Synthesis of electrophile-tethered preQ₁ analogs for covalent attachment to preQ₁ RNA

• Laurin Flemmich and
• Ronald Micura

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 483–489, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.35

• as riboswitches [6][7][8] or the queuosine biosynthetic enzyme machinery [9][10][11]. Recently, even the self-methylation activity of a preQ1 riboswitch has been discovered with a methylated preQ1 derivative acting as a ribozyme cofactor [12]. Moreover, these analogs have found utility in several

• biotechnological applications, including the identification of queuosinylation sites in cellular RNA [13], RNA and DNA labeling [14][15], and mRNA photocaging [16]. The latter applications rely on the promiscuity of the tRNA-modifying enzyme tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (TGT), which can incorporate functionalized

• preQ1 congeners into oligonucleotide strands at specific recognition sites. In addition, the potential of modified preQ1 for protein enzyme-independent RNA labeling has also been demonstrated [12][17]. In a recent study [4], sequence-specific RNA–small molecule crosslinking (Scheme 1B) was achieved in

Organocatalytic kinetic resolution of 1,5-dicarbonyl compounds through a retro-Michael reaction

• James Guevara-Pulido,
• Fernando González-Pérez,
• José M. Andrés and
• Rafael Pedrosa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 473–482, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.34

• chromatography [1]. Sometime later, kinetic resolution (KR) emerged. This method is based on the different reaction rates of each enantiomer in a racemic mixture when they are reacted with a reagent, a chiral catalyst, or an enzyme. This process results in obtaining the less reactive enantioenriched enantiomer

Beyond symmetric self-assembly and effective molarity: unlocking functional enzyme mimics with robust organic cages

• Keith G. Andrews

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 421–443, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.30

• Keith G. Andrews Department of Chemistry, Durham University, Lower Mount Joy, South Rd, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK 10.3762/bjoc.21.30 Abstract The bespoke environments in enzyme active sites can selectively accelerate chemical reactions by as much as 1019. Macromolecular and supramolecular chemists have

• a molecular “cavity”. The activities of different cavities vary with the subset of features available to a particular cavity type. Unsurprisingly, without synthetic access to mimics able to encompass more/all of the functional features of enzyme active sites, examples of cavity-catalyzed processes

• demonstrating enzyme-like rate accelerations remain rare. This perspective will briefly highlight some of the key advances in traditional cavity catalysis, by cavity type, in order to contextualize the recent development of robust organic cage catalysts, which can exploit stability, functionality, and reduced

Synthesis, characterization, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and carbonic anhydrase inhibition activities of multifunctional pyrazolo-1,2-benzothiazine acetamides

• Ayesha Saeed,
• Shahana Ehsan,
• Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman,
• Erin M. Marshall,
• Sandra Loesgen,
• Abdus Saleem,
• Simone Giovannuzzi and
• Claudiu T. Supuran

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 348–357, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.25

• autoimmune diseases [18], osteoarthritis [29], hemorrhage [25], and cardiac diseases [30]. Pyrazole moieties have a wide spectrum of pharmacological efficiencies. One known example is celecoxib®, a clinically used anti-inflammatory and COX-2 enzyme-inhibiting drug [31]. In some cases, inclusion of a pyrazole

• (Figure S44 in Supporting Information File 1). In vitro carbonic anhydrase inhibition In vitro assessment of all targeted pyrazolobenzothiazine scaffolds for human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) inhibition was performed adopting a stopped-flow CO2 hydration method. The enzyme inhibition assays were carried out

• Martínez-Montiel and colleagues in 2023 [57]. Analyses were carried out in-house using recombinant enzymes as described. Enzyme concentrations (5–12 nM) used in these assays were the same as previously reported [57][61]. An overview of previously synthesized 1,2-benzothiazines [36][37][38][39]. An example

Hot shape transformation: the role of PSar dehydration in stomatocyte morphogenesis

• Remi Peters,
• Levy A. Charleston,
• Karinan van Eck,
• Teun van Berlo and
• Daniela A. Wilson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 47–54, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.5

• stronger osmotic pressure within the vesicle, driving deformation into a stomatocyte shape. This novel morphology for polysarcosine-based polymers opens new avenues for utilizing fully biodegradable polymers as nanomotors, leveraging enzyme encapsulation techniques. Moreover, it was observed that a

Multicomponent reactions driving the discovery and optimization of agents targeting central nervous system pathologies

• Lucía Campos-Prieto,
• Aitor García-Rey,
• Eddy Sotelo and
• Ana Mallo-Abreu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3151–3173, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.261

• -directed and metabolic antioxidants have shown efficacy in AD mouse models, with ongoing trials for vitamin E and selenium [32]. Ugi reaction: As already mentioned, one of the main targets in AD treatment are cholinesterase ligands. In recent years, butyrylcholinesterase, an enzyme present in high

• EeAChE. On the other hand, the inhibitory activity on eqBuChE was more promising, with the best scoring compounds being 1a, 1b, and 1c (Figure 3). These compounds have mixed inhibitory activity (they can bind both the free enzyme and the enzyme–substrate complex, E–S complex). Additionally, compound 1a

Hypervalent iodine-mediated intramolecular alkene halocyclisation

• Charu Bansal,
• Oliver Ruggles,
• Albert C. Rowett and
• Alastair J. J. Lennox

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3113–3133, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.258

• 4 [9][10] (Figure 1). Halogenated cyclised structures have also been found to exhibit medicinal and pharmaceutical properties, including antibacterial [11], antibiotic [12], and enzyme inhibition [13] among others. The general mechanism for the HVI-mediated halocyclisation of alkenes proceeds

Advances in the use of metal-free tetrapyrrolic macrocycles as catalysts

• Mandeep K. Chahal

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3085–3112, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.257

• recognition, and supramolecular assemblies [9][10][11][12][13]. There are numerous examples of using metalloporphyrins as artificial photosynthesis models, enzyme mimics, and catalysts for various organic transformations, where a metal center acts as an active site [14][15][16][17]. However, metal-free (or

• , and calixarenes has been extensively studied using both enzyme mimics and non-biomimetic systems, due to the presence of an internal cavity (binding sites) and nearby functional groups (catalytic sites) [27][28][29]. Tetrapyrrolic macrocycles contain an internal cavity with multiple inner –N/NH groups

Chemical structure metagenomics of microbial natural products: surveying nonribosomal peptides and beyond

• Thomas Ma and
• John Chu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3050–3060, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.253

• offloading step always entails the same chemical reaction, wherein nucleophilic attack is promoted by the catalytic triad of a TE via general base catalysis. This is likely why traditional mechanistic studies that focused on the enzyme active site failed to work out how TEs control NRP topology. A priori

N-Glycosides of indigo, indirubin, and isoindigo: blue, red, and yellow sugars and their cancerostatic activity

• Peter Langer

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2840–2869, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.240

• mitochondria was changed. The presence of β-33b provoked a significant upregulation of the enzyme heme oxygenase-1. In conclusion, mitochondria are attacked by compound β-33b in the context of its cytotoxic activity against skin cancer cells. Aglycon 35 again proved to be inactive in all assays. It was

• mentioned above, that the free NH function of indirubin is important for CDK inhibition. We have shown in our group by enzyme studies that glycoside β-33b, lacking the free NH-function, does not act as a CDK inhibitor, despite its high activity against melanoma cells and other cancers [32]. These results

Synthesis and antimycotic activity of new derivatives of imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidines

• Dmitriy Yu. Vandyshev,
• Daria A. Mangusheva,
• Khidmet S. Shikhaliev,
• Kirill A. Scherbakov,
• Oleg N. Burov,
• Alexander D. Zagrebaev,
• Tatiana N. Khmelevskaya,
• Alexey S. Trenin and
• Fedor I. Zubkov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2806–2817, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.236

• this work was a preliminary evaluation of the potential bioactivity of the obtained compounds. In particular, a molecular docking experiment to investigate the binding mechanisms to the CYP51 enzyme and an evaluation of the antifungal activity of imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidines against Candida albicans were

• -spectrum antifungal agents. Among the many drugs and hits, the azole-based systems (including triazoles and imidazoles) are of particular importance in this context. Their mechanism of action is the inhibition of the activity of the enzyme lanosterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51), which is encoded by the CYP51

• /ERG11 gene. This enzyme contains a haem-like prosthetic group in its active center and is a member of the cytochrome P450 family, which plays a key role in the biosynthesis of sterols. Sterols in turn are integral components of the fungal cell membrane, making inhibition of CYP51 [43] an effective

Synthesis of fluoroalkenes and fluoroenynes via cross-coupling reactions using novel multihalogenated vinyl ethers

• Yukiko Karuo,
• Keita Hirata,
• Atsushi Tarui,
• Kazuyuki Sato,
• Kentaro Kawai and
• Masaaki Omote

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2691–2703, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.226

• fact, several inhibitors of the β-site amyloyd β A4 precursor protein cleaving enzyme (BACE1), which is involved in the production of β-amyloid, and fluoroalkene analogs of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors have previously been reported [2][3]. These inhibitors possess higher drug efficacies than their

Cell-free protein synthesis with technical additives – expanding the parameter space of in vitro gene expression

• Tabea Bartsch,
• Stephan Lütz and
• Katrin Rosenthal

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2242–2253, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.192

• nucleotides and amino acids, as well as energy molecules, salts, buffer, etc., are added. After successful protein synthesis, further substrates can be added for an enzyme activity assay. Although mimicking of cell-like conditions is an approach for optimization, the physical and chemical properties of CFPS

• osmolarity using ten different technical additives including organic solvents, polymers, and salts. It is shown that the synthesis of two model proteins, namely superfolder GFP (sfGFP) and the enzyme truncated human cyclic GMP-AMP synthase fused to sfGFP (thscGAS-sfGFP), is very robust against most of the

• biocatalysts [1][2]. The open environment allows easy manipulation of the protein synthesis [3] and coupling to subsequent enzyme activity assays, e.g., for substrate screening [4][5]. The CFPS system is advantageous for proteins that are difficult to express in a viable host cell, e.g., due to toxic effects

Natural resorcylic lactones derived from alternariol

• Joachim Podlech

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2171–2207, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.187

• ring was isolated from Ulocladium botrytis [219] and Microsphaeropsis olivacea [167]. Its structure was unambiguously confirmed by NMR spectroscopy and by total syntheses [44][220]. Ulocladol is a tyrosine kinase (p56lck) inhibitor leading to a reduction of enzyme activity to 7% at 0.02 µg/µL) [219

Factors influencing the performance of organocatalysts immobilised on solid supports: A review

• Zsuzsanna Fehér,
• Dóra Richter,
• Gyula Dargó and
• József Kupai

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2129–2142, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.183

• ]. An advantage of dendrimer-supported organocatalysts are their enzyme-like properties [111][112]. Selective binding and cooperative catalysis can give the catalyst high selectivity and activity. Interactions between the support and other components The interaction between the solid support and the

Computational toolbox for the analysis of protein–glycan interactions

• Ferran Nieto-Fabregat,
• Maria Pia Lenza,
• Angela Marseglia,
• Cristina Di Carluccio,
• Antonio Molinaro,
• Alba Silipo and
• Roberta Marchetti

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2084–2107, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.180

Allostreptopyrroles A–E, β-alkylpyrrole derivatives from an actinomycete Allostreptomyces sp. RD068384

• Marwa Elsbaey,
• Naoya Oku,
• Mohamed S. A. Abdel-Mottaleb and
• Yasuhiro Igarashi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1981–1987, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.174

• μM. Compounds 1–5 were merely inhibitory against tyrosinase, showing 19, 13, 9.6, 18, and 15% inhibition at 200 μM, respectively, while a positive control, kojic acid, inhibited the same enzyme by 95%. Conclusion In summary, five new alkylpyrroles, allostreptopyrroles A–E (1–5), were discovered from

2-Heteroarylethylamines in medicinal chemistry: a review of 2-phenethylamine satellite chemical space

• Carlos Nieto,
• Alejandro Manchado,
• Ángel García-González,
• David Díez and
• Narciso M. Garrido

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1880–1893, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.163

• tumor bed of a vast diversity of human tumor types. As phenylalanine is the preferred substrate of IL4I1 catalytic activity, Presset et al. [6] reported novel phenylalanine derivatives as a strategy to inhibit IL4I1 activity, as this enzyme has a preference for hydrophobic amino acids. Among them

The Groebke–Blackburn–Bienaymé reaction in its maturity: innovation and improvements since its 21st birthday (2019–2023)

• Cristina Martini,
• Muhammad Idham Darussalam Mardjan and
• Andrea Basso

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1839–1879, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.162

• . 1.3 Compartmented and enzyme-mediated reactions Compartmentation of reaction media has already found many applications in chemistry. Amphiphilic molecules can associate in water to nanometer-sized micelles, above a certain critical concentration. Such micelles are characterized by a lipophilic core

• , respectively. For further investigations, however, CALB was chosen due to its lower cost and easier availability. Optimization of enzyme loading and substrate ratios increased the yield up to 91%. Immobilization of the enzyme on silica particles was not detrimental to the yield, but allowed enzyme recycling

• , obtaining an enzyme-metal biohybrid catalyst [22]. The authors tested it in a one-pot GBB reaction–Suzuki coupling, employing 5-bromo-2-aminopyridine (20), benzaldehyde (2), tert-butyl isocyanide (5) and phenylboronic acid (21). Compound 22 was obtained in 87% yield by performing the GBB reaction at room

A facile three-component route to powerful 5-aryldeazaalloxazine photocatalysts

• Ivana Weisheitelová,
• Radek Cibulka,
• Marek Sikorski and
• Tetiana Pavlovska

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1831–1838, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.161

• of applications in medicinal chemistry, chemosensors, polymers and catalysis [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Among them, flavins (Fl) are essential redox-active natural compounds that act as enzyme cofactors in numerous biochemical processes [9]. Structurally related to flavins are isomeric alloxazines

Discovery of antimicrobial peptides clostrisin and cellulosin from Clostridium: insights into their structures, co-localized biosynthetic gene clusters, and antibiotic activity

• Moisés Alejandro Alejo Hernandez,
• Katia Pamela Villavicencio Sánchez,
• Rosendo Sánchez Morales,
• Karla Georgina Hernández-Magro Gil,
• David Silverio Moreno-Gutiérrez,
• Eddie Guillermo Sanchez-Rueda,
• Yanet Teresa-Cruz,
• Brian Choi,
• Armando Hernández Garcia,
• Alba Romero-Rodríguez,
• Oscar Juárez,
• Siseth Martínez-Caballero,
• Mario Figueroa and
• Corina-Diana Ceapă

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1800–1816, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.159

• its lanthipeptide precursor (Figure 2). A cluster analysis using BAGEL4 [4] confirmed the presence of terminators. The sequence information for CloA1 (precursor peptide), CloM1 (biosynthetic enzyme), CloPt1 (peptide domain), CloA2 (precursor peptide), CloM2 (biosynthetic enzyme), and CloPt2 (peptide

• the clostridial class (Figure S6 in Supporting Information File 1). Structure models for CloM1 and CloM2 generated using AlphaFold 2.0 (Figure S6B and S6C, Supporting Information File 1) were compared with the CylM [53] protein (PDB 5DZT), as it remains the sole LanM enzyme characterized through

• of 57u due to cysteine alkylation (Figure 4C and Table S8 in Supporting Information File 1). These analyses confirm the activity of the CloM2 enzyme, with the dehydratase domain activity forming a mixture of six and five times dehydrated lantipeptides, and the cyclase domain activity demonstrated by

Syntheses and medicinal chemistry of spiro heterocyclic steroids

• Laura L. Romero-Hernández,
• Ana Isabel Ahuja-Casarín,
• Penélope Merino-Montiel,
• Sara Montiel-Smith,
• José Luis Vega-Báez and
• Jesús Sandoval-Ramírez

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1713–1745, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.152

• heterocyclic moieties containing three or more (hetero)cycles. Moreover, many compounds are accompanied by data on their biological activities, such as antiproliferative, antimalarial, antimicrobial, antifungal, steroid antagonist, and enzyme inhibition, among others, aimed at furnishing pertinent insights for

• polymeric version of 2-iodoxybenzoic acid (PS-IBX), was conducted to block the formation of the six-membered ring. Spiro-1,3-oxazolidinones 63 were assessed as inhibitors of 17β-HSD type 3, an enzyme involved in testosterone and dihydrotestosterone synthesis. The structure–activity relationship revealed

• that compounds bearing hydrophobic fragments were superior inhibitors compared to those with polar groups. Additionally, some derivatives exhibited better activity than the reference compound, with more than 40% inhibition of the enzyme. The research group also described additional spiro products

Chemo-enzymatic total synthesis: current approaches toward the integration of chemical and enzymatic transformations

• Ryo Tanifuji and
• Hiroki Oguri

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1693–1712, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.151

• using an enzyme or at what stage in a synthesis the enzyme is employed: 1) regio- and stereoselective late-stage functionalization of core scaffolds, 2) in situ generation of highly reactive intermediates, and 3) the one-step construction of macrocyclic or fused multicyclic scaffolds via regio- and

• I (9). As a pioneering investigation to elucidate the mechanism of this essentially identical allylic oxidations by Fe(II)/2OG-dependent dioxygenase, Dairi and co-workers conducted in vitro enzymatic conversions with the homologous enzyme Bsc9, derived from Alternaria brassicicola ATCC96836 [24

• ]. The P450 enzyme BscF is responsible for regioselective abstraction of a hydrogen at C12 and subsequent diastereoselective hydroxylation of the radical intermediate B to produce brassicicene B (10). Meanwhile, further single-electron oxidation of the intermediate B would trigger a Wagner–Meerwein-type

Methyltransferases from RiPP pathways: shaping the landscape of natural product chemistry

• Maria-Paula Schröder,
• Isabel P.-M. Pfeiffer and
• Silja Mordhorst

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1652–1670, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.147

• can also be employed to mimic non-ribosomal peptides [12][13], since it is substantially more challenging to engineer non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) pathways. Non-ribosomal peptides are often produced by giant multi-modular enzyme complexes (type I NRPS) and they are most commonly involved in

• remethylated to ʟ-methionine by the enzyme methionine synthase, which utilises 5-methyltetrahydrolate (5-MTHF) as a methyl donor. 5-MTHF is a constituent of the folate cycle, which encompasses the intermediates tetrahydrofolate (THF) and 5,10-methylene-THF (5,10-CH2-THF). 5,10-CH2-THF is formed from THF and ʟ

• atom, describing O-, N-, C-, and S-MTs; halide MTs have not (yet) been identified in RiPP pathways. The enzymes described below are either conventional SAM-dependent MTs or radical SAM (rSAM) MTs; rSAM MTs are one subfamily of the large rSAM enzyme superfamily, which encompasses enzymes catalysing a

Polymer degrading marine Microbulbifer bacteria: an un(der)utilized source of chemical and biocatalytic novelty

• Weimao Zhong and
• Vinayak Agarwal

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1635–1651, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.146

• enzyme RagaA7 was produced in a Bacillus subtilis host and characterized to be a neoagarotetraose-producing GH-16 family endo-type β-agarase with a pH and temperature optima being 7.0 and 50 °C, respectively. Another thermostable neoagarotetraose-producing GH-16 endo-type β-agarase rAgaA was identified

• and cloned from deep-sea-derived Microbulbifer sp. JAMB-A94 with pH and temperature optima being 7.0 and 55 °C, respectively [26]. The recombinant enzyme was likewise produced using a B. subtilis host. The crystal structure of the catalytic domain was determined to show a β-jelly roll fold with

• 8.0 and 55 °C, respectively. The biocatalytic utility of the enzyme was also evaluated; it was used for neoagarooligosaccharide production in high yield [80]. Five additional GH-16 agarases AgaA3 produced in B. subtilis, ID2563 produced in E. coli, N3-1 produced in Pichia pastoris, AG1 produced in E