Optimizations of lipid II synthesis: an essential glycolipid precursor in bacterial cell wall synthesis and a validated antibiotic target

• Milandip Karak,
• Cian R. Cloonan,
• Brad R. Baker,
• Rachel V. K. Cochrane and
• Stephen A. Cochrane

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 220–227, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.22

• bacteria. Accessing this valuable cell wall precursor is important both for studying cell wall synthesis and for studying/identifying novel antimicrobial compounds. Herein, we describe optimizations to the modular chemical synthesis of lipid II and unnatural analogues. In particular, the glycosylation step

• study the mechanism of action of antimicrobial peptides that kill bacteria through binding to these polyprenyls [21][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]. Lipid II has been of particular interest, and during our synthesis of multiple different lipid II analogues, we have developed several optimizations, which we

Synthetic approach to 2-alkyl-4-quinolones and 2-alkyl-4-quinolone-3-carboxamides based on common β-keto amide precursors

• Yordanka Mollova-Sapundzhieva,
• Plamen Angelov,
• Danail Georgiev and
• Pavel Yanev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1804–1810, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.132

• most prominent examples in this regard are the fluoroquinolone antimicrobials [3] – a remarkably successful drug class, used to treat bacterial infections caused by both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria [4]. Other notable 4-quinolones of synthetic origin are ivacaftor [5] and elvitegravir [6

• great research interest, with many reviews published in the recent years [20][21][22]. Some of the compounds are known to act as antibiotics [23][24][25][26], while others function as quorum-sensing signal molecules which regulate the production and release of virulence factors in bacteria, thus helping

Synthesis and biological evaluation of Argemone mexicana-inspired antimicrobials

• Jessica Villegas,
• Bryce C. Ball,
• Katelyn M. Shouse,
• Caleb W. VanArragon,
• Ashley N. Wasserman,
• Hannah E. Bhakta,
• Allen G. Oliver,
• Danielle A. Orozco-Nunnelly and
• Jeffrey M. Pruet

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1511–1524, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.108

• (five Gram-positive and four Gram-negative bacteria, and three fungi). Additionally, the crystal structures of two berberine variants are described. Several berberine variants show enhanced antibacterial activity compared to the unaltered plant-derived molecule. We also report promising preliminary

• concern, antimicrobial-resistant microbes are also a threat to the health of the individuals on the international space station (ISS). According to recent studies, a diverse population of bacteria and fungi, including several opportunistic pathogens, have colonized the ISS [5], and many of these strains

• explored screening methanol and hexane extracts of various parts of the A. mexicana plant (seeds, leaves, inner vs outer roots) for biological activity with the outer root methanol extract showing the highest activity against Gram-positive bacteria as well as inhibitory effects against human colon cancer

Functional characterisation of twelve terpene synthases from actinobacteria

• Anuj K. Chhalodia,
• Houchao Xu,
• Georges B. Tabekoueng,
• Binbin Gu,
• Kizerbo A. Taizoumbe,
• Lukas Lauterbach and
• Jeroen S. Dickschat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1386–1398, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.100

• structures were elucidated by NMR spectroscopy, resulting in the discovery of the first terpene synthases for (+)-δ-cadinol and (+)-α-cadinene, besides the first two bacterial (−)-amorpha-4,11-diene synthases. For other terpene synthases with functions reported from bacteria before the products were

• bacterial terpene synthases have been identified [11], including enzymes for the non-canonical compounds geosmin (7) [12] and 2-methylisoborneol (8) [13]. Recent developments also revealed the presence of sesterterpene synthases in bacteria exemplified by the enzymes for sesterviridene (9) in Kitasatospora

• recently identified in which sesquiterpenes from bacteria showed an enantiomeric relationship to plant compounds [36]. The enzyme from K. kofuensis represents the first terpene synthase for the biosynthesis of 10 and was thus identified as Kutzneria kofuensis (+)-δ-Cadinol Synthase (KkdCS). A few closely

Synthesis of ether lipids: natural compounds and analogues

• Marco Antônio G. B. Gomes,
• Alicia Bauduin,
• Chloé Le Roux,
• Romain Fouinneteau,
• Wilfried Berthe,
• Mathieu Berchel,
• Hélène Couthon and
• Paul-Alain Jaffrès

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1299–1369, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.96

• correspond, for instance, to biosynthesized intermediates (e.g., 1-O-alkyl-glycerol-3-phosphate [4], lyso-PAF [5]) or neutral ether lipids (e.g., diacyl ether glycerol [6]). Ether glycerolipids are present in mammalian but also in anaerobic bacteria [7], archea (with an inverted stereochemistry at the sn-2

Enabling artificial photosynthesis systems with molecular recycling: A review of photo- and electrochemical methods for regenerating organic sacrificial electron donors

• Grace A. Lowe

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1198–1215, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.88

• body of work using simple alcohols as a proton and electron source in electrochemical hydrogenations [43]. This could also evolve into an extension of artificial photosynthesis if the alcohols used as donors are generated by artificial or natural photosynthesis (i.e., photosynthetic bacteria). NADH and

Two new lanostanoid glycosides isolated from a Kenyan polypore Fomitopsis carnea

• Winnie Chemutai Sum,
• Sherif S. Ebada,
• Didsanutda Gonkhom,
• Cony Decock,
• Rémy Bertrand Teponno,
• Josphat Clement Matasyoh and
• Marc Stadler

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1161–1169, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.84

• , compound 2 was identified as 2α-hydroxy,3α-[(3′S)-4′-carboxyl-3′-hydroxy-3′-methylbutanoyloxy]lanosta-8,24(31)-dien-21-oic acid 21-O-β-ᴅ-glucopyranoside that was named as forpinioside C. Biological activities Compounds 1–4 were tested for their antimicrobial effects against fungi and bacteria; where

• compound 1 was moderately active against the Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus at MIC values of 8.3 µg/mL and 16.6 µg/mL, respectively. The antagonism of 1 against B. subtilis and S. aureus was compared to the positive controls oxytetracycline and gentamycin, with MICs

• 128: HRESIMS profiles and NMR spectroscopic data of 1, 2 and 4 in CD3OD, and of 3 in (CD3)2S=O; half inhibitory concentrations (IC50) for various mammalian cell lines as well as minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 1–4 for bacteria, yeasts and filamentous fungi. Acknowledgements The technical

Intermediates and shunt products of massiliachelin biosynthesis in Massilia sp. NR 4-1

• Till Steinmetz,
• Blaise Kimbadi Lombe and
• Markus Nett

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 909–917, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.69

• biosynthetic intermediates or shunt products of massiliachelin. Their bioactivity was tested against one Gram-positive and three Gram-negative bacteria. Keywords: Massilia; massiliachelin; siderophore; structure elucidation; Introduction Iron is crucial for many important biological processes, such as

• +) [1]. To maintain iron homeostasis, all living organisms need to regulate the intake of this essential element from the environment. In bacteria, this is typically achieved through the use of siderophores [2], which are small molecules that are secreted under iron-limiting conditions to solubilize and

• Burkholderia gladioli, which possesses an unprecedented citrate-derived fatty acid moiety [11]. Furthermore, lipopeptide siderophores with photocleavable moieties, like taiwachelin, were reported from bacteria of the genera Cupriavidus and Variovorax [12][13][14]. The β-proteobacterial genus Massilia was

Cyclodextrins as building blocks for new materials

• Miriana Kfoury and
• Sophie Fourmentin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 889–891, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.66

• infection (Ad26.COV2.S) was also a milestone for CD research and has served as a large-scale safety test for 2-(hydroxypropyl)-β-CD (HP-β-CD). CDs have also been used to functionalize face mask textiles to block and inactivate bacteria and viruses [7]. Apart from the COVID-19 pandemic, CDs are well

Synthesis of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-containing peptidomimetics by tandem of Groebke–Blackburn–Bienaymé and Ugi reactions

• Oleksandr V. Kolomiiets,
• Alexander V. Tsygankov,
• Maryna N. Kornet,
• Aleksander A. Brazhko,
• Vladimir I. Musatov and
• Valentyn A. Chebanov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 727–735, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.53

• microorganisms (see Table 3 for details). Both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (specifically, strains of E. coli and B. subtilis) were equally inhibited in their growth. Compound 7o, in particular, was able to inhibit the growth of B. subtilis at a concentration of 125 mg/L. Bacteriostatic activity

Enolates ambushed – asymmetric tandem conjugate addition and subsequent enolate trapping with conventional and less traditional electrophiles

• Péter Kisszékelyi and
• Radovan Šebesta

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 593–634, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.44

• war against resistant bacteria strains. The tricyclic diterpene fungal metabolite (+)-pleuromutilin was isolated in 1951 [104]. Since then it has served as a starting point for developing new antibiotics, including semisynthetic derivatives effective against Gram-positive or even both types of

Combretastatins D series and analogues: from isolation, synthetic challenges and biological activities

• Jorge de Lima Neto and
• Paulo Henrique Menezes

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 399–427, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.31

• ) against the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus luteus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and the fungi Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus terreus, and Aspergillus flavus. Unfortunately, all compounds were found to be inactive [14]. The use of compounds capable to delay

Strategies to access the [5-8] bicyclic core encountered in the sesquiterpene, diterpene and sesterterpene series

• Cécile Alleman,
• Charlène Gadais,
• Laurent Legentil and
• François-Hugues Porée

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 245–281, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.23

• -positive and Gram-negative bacteria (Scheme 31B). 4.4 Photocatalyzed oxidative ring expansion: alternative radical chemistry for pleuromutilin scaffold construction Following the advent of photoredox catalysis in ring-opening and ring-expansion chemistry [75], a new route was proposed by Foy and Pronin to

Nostochopcerol, a new antibacterial monoacylglycerol from the edible cyanobacterium Nostochopsis lobatus

• Naoya Oku,
• Saki Hayashi,
• Yuji Yamaguchi,
• Hiroyuki Takenaka and
• Yasuhiro Igarashi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 133–138, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.13

• ethanolic extract of this alga and found that a mid-polar fraction inhibited the growth of two Gram-positive bacteria, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. Activity-guided fractionation led to the discovery of a new monoacylglycerol, nostochopcerol (1, Figure 1). Part of this study have been

• -hexane. The resulting three layers were tested against four Gram-positive bacteria, five Gram-negative bacteria, six fungi, and two yeasts, which detected antibacterial activity against two Gram-positive bacteria, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, from the 90% aqueous MeOH layer. The

Preparation of β-cyclodextrin/polysaccharide foams using saponin

• Max Petitjean and
• José Ramón Isasi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 78–88, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.7

• , their aglycone forms but also the number of sugar molecules involved [11]. They can be found in beverage emulsions [12], and as food surfactants [13], because they are useful also to prevent the development of virus or bacteria in food or beverages [14][15]. As for medical purposes, it has been reported

Combining the best of both worlds: radical-based divergent total synthesis

• Kyriaki Gennaiou,
• Antonios Kelesidis,
• Maria Kourgiantaki and
• Alexandros L. Zografos

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1–26, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.1

• maydis in 2014 and were reported to possess antibacterial activity against a small panel of both gram-positive and -negative bacteria [89][90]. Interestingly, their chemical structure bears no resemblance to recognize antibiotics and their mechanism of action remains unknown. Based on the knowledge

Digyalipopeptide A, an antiparasitic cyclic peptide from the Ghanaian Bacillus sp. strain DE2B

• Adwoa P. Nartey,
• Aboagye K. Dofuor,
• Kofi B. A. Owusu,
• Anil S. Camas,
• Hai Deng,
• Marcel Jaspars and
• Kwaku Kyeremeh

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1763–1771, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.185

• of different bacteria from highly diverse, low human activity environments in Ghana and the subsequent characterization and biological activity studies of their secondary metabolites, we found both Gram-positive and Gram-negative Bacillus strains to be ubiquitous and widespread. One of such strains

• -negative and Gram-positive standard laboratory bacteria including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Shigella flexneri, Shigella sonnei, Salmonella paratyphi B, Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella typhimurium, and Shigella dysenteriae (Table 3). Compound 1 was found to possess

• promising antimicrobial properties in comparison to the laboratory standards ampicillin and amphotericin B. Compound 1 produced interesting biological activity against the Gram-negative bacteria Shigella sonnei, Shigella flexneri and the multidrug resistant Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus with IC50 of

Navigating and expanding the roadmap of natural product genome mining tools

• Friederike Biermann,
• Sebastian L. Wenski and
• Eric J. N. Helfrich

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1656–1671, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.178

• initiated the field of microbial NP research. In the "golden age" of antibiotic discovery from the 1940s to 1970s, microbes and especially bacteria have been identified as an almost untapped treasure trove for the discovery of bioactive NPs. For the longest time, researchers focused on a few talented NP

Using UHPLC–MS profiling for the discovery of new sponge-derived metabolites and anthelmintic screening of the NatureBank bromotyrosine library

• Sasha Hayes,
• Aya C. Taki,
• Kah Yean Lum,
• Joseph J. Byrne,
• Merrick G. Ekins,
• Robin B. Gasser and
• Rohan A. Davis

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1544–1552, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.164

• natural product chemists have shifted their attention to marine-derived microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi over the past 10 years [2], sponges continue to be a source of novel and biologically active metabolites and remain an important taxonomic phylum for the discovery of new and bioactive natural

• the purealidin bromotyrosine structure class, however, quorum sensing inhibition and antifouling activities against several strains of bacteria and microalgae appears in the literature [33][34], while HIV-1 replication inhibition and anti-Leishmania and Plasmodium activity has also been recorded [35

Cyclometalated iridium complexes-catalyzed acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling reaction: construction of quinoline derivatives and evaluation of their antimicrobial activities

• Hongling Shui,
• Yuhong Zhong,
• Renshi Luo,
• Zhanyi Zhang,
• Jiuzhong Huang,
• Ping Yang and
• Nianhua Luo

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1507–1517, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.159

• against Gram-positive bacteria and compound 3ck against C. albicans were better than the reference drug norfloxacin. Keywords: acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling reaction; antibacterial; cyclometalated iridium complexes; quinolines; Introduction As an important class of heterocyclic compounds

• -triazoquinoline derivatives, and the biological activity evaluation showed that most of the compounds had a higher antibacterial activity (the optimal MIC value was 6.25 mg/mL) against Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria and all tested fungi than the standard ciprofloxacin (Figure 1a). Bodke's group

• Gram-positive bacteria. In particular, the antibacterial activity of compound 3ad against Staphylococcus aureus (MIC = 2 μg/mL) was much higher than that of the positive control norfloxacin. Meanwhile, the antifungal activity of compound 3ck (MIC = 64 μg/mL) was stronger than norfloxacin. However, 3an

Characterization of a new fusicoccane-type diterpene synthase and an associated P450 enzyme

• Jia-Hua Huang,
• Jian-Ming Lv,
• Liang-Yan Xiao,
• Qian Xu,
• Fu-Long Lin,
• Gao-Qian Wang,
• Guo-Dong Chen,
• Sheng-Ying Qin,
• Dan Hu and
• Hao Gao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1396–1402, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.144

• their abundant structural architectures [1]. Fusicoccane (FC)-type terpenoids are a subgroup of diterpenoids possessing a unique 5-8-5 tricyclic skeleton, which can be produced by plants, fungi and bacteria [2]. This type of diterpenoids, represented by fusicoccin A and cotylenin A, can serve as

• nature. To date, only five distinct FC-type DTSs, including fungi-derived PaFS/SdnA/MgMS and bacteria-derived CotB2/CpCS, have been reported (Figure 1) [20][21][22][23][24], implying that there still exists a large enzymatic space remaining to be explored. Herein, we characterize a two-gene cluster from

On drug discovery against infectious diseases and academic medicinal chemistry contributions

• Yves L. Janin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1355–1378, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.141

• ] was a SmithKline Beecham/GSK patent which disclosed in 1999 the effect on the growth of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria of compounds such as E-105 (9) [116]. Extensive hit to lead programs were undertaken in quite a few pharmaceutical companies and in 2008 Novexel, a spinoff of Aventis/Sanofi

Synthesis of tryptophan-dehydrobutyrine diketopiperazine and biological activity of hangtaimycin and its co-metabolites

• Houchao Xu,
• Anne Wochele,
• Minghe Luo,
• Gregor Schnakenburg,
• Yuhui Sun,
• Heike Brötz-Oesterhelt and
• Jeroen S. Dickschat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1159–1165, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.120

• inactivity of 4 against bacteria was confirmed in this study, and also 2 is an inactive metabolite of S. spectabilis, while for 1 moderate growth retardation against A. baumannii and B. subtilis, and growth inhibition against PMBN-treated E. coli was observed. However, the low activity of 1 in these assays

• , growth control (no inhibitor), SC, sterile control (no bacteria), DMSO, culture medium supplemented with 1% DMSO, reflecting the DMSO concentrations in the hangtaimycin-containing samples. Structures of hangtaimycin (1) and its co-metabolites. First synthetic route towards TDD (4). Second synthetic route

Experimental and theoretical studies on the synthesis of 1,4,5-trisubstituted pyrrolidine-2,3-diones

• Nguyen Tran Nguyen,
• Vo Viet Dai,
• Nguyen Ngoc Tri,
• Luc Van Meervelt,
• Nguyen Tien Trung and
• Wim Dehaen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1140–1153, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.118

• the fungal endophyte Acremonium zeae and its chemical structure was elucidated in 2002 (Figure 2). This natural 3-pyrrolin-2-one derivative exhibits potent antivity against Gram-positive bacteria [12]. Moreover, 1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-ones and especially, 3-hydroxy-1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-ones are

• also important substructures in a variety of non-natural compounds and their pharmacological effects against bacteria [13][14][15][16], inflammation [17][18], viruses [19], radical [20], and cancer [21][22][23][24][25][26] have been proven. It is undoubtedly true that heterocyclic compounds containing

A Streptomyces P450 enzyme dimerizes isoflavones from plants

• Run-Zhou Liu,
• Shanchong Chen and
• Lihan Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1107–1115, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.113

• , which extends the insights into P450-mediated biaryl coupling reactions in biosynthesis. Keywords: biaryl coupling; cytochrome P450; dimerization; isoflavone; natural product; Introduction Dimerization is a ubiquitous biotransformation in nature. Almost all forms of life, including bacteria, fungi

• [1][10][11][12][13][14]. In plants and fungi, laccases and cytochrome P450 monooxygenases play pivotal roles in the biaryl bond formation of various polyketide dimers [10][15][16]. In contrast, in bacteria, P450 enzymes are the dominant catalysts, but no laccases have been reported for dimerization

• of polyphenols in plants is mostly catalyzed by laccases, the dimerization of (iso)flavones by a P450 in Streptomyces may represent a convergent evolution in enzyme chemistry between plants and bacteria. Conclusion In conclusion, we have characterized three novel isoflavone dimers from S. cattleya