5.10
4.93
5.11
5.21
4.92
4.91
5.18
5.18
5.09
4.84
5.10
4.98
5.10
5.28
5.28
5.20
5.28
5.25
5.21
5.20
5.26
5.25
5.28
5.43
5.29
5.19
5.28
5.22
5.22
5.16
5.22
5.08
5.16
5.14
5.06
5.08
5.23
4.83
5.24
4.94
5.23
4.66
4.65
4.81
4.63
4.74
4.81
4.84
4.72
4.74
4.63
4.89
4.58
4.65
4.64
12AC
—
a
,
a, (H3H5)
12BB
12BC
a, 9.1
1.3
1.3
,
—
—
B
a, 9.0
b
a
C
C
A
D
A
E
,
,
1.7 (H3H5) 3.91
b
a
12CC
12AЈD
,
1.4 (H3H5) 3.91
1.9, 9.7
2.2, 9.6
2.1, 9.8
3.1, 9.5
a, 8.9
9.7
9.6
9.8
9.5
10.0
—
—
—
—
—
3.71
3.76
3.72
4.04
3.72
12AЈE
12AAЈ
10.0
3.7
10.0
A
a Broad peak: small coupling constant(s) not measured b Not determined.
Table 3 Classification of C-linked disaccharide mimetics 2
Compound
Parent disaccharide(s)
2AA
2BB
-Gal-β(1 6)--Man
-Alt-β(1 6)--Gul
-Tal-β(1 6)--Tal
-Alt-β(1 6)--Tal or -Tal-β(1 6)--Gul
-Alt-β(1 6)--Man or -Gal-β(1 6)--Gul
-Tal-β(1 6)--Man or -Gal-β(1 6)--Tal
-Gal-β(1 6)--Man
-Gal-β(1 6)--Glu or -Glu-β(1 6)--Man
-Gal-β(1 6)--Alt or -Gul-β(1 6)--Man
-Tal-β(1 6)--Tal
2CC
2BC
2AB
2AC
2AAЈ
2AЈD
2AЈE
2CCЈ
compounds 2XYЈ; Scheme 2). The relationship between the
analogues 2 and the disaccharides which they mimic are sum-
marised in Table 3. Compounds 2XY are likely to predomin-
antly populate conformation 24 which resembles a β-linked
disaccharide formed from a  and an  sugar (Fig. 8).‡ Higher
lying conformations such as 23, which resembles an α(1 6)-
linked disaccharide formed from two  sugars, can be stabilised
by complexation to a carbohydrate receptor.12 Compounds
Scheme 5
Fig. 8
methoxy group. These compounds may be divided into
two groups according to the 1,4 stereochemical relation-
ship between the THP ring systems (compounds 2XY and
‡ Analysis of the coupling constants of the hexaacetates 12 (Table 2)
indicates that the protected mimetics exhibit this conformational
behaviour.
O r g . B i o m o l . C h e m . , 2 0 0 3 , 1, 3 3 8 – 3 4 9
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Scheme 6
Scheme 8
Scheme 7
Fig. 10
Fig. 9
1,3-interactions, the central Cα–C6 bond is antiperiplanar to
C–C bonds in both pyanose rings, adopting the exo-anomeric
conformation relative to the galactose ring. The enantiomeric
compound 2ADЈ may be considered to be a C-linked analogue
of the disaccharide, allolactose.
Evaluation of the hexaol 2ADЈ as an allolactose mimetic
The ability of the hexaol 2ADЈ to control repression by LacI
was investigated to evaluate its capacity to mimic allolactose.¶
The LacI repression system is used widely in molecular genetics
to control the expression of heterologous genes. The product of
the lacI gene is able to bind an operator sequence in DNA,
thereby blocking transcription from an overlapping promoter;
this repression can be inactivated by the binding of allolactose
to another site in the LacI protein resulting in the induction of
transcription. The product of the lacZ gene, β-galactosidase, is
commonly used as a reporter of gene expression as its activity
can be readily assayed in vivo and in vitro.
2XYЈ, on the other hand, presumably populate the conform-
ation 26 which resembles a β(1 6)-linked disaccharide formed
from two  sugars (Fig. 9).
The mimetic 2AЈD was synthesised by deprotection of the
hexaacetate 12AЈD (Scheme 8); some selected coupling con-
stants for this compound are summarised (Fig. 10).§ We
conclude that 2AЈD exists predominantly in the C2Ј–C1Ј–Cα–C6–
C5–C4 extended form shown in Fig. 10. In order to minimise
We had prepared a sample of 2AЈD which had 60% ee; this
sample was, therefore, an 80 : 20 mixture of the enantiomeric
mimetics 2AЈD and 2ADЈ. However, a limited quantity (<1 mg)
¶ It has previously been suggested that C-linked analogues of
allolactose may also suppress repression of the lactose (lac) operon
(refs. 8a and 9).
§ In Table 4, conventional disaccharide numbering is used, with primed
numbers being used to describe positions in the galactose ring.
O r g . B i o m o l . C h e m . , 2 0 0 3 , 1, 3 3 8 – 3 4 9
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of material was available and a sensitive assay needed to be
developed. A two-gene system was used to assess the ability of
2ADЈ to induce the lac promoter relative to that of the com-
monly used inducer isopropyl-β-thiogalactoside (IPTG, 27). In
this system, LacI represses the expression of the essential rne
gene25 that itself represses expression of a β-galactosidase-
based reporter construct. This assay is highly sensitive, for
example, to micromolar concentrations of IPTG: the higher the
concentration of the inducer, the lower the level of β-galacto-
sidase activity observed. The results of this assay, in which the
biological activities of IPTG and 2ADЈ are directly compared,
are given in Fig. 11.
particularly valuable in the synthesis of analogues of unusual
sugars. The methods developed were particularly suited to the
synthesis of a library of stereoisomeric compounds, since
diastereomeric analogues could be prepared by minor variation
of a common reaction sequence. In total, ten mimetics were
prepared from a virtual library of 136 compounds (see Table 1
for details). Furthermore, an additional eight mimetics could
have been synthesised simply by using the enantiomeric ligand
in the enantioselective step. The reliability of the methods16
which we have developed for the functionalisation of poly-
hydroxylated THPs should mean that a wide range of other
stereoisomeric mimetics 2 could be prepared using this general
approach.
The analogue 2ADЈ was found to be a good mimic of the
disaccharide allolactose: 2ADЈ was estimated to bind the
repressor protein, LacI, with similar affinity to IPTG and only
slightly less tightly (ca. 1 kJ molϪ1) than allolactose itself. The
polyols 2, therefore, represent a new and interesting class of
C-linked disaccharide mimetics with promising, though largely
unstudied, biological activity. Stereisomeric mimetics 2, includ-
ing analogues of unnatural disaccharides, may be synthesised
efficiently in a two-directional manner from a common pre-
cursor and may prove to be valuable tools for glycobiology.
Experimental
General experimental methods have been previously
described.16,19 Optical rotations are given in 10Ϫ1 deg cmϪ2 gϪ1
and J values are given in Hz.
Fig. 11 Assay of inactivation of LacI-mediated repression. The light
grey columns correspond to IPTG whereas the dark grey correspond to
2AЈD (which had 60% ee and was, therefore, an 80 : 20 mixture of 2AЈD
and 2AЈD). Each measurement was made in triplicate. Bars indicate the
standard error of each value.
(1R,4R)-1,4-Di-furan-2Ј-ylbutane-1,4-diol 4
To a 1 M solution of (S)-1-methyl-3,3-diphenyltetrahydro-3H-
pyrrolo[1,2-c][1,3,2]oxazaborole 10 in toluene (0.83 ml, 0.83
mmol) at ambient temperature was added a 1 M solution of
borane–tetrahydrofuran complex in tetrahydrofuran (1.66 ml,
1.66 mmol). After 10 minutes a solution of the diketone 7
(1.83 g, 8.32 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (15 ml) and a 1 M solu-
tion of borane–tetrahydrofuran complex in tetrahydrofuran
(8.32 ml, 8.32 mmol) was added simultaneously over 30 minutes
and the reaction mixture was left to stir at ambient temperature.
After 2 hours methanol (30 cm3) was added and the volatiles
were removed under reduced pressure to give a crude product
which was purified by flash column chromatography, eluting
with 1 : 1 petrol–ethyl acetate to give the diol. Analysis of the
crude reaction mixture by 75 MHz 13C NMR spectroscopy
revealed it to be an 85 : 15 mixture of diastereoisomers. Crystal-
lisation of the meso isomer from chloroform, followed by
evaporation of the filtrate under reduced pressure, afforded the
diol (1.48 g, 80%) as a colourless oil, Rf 0.43 (1 : 1 EtOAc–
Petrol); [α]2D0 ϩ21.8 (c 1.1 in CHCl3); (Found: C, 64.6; H, 6.65;
C12H14O4 requires C, 64.9; H, 6.35%); νmax/cmϪ1 (thin film)
3356, 2928, 1505, 1149, 1066, 1009, 738, 599; δH (300 MHz;
d6-DMSO) 7.52 (2H, d, J = 1.7, 5Ј-H), 6.31 (2H, dd, J = 3.2 and
1.7, 4Ј-H), 6.14 (2H, d, J = 3.2, 3Ј-H), 5.22 (2H, d, J = 5.4, OH),
4.48–4.40 (2H, m, 1-H and 4-H), 1.77–1.50 (4H, m, 2-H2 and
The hexaol 2ADЈ was found to be an inducer of the lac pro-
moter since increasing its concentration resulted in decreasing
levels of β-galactosidase activity. A concentration of 175 µM
of 2AЈD resulted in the same level of β-galactosidase activity
as 35 µM of the inducer IPTG: since the sample of 2AЈD used
had 60% ee, this corresponds to a 35 µM concentration of the
C-linked allolactose mimetic 2ADЈ. The mimetic 2ADЈ and
IPTG may, therefore, bind with similar affinity to the repressor
protein LacI.
The free energies of binding of many inducers to the lac
repressor protein, LacI, have been compared, and the contribu-
tion of some hydroxy groups has been estimated.26 The binding
constants, Kd, for the inducers 27–29 are: IPTG (27) 0.83 µM;
methyl β-galactoside (28) 100 µM; and allolactose (29) 0.59 µM.
The C-linked allolactose mimetic 2ADЈ, which we estimate to
have a Kd similar to IPTG, has some important structural dif-
ferences compared to allolactose: the THP which mimics the
galactose ring of allolactose lacks a 6-hydroxy group and has
an additional axial methoxy group at C-5. In view of the fact
that the 6-hydroxy group of the galactose ring has been esti-
mated to contribute ca. 7 kJ molϪ1 to the binding energy, the
potency of the mimetic 2ADЈ is remarkable. It is clear that
2ADЈ binds LacI at least 10 kJ molϪ1 more tightly than does
methyl β-galactoside (28): this indicates that the interactions of
both of THP rings with LacI contribute significantly to the
binding energy. We conclude that 2ADЈ is a very good mimic of
the disaccharide allolactose.
4-H ); δ (75 MHz; CDCl ) 158.4 (C᎐O), 141.9, 110.4, 105.5,
᎐
2
C
3
66.0 and 32.1; m/z (EI) 222 (14%, Mϩ), 205 (80, Mϩ Ϫ OH), 187
(18), 137 (100) and 110 (29).
1,2-Bis[(2R)-6-hydroxy-3-oxo-6H-pyran-2-yl]ethane
To a solution of the diol (R,R)-4 (775 mg, 3.49 mmol) in
dichloromethane (30 cm3) was added a 4.6 M solution of
tert-butyl hydroperoxide (1.90 ml, 8.72 mmol) in toluene
and vanadium() acetylacetonate (46 mg, 0.17 mmol). After
6 hours a white precipitate was observed which was collected by
filtration to give the dipyranone (842 mg, 95%) as colourless
prisms as a 75 : 25 mixture of anomers, mp 164.1–165.8 ЊC
(from MeOH); Rf 0.58 (4 : 1 EtOAc–petrol); [α]2D0 Ϫ50 (c 0.2 in
MeOH); (Found: C, 56.5; H, 5.60; C12H14O6 requires C, 56.7; H,
Summary
Efficient two-directional synthetic methods have been
developed for the preparation of some C-linked disaccharide
analogues 2. The approach is unusual in that neither of the
sugar rings derived directly from a sugar,|| a strategy which is
|| Vogel has reported the use of a non-carbohydrate based template to
introduce one of the rings of disaccharide mimetics.24
O r g . B i o m o l . C h e m . , 2 0 0 3 , 1, 3 3 8 – 3 4 9
345

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5.55%); νmax/cmϪ1 (thin film) 3383 (OH), 1655, 1596, 1261 and
799; δH (300 MHz; d6-DMSO) 7.28 (0.5H, d, J = 7.3, OH), 7.02
(1.5H, dd, J = 10.2 and 3.5, 5-H), 7.01 (0.5H, m, 5-H), 6.98
(1.5H, d, J 6.6, OH), 6.06 (0.5H, br d, J 10.2, 4-H), 5.98 (1.5H,
d, J = 10.2, 4-H), 5.57 (0.5H, m, 6-H), 5.48 (1.5H, d, J = 9.4
and 3.5, 6-H), 4.50 (1.5H, br d, J = 8.4, 2-H), 4.40 (0.5H, br d,
J = 6.6, 2-H), 2.00–1.81 (2H, m, CH2) and 1.61–1.52 (2H, m,
(10 mg, 0.04 mmol). The reaction mixture was allowed to warm
to ambient temperature. After 24 hours a saturated aqueous
solution of sodium sulfite (1 cm3) was added and the reaction
mixture was evaporated under reduced pressure. Pyridine
(1 cm3) and acetic anhydride (1 cm3) were added to the residue
and the reaction was left to stir for 24 hours at ambient temper-
ature and then evaporated under reduced pressure. The crude
product was purified by flash column chromatography, eluting
with 4 : 1 petrol–ethyl acetate to give the hexaacetate 12AA (236
mg, 95%) as a colourless oil, Rf 0.32 (3 : 2 petrol–EtOAc); [α]2D0
ϩ28.4 (c 0.3 in CHCl3); νmax/cmϪ1 (thin film) 2925, 1751, 1373,
1224, 1134, 1085 and 1050; δH (300 MHz; CDCl3) 5.28 (2H, d,
J = 10.0 and 3.5 4-H), 5.22 (2H, dd, J = 10.0 and 1.7, 5-H), 5.12
(2H, t, J = 10.0, 3-H), 4.66 (2H, d, J = 1.7, 6-H), 3.77 (2H, br t,
J = 10.0, 2-H), 3.39 (6H, s, OCH3), 2.15 (6H, s, Ac), 2.03 (6H, s,
Ac), 1.98 (6H, s, Ac) and 1.82–1.62 (4H, m, CH2); δC (75 MHz;
CDCl3) 170.5, 170.4, 170.3, 98.7 (6-C), 70.1, 70.0, 69.8, 69.1,
55.6 (OCH3), 26.6 (CH2), 21.3, 21.2 and 21.1; m/z (ES) 629 (100,
MNaϩ); (Found: 629.2079; C26H38O18 requires MNa, 629.2082).
The relative stereochemistry was determined using a series of
NOE experiments.
CH2); δC (75 MHz; d4-MeOH) 198.9maj, 198.4min, 151.6min
,
,
148.1maj, 129.2min, 127.6maj, 92.3min, 88.7maj, 79.1maj, 75.0min
26.7min and 26.3maj; m/z (EI) 236 (7%, MϩϪCO), 151 (30), 123
(30), 110 (26), 95 (80), 85 (86), 84 (63), 55 (100) and 44 (63).
1,2-Bis[(2R,6S )-6-methoxy-3-oxo-6H-pyran-2-yl]ethane 8
To a solution of 1,2-bis[(2R)-6-hydroxy-3-oxo-6H-pyran-2-yl]-
ethane (780 mg, 3.07 mmol) in dichloromethane (25 cm3)
at ambient temperature was added trimethylorthoformate
(1.34 ml, 12.28 mmol) followed by boron trifluoride–diethyl
ether (40 µl, 0.31 mmol). After 4 hours, water (20 cm3) was
added, the organic layer was removed and the aqueous layer
was extracted with dichloromethane (3 × 15 cm3). The com-
bined organics were washed with brine (50 cm3), dried (MgSO4)
and evaporated under reduced pressure to give a crude product.
1,2-Bis[(2R,3R,6S )-3-hydroxy-6-methoxy-2,3-dihydro-6H-
pyran-2-yl]ethane 11
1
Analysis of the crude reaction mixture by 300 MHz H NMR
spectroscopy revealed a 75 : 25 mixture of diastereoisomers.
Purification by flash column chromatography, eluting with 4 : 1
petrol–ethyl acetate gave the di-acetal 8 (649 mg, 75%; >90 : 10
mixture of diastereoisomers) as colourless needles, mp 79.6–
81.1 ЊC (from EtOAc); Rf 0.3 (4 : 1 EtOAc–Petrol); [α]2D0 ϩ15.7
To a solution of triphenylphosphine (303 mg, 1.15 mmol) in
tetrahydrofuran (2 cm3) at 0 ЊC was added diisopropyl azodi-
carboxylate (0.18 ml, 1.15 mmol). After stirring for 60 minutes
a creamy white precipitate was observed. A solution of the diol
9 (110 mg, 0.38 mmol) and p-nitrobenzoic acid (193 mg, 1.15
mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (2 cm3) was added to the reaction
mixture and left to stir at 0 ЊC for 1 hour and then ambient
temperature for 1 hour. The resulting homogeneous solution
was evaporated under reduced pressure and purified by flash
column chromatography eluting with 5 : 1 petrol-ethyl acetate
to give the dibenzoate as a mixture of products. The crude
product was dissolved in methanol–tetrahydrofuran (1 : 1, 2
cm3) and anhydrous potassium carbonate was added and the
reaction mixture was left to stir at ambient temperature for 16
hours. The solids were removed by filtration and the volatiles
were removed in vacuo to afford the crude product which was
purified by flash column chromatography, eluting with 4 : 1
ethyl acetate–petrol to give the diol 11 (236 mg, 95%)as colour-
less needles, mp 148.2–150.1 ЊC (EtOAc–petrol); Rf 0.35 (9 : 1
EtOAc–petrol); [α]2D0 Ϫ73.3 (c 0.3 in CHCl3), νmax/cmϪ1 (thin
film) 3336 (OH), 2922, 1655, 1405, 1186, 1079, 1041 and 969;
δH (300 MHz; CDCl3) 6.12 (2H, ddd, J = 10.0, 5.6 and 0.8, 4-H),
5.84 (2H, dd, J = 10.0, and 3.1, 5-H), 4.82 (2H, d, J = 3.1, 6-H),
3.95–3.88 (2H, m, 2-H), 3.70–3.62 (2H, m, 3-H), 3.44 (3H, s,
OCH3) and 1.99–1.66 (4H, m, CH2CH2); δC (75 MHz; CDCl3)
130.4, 128.7, 95.8 (C-6), 70.5, 63.2, 56.0 (OMe) and 26.7 (CH2);
m/z (ES) 629 (100, MNaϩ); (Found: 629.2085; C26H38O18
requires MNa, 629.2082).
(c 0.4 in CHCl3); νmax/cmϪ1 (thin film) 2924, 1695 (C᎐O), 1100
᎐
and 1046; δH (300 MHz; CDCl3) 6.86 (2H, dd, J = 10.3 and 3.5,
5-H), 6.09 (2H, d, J = 10.3, 4-H), 5.12 (2H, d, J = 3.5, 6-H), 4.45
(2H, br d, J = 8.2, 2-H), 3.52 (6H, s, OCH3), 2.23–2.05 (2H, m,
CH2) and 1.95–1.75 (2H, m, CH2); δC (75 MHz; CDCl3) 147.0,
128.1, 94.5, 73.8, 57.0 and 25.5 (one peak missing); m/z 305 (ES)
(100%, MNaϩ); (Found: 305.0993; C14H18O6 requires MNa,
305.1001).
1,2-Bis[(2R,3S,6S )-3-hydroxy-6-methoxy-2,3-dihydro-6H-
pyran-2-yl]ethane 9
To a solution of the di-acetal 8 (250 mg, 0.89 mmol; 75 : 25
mixture of diastereoisomers) in dichloromethane (5 cm3) at
Ϫ78 ЊC was added a solution of cerium() chloride hepta-
hydrate (727 mg, 1.95 mmol) in methanol. After stirring for
10 minutes sodium borohydride (70 mg, 1.86 mmol) was added.
The reaction was left for a further 30 minutes and quenched by
addition of water (10 cm3). The organic layer was removed and
the aqueous layer was extracted with dichloromethane (3 × 15
cm3). The combined organics were washed with brine (20 cm3),
dried (MgSO4) and evaporated under pressure to give the crude
product as a mixture of diastereoisomers which were purified
by flash column chromatography, eluting with 4 : 1 ethyl acet-
ate–petrol to give the diol 9 (190 mg, 75%) as colourless needles,
mp 169.1–170.3 ЊC; Rf 0.3 (4 : 1 EtOAc–petrol); [α]2D0 ϩ76.3
(c 0.8 in CHCl3); νmax/cmϪ1 (thin film) 3321 (OH), 1403, 1186,
1041 and 970; δH (300 MHz; CDCl3) 5.88 (2H, d, J = 10.0, 4-H),
5.68 (2H, dt, J = 10.0 and 2.3, 5-H), 4.79 (2H, br s, 6-H), 3.86
(2H, br d, J = 9.0, 3-H), 3.53 (6H, br t, J = 9.0, 2-H), 3.38 (6H, s,
OCH3), 2.00–1.85 (2H, m, CH2) and 1.78–1.64 (2H, m, CH2);
δC (75 MHz; CDCl3) 134.2, 126.8, 95.7 (6-C), 71.8, 68.4, 56.4
(COCH3) and 28.2; m/z (ES) 309 (100 %); (Found: 309.1328;
C14H22O6 requires [MNa], 309.1314).
Acetic acid (2R,3R,4R,5R,6S )-4,5-diacetoxy-6-methoxy-2-
[2Ј-((2ЈR,3ЈR,4ЈR,5ЈR,6ЈS )-3Ј,4Ј,5Ј-triacetoxy-6Ј-methoxy-
tetrahydropyran-2Ј-yl)ethyl]tetrahydropyran-3-yl ester 12BB
To a solution of the diol 11 (6 mg, 0.02 mmol) in acetone–water
(4 : 1, 1 cm3) at 0 ЊC was added 4-methylmorpholine N-oxide
(9 mg, 0.07 mmol) followed by osmium tetraoxide (0.6 mg,
0.002 mmol). The reaction mixture was allowed to warm to
ambient temperature. After 24 hours a saturated aqueous solu-
tion of sodium sulfite (1 cm3) was added and the reaction mix-
ture was evaporated under reduced pressure. Pyridine (1 cm3)
and acetic anhydride (1 cm3) were added to the residue and the
reaction was left to stir for 24 hours at ambient temperature and
then evaporated under reduced pressure. The crude product was
purified by flash column chromatography, eluting with 4 : 1
petrol–ethyl acetate to give the hexaacetate 12BB (6 mg, 53%)
as a colourless oil, Rf 0.38 (4 : 1 EtOAc–petrol); [α]2D0 ϩ25.7
Acetic acid (2R,3R,4R,5R,6S )-4,5-diacetoxy-6-methoxy-2-
[2Ј-((2ЈR,3ЈR,4ЈR,5ЈR,6ЈS )-3Ј,4Ј,5Ј-triacetoxy-6Ј-methoxy-
tetrahydropyran-2Ј-yl)-ethyl]tetrahydropyran-3-yl ester 12AA
To a solution of the diol 9 (117 mg, 0.41 mmol) in acetone–
water (4 : 1, 3 cm3) at 0 ЊC was added 4-methylmorpholine
N-oxide (138 mg, 1.02 mmol) followed by osmium tetraoxide
O r g . B i o m o l . C h e m . , 2 0 0 3 , 1, 3 3 8 – 3 4 9
346

View Article Online
(c 0.4 in CHCl3); νmax/cmϪ1 (thin film) 2920, 1749 (C᎐O), 1654,
aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (3 × 15 cm3). The
᎐
1224 and 1046; δH (500 MHz; CDCl3) 5.21 (2H, t, J = 3.8, 4-H),
5.16 (2H, t, J = 3.8, 5-H), 4.92 (2H, dd, J = 3.8 and 1.3, 3-H),
4.81 (2H, d, J = 3.8, 6-H), 4.18–4.16 (2H, br d, J = 9.1, 2-H),
3.41 (3H, s, OCH3), 2.14 (6H, s, Ac), 2.12 (6H, s, Ac), 2.08 (6H,
s, Ac), 1.76–1.66 (2H, m, CH2) and 1.54–1.44 (2H, m, CH2);
combined organics were washed with brine (20 cm3), dried
(MgSO4) and evaporated under reduced pressure to give the
crude product which was purified by flash column chromato-
graphy, eluting with 1 : 1 petrol–ethyl acetate, to give the alcohol
13 (155 mg, 40%) as a colourless oil, Rf 0.40 (1 : 1 petrol–
EtOAc); [α]2D0 ϩ111 (c 1.5 in CHCl3); νmax/cmϪ1 (thin film) 3447
δ (126 MHz; CDCl ) 170.1 (C᎐O), 169.7, 97.3 (COCH ), 70.2,
᎐
C
3
3
66.9, 66.3, 64.9, 56.0 (COCH3), 26.0, 21.0, 20.8 and 20.8 (Ac);
m/z (ES) 629 (100, MNaϩ); (Found: 629.2083; C26H38O18
requires MNa, 629.2082).
The relative stereochemistry was determined using a series of
NOE experiments.
(OH), 2932, 1719 (C᎐O), 1266, 1110, 1045, 964 and 731; δ (300
᎐
H
MHz; CDCl3 7.97 (2H, dd, J = 8.2 and 1.1, ArH ), 7.52 (1H, tt,
J = 7.5 and 1.1, ArH ), 7.38 (2H, t, J = 7.5, ArH ), 5.94–5.77
(3H, m, 4-H, 5-H and 4Ј-H), 5.69 (1H, dt, J = 10.2 and 2.4,
5Ј-H), 5.38 (1H, br d, J = 9.1, 3-H), 4.88 (1H, br s, 6-H), 4.73
(1H, br s, 6Ј-H), 3.95 (1H, m, 2-H), 3.90 (1H, m, 2Ј-H), 3.53
(6H, br t, J = 9.1, 3Ј-H), 3.43 (3H, s, OCH3), 3.26 (3H, s, OCH3)
and 2.05–1.64 (4H, m, CH2); δC (75 MHz; CDCl3) 166.4, 134.2,
133.3, 130.3, 130.1, 128.9, 128.2, 127.2, 127.0, 95.8, 95.6, 71.4,
70.5, 68.4, 68.3, 56.5, 56.3, 28.0 and 27.7; m/z 391 (Mϩϩ H);
(Found: MHϩ 391.1766; C21H26O7 requires MH, 391.1756).
Also obtained was the hexaacetate 12BC (2.9 mg, 23%) as a
colourless oil, Rf 0.34 (4 : 1 EtOAc–petrol); [α]2D0 ϩ10.1 (c 0.2 in
CHCl3); νmax/cmϪ1 (thin film) 2920, 1749 (C᎐O), 1654, 1224 and
᎐
1046; δH (500 MHz; CDCl3) 5.26 (1H, t, J = 3.9, 4Ј-H), 5.20
(1H, t, J = 3.8, 4-H), 5.18 (1H, br d, J = 3.9, 3Ј-H), 5.14 (1H, t,
J = 3.9, 5-H), 5.06 (1H, dt, J = 3.9 and 1.7, 5Ј-H), 4.91 (1H, dd,
J = 3.8 and 1.3, 3-H), 4.84 (1H, d, J = 3.9, 6-H), 4.72 (1H, d,
J = 1.7, 6Ј-H), 4.18 (1H, br d, J = 9.0, 2-H), 3.91 (1H, m, 2Ј-H),
3.40 (3H, s, OCH3), 3.30 (3H, s, OCH3), 2.14 (3H, s, Ac), 2.12
(3H, s, Ac), 2.09 (3H, s, Ac), 2.08 (6H, s, Ac), 1.92 (6H, s, Ac),
1.88–1.77 (2H, m, CH2) and 1.59–1.47 (2H, m, CH2); δC (126
(2R,3R,6S )-2-{2-[(2ЈR,3ЈS,6ЈS )-3Ј-hydroxy-6Ј-methoxy-2Ј,3Ј-
dihydro-2H-pyran-2Ј-yl]ethyl}-3-hydroxy-6-methoxy-3,6-di-
hydro-2H-pyran 14
To a solution of triphenylphosphine (113 mg, 0.43 mmol) in
tetrahydrofuran (1 cm3) at 0 ЊC was added diisopropylazodi-
carboxylate (85 µl, 0.43 mmol). After stirring for 60 minutes a
creamy white precipitate was observed. A solution of the diol
13 (67 mg, 0.17 mmol) and p-nitrobenzoic acid (72 mg, 0.43
mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (0.5 cm3) was added to the reaction
mixture and left to stir at 0 ЊC for 1 hour and then ambient
temperature for 2 hours. The resulting homogeneous solution
was evaporated under reduced pressure and purified by flash
column chromatography eluting with 4 : 1 petrol–ethyl acetate
to give a crude product. The crude product was dissolved in
methanol–tetrahydrofuran (1 : 1, 1 cm3) and anhydrous potas-
sium carbonate (94 mg, 0.68 mmol) was added and the reaction
mixture was left to stir at ambient temperature for 20 hours.
The solids were removed by filtration and the volatiles were
removed in vacuo to afford the crude product which was puri-
fied by flash column chromatography, eluting with 9 : 1 ethyl
acetate–petrol to give diol 14 (36 mg, 75%) as colourless needles,
mp 95.3–97.1 ЊC; Rf 0.32 (9 : 1 EtOAc–petrol); [α]2D0 Ϫ24.2 (c 1.0
in CHCl3), νmax/cmϪ1 (thin film) 3395 (OH), 2929, 1398, 1187,
1040 and 964; δH (300 MHz; CDCl3) 6.19 (2H, dd, J = 10.0 and
5.6, 4Ј-H), 5.95 (1H, br d, J = 10.4, 4-H), 5.89 (1H, dd, J = 10.0,
and 3.1, 5Ј-H), 5.76 (1H, dt, J = 10.0 and 2.6, 5-H), 4.90–4.82
(2H, m, 6-H and 6Ј-H), 4.02–3.93 (2H, m, 2-H and 2Ј-H), 3.72–
3.58 (2H, m, 3-H and 3Ј-H), 3.45 (6H, s, OCH3) and 2.08–1.59
(4H, m, CH2CH2); δC (75 MHz; CDCl3) 134.1, 130.7, 128.6,
126.8, 95.8 (CHOCH3), 95.7(CHOCH3), 71.8, 70.7, 68.2, 63.5,
56.3(CHOCH3), 56.1(CHOCH3), 28.1 (CH2) and 26.7 (CH2);
m/z (%) 277 (33), 100 (100), 71 (40), 57 (29); (Found: 286.1422;
C14H22O6 requires M, 286.1416).
MHz; CDCl ) 170.1 (C᎐O), 169.7, 97.3 (COCH ), 70.2, 66.9,
᎐
3
3
66.3, 64.9, 56.0 (COCH3), 26.0, 21.0, 20.8 and 20.8 (Ac); m/z
(ES) 629 (100, MNaϩ); (Found: 629.2082; C26H38O18 requires
MNa, 629.2082).
The relative stereochemistry was determined using a series of
NOE experiments.
Acetic acid (2R,3R,4S,5S,6S )-4,5-diacetoxy-6-methoxy-2-
[2Ј-((2ЈR,3ЈR,4ЈS,5ЈS,6ЈS )-3Ј,4Ј,5Ј-triacetoxy-6Ј-methoxy-
tetrahydropyran-2Ј-yl)ethyl]tetrahydropyran-3-yl ester 12CC
To a solution of the diol 11 (4 mg, 0.014 mmol) in dichloro-
methane (1 cm3) at Ϫ78 ЊC was added N,N,NЈ,NЈ-tetramethyl-
ethylenediamine (6.3 µl, 0.04 mmol) followed by osmium
tetraoxide (11 mg, 0.04 mmol). The resulting homogeneous
orange solution was left to stir at Ϫ78 ЊC for 2 hours. The
reaction mixture was then allowed to warm to ambient temper-
ature and evaporated under reduced pressure . A saturated
aqueous solution of sodium sulfite (1 cm3) was added and
the mixture was heated at reflux for 4 hours then evaporated
under reduced pressure. Pyridine (1 cm3) and acetic anhydride
were added to the residue and the reaction was left to stir for
24 hours at ambient temperature and then evaporated under
reduced pressure. The crude product was purified by flash
column chromatography, eluting with 7 : 3 ethyl acetate–petrol
to give the hexaacetate 12CC (7 mg, 78%) as a colourless oil, Rf
0.62 (9 : 1 EtOAc–petrol); [α]2D0 ϩ33.7 (c 0.3 in CHCl3); νmax
/
cmϪ1 (thin film) 2924, 1742 (C᎐O), 1374, 1256, 1226, 1131 and
᎐
1073; δH (300 MHz; CDCl3) 5.25 (2H, t, J = 3.9, 4-H), 5.18 (2H,
br d, J = 3.9, 3-H), 5.08 (2H, dt, J = 3.9 and 1.4, 5-H), 4.74 (2H,
d, J = 1.4, 6-H), 3.91 (2H, m, 2-H), 3.30 (3H, s, OCH3), 2.09
(6H, s, Ac), 2.08 (6H, s, Ac), 1.92 (6H, s, Ac), 1.88–1.77 (2H, m,
CH2) and 1.59–1.47 (2H, m, CH2); δC (125 MHz; CDCl3) 170.4
Acetic acid (2R,3S,4S,5S,6S )-4,5-diacetoxy-6-methoxy-2-[2Ј-
((2ЈR,3ЈR,4ЈR,5ЈR,6ЈS )-3Ј,4Ј,5Ј-triacetoxy-6Ј-methoxytetra-
hydropyran-2Ј-yl)ethyl]tetrahydropyran-3-yl ester 12AB
(C᎐O), 170.1, 169.7, 99.4, 68.3, 68.2, 67.9, 55.3, 26.3, 21.0, 20.7
᎐
and 20.5 (C᎐OCH ); m/z (ES) 629 (100, MNaϩ); (Found:
᎐
3
To a solution of the diol 14 (4 mg, 0.014 mmol) in acetone–
water (4 : 1, 1 cm3) at 0 ЊC was added 4-methylmorpholine
N-oxide (6 mg, 0.04 mmol) followed by osmium tetraoxide
(0.4 mg, 0.001 mmol). The reaction mixture was allowed to
warm to ambient temperature. After 48 hours a saturated
aqueous solution of sodium sulfite (1 cm3) was added and the
reaction mixture was evaporated under reduced pressure. Pyr-
idine (1 cm3) and acetic anhydride (1 cm3) were added to the
residue and the reaction was left to stir for 24 hours at ambient
temperature and then evaporated under reduced pressure. The
crude product was purified by flash column chromatography,
eluting with 1 : 1 petrol–ethyl acetate to give the hexaacetate
12AB (5 mg, 60%) as a colourless oil, Rf 0.14 (3 : 2 petrol–
629.2079; C26H38O18 requires MNa, 629.2082). The relative
stereochemistry was determined using a series of NOE
experiments.
Benzoic acid (2R,3R,6S )-2-{2-[(2ЈR,3ЈS,6ЈS )-3Ј-hydroxy-6Ј-
methoxy-2Ј,3Ј-dihydro-6H-pyran-2Ј-yl]ethyl}-6-methoxy-3,6-di-
hydro-2H-pyran-3-yl ester 13
To a solution of the diol 9 (285 mg, 1.00 mmol) in dichloro-
methane (4 cm3) at 0 ЊC was added benzoyl chloride (0.13 ml,
1.10 mmol), triethylamine (0.31 ml, 2.19 mmol) and 4-di-
methylaminopyridine (12 mg, 0.10 mmol). After 4 hours, water
(10 cm3) was added, the organic layer was removed and the
O r g . B i o m o l . C h e m . , 2 0 0 3 , 1, 3 3 8 – 3 4 9
347

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EtOAc); [α]2D0 ϩ 65 (c 0.3 in CHCl3); νmax/cmϪ1 (thin film) 2922,
anhydride–pyridine (2 : 1, 3 ml). After stirring at room
temperature under N2 for 6 h, the reagents were removed by
evaporation under reduced pressure. The residue was pre-
absorbed onto silica gel and purified by flash column
chromatography (gradient elution: 3 : 7 1 : 1 EtOAc–petrol)
to give the hexaacetate 12AЈD (11.4 mg, 72%, 12AЈD : 12AЈE
75 : 25). The mixture was purified by HPLC (gradient elution:
95 : 5 85 : 15 hexane–isopropanol, 24 ЊC, λmax 225 nm) to give
the hexaacetate 12AЈD (10.1 mg, 64%) as a colourless viscous
oil, retention time 23.8 min, [α]D = Ϫ20.6 (c = 0.253, CHCl3); Rf
1749 (C᎐O), 1374, 1222 and 1046; δ (500 MHz; CDCl3) 5.28
᎐
H
(1H, dd, J = 9.5 and 3.4, 4-H), 5.22 (1H, dd, J = 3.4 and 1.6,
5-H), 5.20 (1H, app br t, J = 3.8, 4Ј-H), 5.16 (1H, app t, J = 4.1,
5Ј-H), 5.10 (1H, app t, J = 9.6, 3-H), 4.93 (1H, dd, J = 3.6 and
2.3, 3Ј-H), 4.81 (1H, d, J = 4.0, 6Ј-H), 4.65 (1H, d, J = 1.6, 6-H),
4.14 (1H, ddd, 7.6, 5.3 and 2.3, 2Ј-H), 3.71 (1H, td, J = 9.6 and
2.9, 2-H), 3.35 (3H, s, OCH3), 3.31 (3H, s, OCH3), 2.08 (3H, s,
Ac), 2.07 (3H, s, Ac), 2.06 (3H, s, Ac), 2.01 (3H, s, Ac), 1.98
(3H, s, Ac), 1.92 (3H, s, Ac) and 1.77–1.44 (4H, m, CH2);
δC (125 MHz; CDCl3) 170.2, 170.1, 170.0, 170.0, 169.8, 169.7
0.21 (3 : 7 EtOAc–petrol); νmax/cmϪ1 2940, 1750 (C᎐O), 1442,
᎐
(C᎐O), 98.5, 97.3 (COCH ), 70.0, 69.7, 69.7, 69.5, 69.2, 66.9,
1371, 1246, 1224 and 1043; δH (500 MHz; CDCl3) 5.43 (1H, dd,
J = 10.1 and 9.6, 4Ј-H), 5.28 (1H, dd, J = 10.0 and 3.5, 4-H),
5.23 (1H, dd, J = 3.5 and 1.8, 5-H), 5.09 (1H, t, J = 9.7, 3-H),
4.89 (1H, d, J = 3.7, 6Ј-H), 4.84 (1H, t, J = 9.6, 3Ј-H), 4.83 (1H,
dd, J = 10.1 and 3.7, 5Ј-H), 4.63 (1H, d, J = 1.7, 6-H), 3.76 (1H,
td, J = 9.6 and 2.2, 2Ј-H), 3.71 (1H, td, J = 9.7 and 1.9, 2-H),
3.37 (3H, s, OCH3), 3.36 (3H, s, OCH3), 2.14 (3H, s, OAc), 2.07
(3H, s, OAc), 2.05, (3H, s, OAc), 2.03 (3H, s, OAc), 2.00 (3H, s,
OAc), 1.98 (3H, s, OAc), 1.78 (2H, m, CH2) and 1.50–1.44 (2H,
m, CH2); m/z (ES) 629 (100, MNaϩ); (Found: 629.2083;
C26H38O18 requires MNa, 629.2082).
Also obtained was the hexaacetate 12AЈE (1.7 mg, 11%) as a
colourless viscous oil, retention time 22.8 min, [α]D = Ϫ2.73
[c = 0.078, CHCl3]; Rf 0.21 (3 : 7 EtOAc–petrol); δH (300 MHz;
CDCl3) 5.29 (1H, dd, J = 10.0 and 3.6, 4-H), 5.24 (1H, dd,
J = 3.6 and 1.7, 5-H), 5.19 (1H, t, J = 3.7, 4Ј-H), 5.10 (1H, t,
J = 9.8, 3-H), 4.98 (1H, dd, J = 9.2 and 3.6, 3Ј-H), 4.94 (1H, dd,
J = 3.8 and 1.5, 5Ј-H), 4.65 (1H, d, J = 1.7, 6-H), 4.58 (1H,
d, J = 1.5, 6Ј-H), 4.04 (1H, td, J = 9.5 and 3.1, 2Ј-H), 3.72 (1H,
td, J = 9.8 and 2.1, 2-H), 2.15 (3H, s, OAc), 2.12 (3H, s, OAc),
2.10, (3H, s, OAc), 2.04 (3H, s, OAc), 1.99, (3H, s, OAc), 1.98
(3H, s, OAc), 1.78 (2H, m, CH2) and 1.50–1.44 (2H, m, CH2).
᎐
3
66.3, 64.7, 56.0, 55.1 (OCH3), 27.0, 25.6 (CH2), 21.0, 20.9, 20.9,
20.8, 20.7 and 20.7 (C᎐OCH ); m/z (ES) 629 (100, MNaϩ);
᎐
3
(Found: 629.2080; C26H38O18 requires MNa, 629.2082).
Acetic acid (2R,3S,4S,5S,6S )-4,5-diacetoxy-6-methoxy-2-
[2Ј-((2ЈR,3ЈR,4ЈS,5ЈS,6ЈS )-3Ј,4Ј,5Ј-triacetoxy-6Ј-methoxy-
tetrahydropyran-2Ј-yl)ethyl]tetrahydropyran-3-yl ester 12AC
To a solution of the diol 14 (8 mg, 0.03 mmol) in dichloro-
methane (0.5 cm3) at Ϫ78 ЊC was added N,N,NЈ,NЈ-tetra-
methylethylenediamine (12.7 µl, 0.04 mmol) followed by
osmium tetraoxide (21.3 mg, 0.08 mmol). The resulting homo-
geneous orange solution was left to stir at Ϫ78 ЊC for 4 hours.
The reaction mixture was then allowed to warm to ambient
temperature and evaporated under reduced pressure. A satur-
ated aqueous solution of sodium sulfite (1 cm3) was added and
the mixture was heated at reflux for 4 hours then evaporated
under reduced pressure. Pyridine (1 cm3) and acetic anhydride
were added to the residue. The reaction was left to stir
for 24 hours at ambient temperature and then evaporated under
reduced pressure. The crude product was purified by flash
column chromatography, eluting with 1 : 1 ethyl acetate–petrol
to give the hexaacetate 12AC (15 mg, 83%) as a colourless oil,
(2R,3R,4S,5S,6S )- 6-Methoxy-2-[2Ј-((2ЈS,3ЈS,4ЈR,5ЈS,6ЈR)-
3Ј,4Ј,5Ј-trihydroxy-6Ј-methoxytetrahydropyran-2Ј-yl)ethyl]-
tetrahydropyran-3,4,5-triol
Rf 0.27 (1 : 1 EtOAc–petrol); [α]2D0 ϩ25.0 (c 0.2 in CHCl3); νmax
/
cmϪ1 (thin film) 2922, 1750 (C᎐O), 1374, 1223, 1132 and 1083;
᎐
δH (500 MHz; CDCl3) 5.28 (1H, dd, J = 10.0 and 3.6, 4-H), 5.25
(1H, t, J = 3.8, 4Ј-H), 5.22 (1H, dd, J = 3.6 and 1.7, 5-H), 5.21
(1H, br d, J = 3.8, 3Ј-H), 5.11 (1H, m, 3-H), 5.08 (1H, m, 5Ј-H),
4.74 (1H, d, J = 1.5, 6Ј-H), 4.63 (1H, d, J = 1.7, 6-H), 3.95 (1H,
app br t, J = 7.5, 2Ј-H), 3.68 (1H, td, J 9.3 and 2.9, 2-H), 3.39
(3H, s, OCH3), 3.36 (3H, s, OCH3), 2.15 (6H, s, Ac), 2.14 (3H, s,
Ac), 2.04 (3H, s, Ac), 1.98 (6H, s, Ac) and 1.67–1.45 (4H, m,
Sodium methoxide (1 mg) was added to a stirred solution of
allolactose mimetic [X] (0.29 mg) in dry methanol (0.4 ml) and
the solution stirred for 7 days at room temperature under nitro-
gen. The solvent was removed under reduced pressure and the
residue dissolved in D2O and stirred for 30 min with pre-
activated Dowex-15 (0.4 mg). After filtration the solution was
evaporated to dryness and the residue re-dissolved in D2O.
δH (500 MHz; D2O) 4.63 (1H, d, J = 1.6, 6-HЈ), 4.63 (1H, d,
J = 3.8, 6-H), 3.92 (1H, dd, J = 3.4 and 1.6, 5-HЈ), 3.70 (1H, dd,
J = 9.1 and 3.4, 4-HЈ), 3.61 (1H, t, J = 9.2, 3-H), 3.59 (1H, br t,
J = 9.1, 2-HЈ), 3.56 (1H, dd, J = 9.2 and 3.8, 5-H), 3.49 (1H, t,
J = 9.2, 4-H), 3.48 (1H, t, J = 9.1, 3-HЈ), 3.33 (3H, s, OMe), 3.31
(3H, s, OMe), 3.22 (1H, br t, J = 9.2, 2-H), 2.21 (2H, m) and
1.51 (2H, m); δC (125 MHz; D2O) 101.2, 99.5, 73.6, 73.5, 72.6,
71.8, 71.7, 70.9, 70.8, 70.3, 55.4, 55.1, 27.9 and 27.2; m/z (ES)
377.2 (100, MNaϩ).
CH ); δ (126 MHz; CDCl ) 170.4 (C᎐O), 170.1, 170.1, 170.0,
᎐
2
C
3
169.6, 99.4, 98.4, 69.7, 69.6, 69.4, 69.2, 68.2, 67.9, 67.5, 66.0,
55.4, 55.2, 29.7, 26.7, 26.3, 21.0, 21.0, 20.7 and 20.6 (C᎐OCH );
᎐
3
m/z (ES) 629 (100, MNaϩ); (Found: 629.2086; C26H38O18
requires MNa, 629.2082).
Acetic acid (2R,3R,4S,5S,6S )-4,5-diacetoxy-6-methoxy-2-[2Ј-
((2ЈS,3ЈS,4ЈR,5ЈS,6ЈR)-3Ј,4Ј,5Ј-triacetoxy-6Ј-methoxytetra-
hydropyran-2Ј-yl)ethyl]tetrahydropyran-3-yl ester 12AЈD
The diacetate 16 (18 mg, 0.027 mol) was dried azeotropically
from toluene and dissolved in dry carbon tetrachloride. To the
stirred solution under N2 freshly prepared and azeotropically
dried silver benzoate (30.7 mg, 0.134 mmol) was added, fol-
lowed by iodine (17.0 mg, 0.134 mmol). The suspension was
stirred at room temperature with protection from light for
4 days. The suspension was diluted with chloroform (10 ml) and
the silver residues removed by centrifuge. The residue was
washed with a further portion of chloroform (5 ml) and the
combined organic extracts washed successively with saturated
aqueous sodium bicarbonate (2 × 5 ml), 10% aqueous sodium
sulfite (2 × 5 ml), followed by brine (5 ml). The organic layer
was dried (MgSO4) and the solvent removed under reduced
pressure. The residue was dissolved in potassium hydroxide
solution (2.0 M, 3 ml), stirred at room temperature for 2 h,
and refluxed for 2 days. The solution was evaporated to dryness
under reduced pressure and the residue dissolved in acetic
Assay of inactivation of LacI-mediated repression
The strain used for this assay was ENS2401 (∆lac12, malP-
p∆534::Prne-rne-lacZ-lacY-TerT7-Tertrp,
Plac-rne,zce-726::-
Tn10, recA::cat), which was kindly provided by Dr Marc Drey-
fus (Paris). This strain contains the rne gene under the control
of the Plac promoter27 and the ez1 reporter construct.28 A 5 ml
aliquot of Luria broth (Sigma) was inoculated with scrapings
from a frozen glycerol stock of ENS2401 and incubated at
37 ЊC with shaking until the culture reached an optical density
(600 nm) of 0.4. It was then placed in an ice–water bath for
15 min and stored overnight at 4 ЊC. 100 µl Aliquots of Luria
broth containing 10, 35 and 175 µM of the allolactose or IPTG
were inoculated with 1 µl of the overnight culture and incu-
bated at 37 ЊC with shaking (225 rpm). Each culture condition
was set up in triplicate. When the OD600 of the cultures was
O r g . B i o m o l . C h e m . , 2 0 0 3 , 1, 3 3 8 – 3 4 9
348

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5 See: Y. Wang, S. A. Babirad and Y. Kishi, J. Org. Chem., 1992, 57,
between 0.4 to 0.6, the cultures were placed in an ice–water bath
for 15 min before the cells were harvested by centrifugation
(13,000 × g for 1 min at 4 ЊC). The cells were resuspended in
500 µl of Z buffer28 and lysed by brief sonication using an MSE
instrument equipped with a microtip (10 s, 6 microns peak to
peak). The cell debris was pelleted by centrifugation (13,000
× g for 10 min) and the supernatant transferred to a new tube.
β-Galactosidase activity in each cell extract was measured by
a modification of the method of Miller.29 Briefly, 200 µl of
cell extract was added to a 1 ml cuvette containing 800 µl of
1 mg mlϪ1 o-nitrophenyl-β--galactopyranoside (ONPG, an
chromogenic substrate) that had been recently dissolved in Z
buffer and equilibrated to 37 ЊC. The content was mixed by
repeated pipetting and the cuvette placed immediately in a tem-
perature-controlled spectrophotometer at 37 ЊC. The rate of
formation of ONP was determined by continuously measuring
the increase in absorbance at 420 nm over a period of 10 min.
To control for differences in cell growth and lysis, the amount of
protein in 200 µl aliquots of each cell extract was determined
using a kit (Bio-Rad) that followed the method of Bradford.30
The activity of β-galactosidase in the extracts was expressed as
the mmoles of ONP formed per min per mg of total protein.
468.
6 P. G. Goekjian, T.-C. Wu, H.-Y. Kang and Y. Kishi, J. Org. Chem.,
1991, 56, 6422.
7 F. K. Griffin, D. E. Paterson and R. J. K. Taylor, Angew. Chem.,
Int. Ed., 1999, 38, 2939.
8 (a) A. Dondoni, H. M. Zuurmond and A. Boscarato, J. Org. Chem.,
1997, 62, 8114; (b) O. R. Martin and W. Lai, J. Org. Chem., 1993, 58,
176.
9 W. R. Kobertz, C. R. Bertozzi and M. D. Bednarski, J. Org. Chem.,
1996, 61, 1894.
10 M. H. D. Postema and D. Calimente, Tetrahedron Lett., 1999, 40,
4755.
11 R. Ravishankar, A. Surolia, M. Vijayan, S. Lim and Y. Kishi,
J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1998, 120, 11297.
12 J. F. Espinosa, E. Montero, A. Vian, J. L. García, H. Dietrich,
R. R. Schmidt, M. Martín-Lomas, A. Imberty, F. J. Canada and
J. Jiménez-Barbero, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1998, 120, 1309.
13 R. W. Armstrong and D. P. Sutherlin, Tetrahedron Lett., 1994, 35,
7743.
14 D. P. Sutherlin and R. W. Armstrong, J. Org. Chem., 1997, 62, 5267.
15 Carbohydrates in drug design, ed. Z. J. Witczak and K. A. Nieforth,
Marcel Dekker, New York, 1997.
16 R. Hodgson, T. Majid and A. Nelson, J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1,
2002, 1444.
17 C. Poss and S. L. Schreiber, Acc. Chem. Res., 1994, 27, 9.
18 Preliminary communications: (a) M. Harding and A. Nelson,
Chem. Commun., 2001, 695; (b) R. Hodgson, T. Majid and
A. Nelson, Chem. Commun., 2001, 2076.
19 R. Hodgson, T. Majid and A. Nelson, J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1,
2002, 1631.
20 D. J. Aldous, W. M. Dutton and P. G. Steel, Tetrahedron:
Asymmetry, 2000, 11, 2455.
21 J. K. Cha, W. J. Christ and Y. Kishi, Tetrahedron, 1984, 40, 2247.
22 T. J. Donohoe, P. R. Moore, M. J. Waring and N. J. Newcombe,
Tetrahedron Lett., 1997, 38, 5027.
23 J. M. Harris, M. D. Keranen, H. Nguyen, V. G. Young and
G. A. OЈDoherty, Carbohydr. Res., 2000, 328, 17.
24 (a) R. Ferritto and P. Vogel, Tetrahedron: Asymmetry, 1994, 5, 2077;
(b) R. M. Bimwala and P. Vogel, J. Org. Chem., 1992, 57, 2076.
25 S. N. Cohen and K. J. McDowall, Mol. Microbiol., 1997, 23, 1099.
26 A. E. Chakerian, J. S. Olson and K. S. Matthews, Biochemistry,
1987, 26, 7250.
27 S. Sousa, I. Marchand and M. Dreyfus, Mol. Microbiol., 2001, 42,
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28 C. Jain and J. G. Belasco, Genes Dev., 1995, 9, 84.
29 J. M. Miller, Experiments in Molecular Genetics, Cold Spring
Harbor Laboratories, New York, 1972, pp. 352–355.
30 M. M. Bradford, Anal Biochem., 1976, 72, 248.
Acknowledgements
We thank the Leverhulme Trust for a grant to the University of
Leeds, EPSRC and Aventis for support (of R. H.) under the
CASE scheme for new academic appointees, and Dr Marc
Dreyfus (Paris) for providing the ENS2401 strain. The Royal
Society, Pfizer and Astra Zeneca are gratefully acknowledged
for additional support.
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