Triquentrinas A são produtos naturais marinhos com atividade biológica e alta complexidade estrutural. Estes fatores tornam estes alcaloides e compostos análogos, como os herbindóis, alvos para a síntese total e plataforma para o desenvolvimento de novas metodologias sintéticas. Nesta Dissertação de Mestrado, procurou-se completar a síntese estereosseletiva da (+)-cis-triquentrina A empregando-se intermediários sintéticos protegidos com o grupo benzila que poderão ser usados para a futura prospecção de novos compostos com atividade biológica. A rota proposta baseia-se na obtenção do ácido (S)-3-(1-benzil-4-etil-1H-indol-7-il)butanóico, um intermediário-chave já descrito por Silva e colaboradores no percurso da síntese total da (+)-trans-triquentrina A, e da finalização da síntese de acordo com a abordagem proposta pelo grupo de RajanBabu para conversão do análogo protegido com grupo tosila à (+)-cis-triquentrina A. A resolução enzimática do intermediário-chave com lipase de Pseudomonas cepacia imobilizada em terra diatomácea foi otimizada, resultando em rendimentos de 32% e 99% ee na metade do tempo descrito anteriormente. Na etapa-chave da síntese, o (S)-ácido foi submetido a uma acilação de Friedel-Crafts intramolecular na presença de anidrido trifluoroacético que produziu o produto de ciclização desejado com 40% de rendimento. Na etapa final da síntese, o intermediário sintético protegido com grupo benzila não pode ser convertido à (+)-cis-triquentrina A, empregando-se a metodologia desenvolvida para a redução do composto análogo tosilado, dada a diferença de reatividade imposta pela troca do grupo protetor. As etapas realizadas até o penúltimo intermediário sintético (S)-8, consta com 10 etapas e rendimento global de 1,3%. viii As diferenças eletrônicas e estruturais relacionadas a diferentes grupos protetores poderão ser refletidas em variações na atividade antiproliferativa de indóis relacionados a triquentrinas. Ainda no interesse de preparar moléculas para envio à análises de atividade antiproliferativa preparou-se um composto relacionado à síntese da trans-triquentrina A tendo como etapa-chave uma contração de anel mediada por I(III) em 21% de rendimento, cujo trabalho foi incluído nos anexos. / Trikentrins A are marine natural products with biological activity and high structural complexity. These factors make these alkaloids and analogous compounds, such as herbidoles, targets for total synthesis and platform for the development of new synthetic methodologies. In this Master\'s Dissertation, we attempted to complete the stereoselective synthesis of (+)-cis-trikentrin A using synthetic intermediates protected with the benzyl group that could be used for the future prospection of new compounds with biological activity. The proposed route is based on the preparation of (S)-3-(1-benzyl-4-ethyl-1H-indol-7-yl) butanoic acid, a key intermediate already described by Silva et al., in the course of total synthesis (+)-trans-triquentrin A, and the final part of the synthesis according to the approach proposed by the RajanBabus group for conversion of the protected analogue with tosyl group to (+)-cis-trikentrin A. The enzymatic resolution of the key intermediate with Pseudomonas cepacia lipase immobilized on diatomaceous earth was optimized, resulting in 32% yield and 99% ee in half the time described above. In the key step of the synthesis, the (S)-acid was subjected to an intramolecular Friedel-Crafts acylation in the presence of trifluoroacetic anhydride which yielded the desired cyclization product in 40% yield. In the final step of the synthesis, the synthetic intermediate protected with benzyl group couldnt be converted to (+)-cis-trikentrin A, employing the methodology developed for the reduction of the tosylated analogous compound, given the difference of reactivity imposed by exchange of the protective group. The steps carried out up to the synthetic intermediate (S)-8, consists of 10 steps and overall yield of 1.3%. Electronic and structural differences related to different protective groups may be reflected in variations in the antiproliferative activity of indoles related to trikentrins. A compound related to the synthesis of trans-triquentrin A having as its key step an I(III) mediated ring contraction in 21% yield was also prepared in the interest of preparing molecules for antiproliferative activity analysis, whose work was included in the appendix.

Datura metel is a herbaceous plant found in almost all tropical parts of the world. It belongs to the family Solanaceae whose members, viz. Duboisia, Atropa, Hyoscyamus and Datura plants are known to produce tropane alkaloids- hyoscyamine and scopolamine which are most noted for their therapeutic use as anti-cholinergic agents. Since these alkaloids are produced in very low amounts in plants, alternative sources and methods of production for these alkaloids have been crucial in meeting the demands for these drugs. Endophytic fungi inhabiting a plant may have the potential to produce the same compounds as the host plants. The aim of the present study was to search for tropane alkaloid producing endophytic fungal isolates from Datura metel. Eighteen endophytic fungi were isolated from various tissues of Datura metel and screened for the presence of three tropane alkaloid biosynthetic genes- putrescine N-methyltransferase (PMT), tropinone reductase I (TRI) and hyoscyamine 6β-hydroxylase (H6H) using PCR-based screening approach. Six endophytic fungal isolates were found to possess the PMT, TR1 and H6H genes. The fungi were identified using molecular taxonomy as Col letotrichum boninense, Phomopsis sp., Fusarium solani, Col letotrichum incarnatum, Col letotrichum siamense and Col letotrichum gloeosporioides and the identity was confirmed using colony and spore morphology. The production of tropane alkaloids hyoscyamine and scopolamine by the fungi has been ascertained using various techniques like TLC, HPLC and ESI-MS/MS by comparison with the authentic reference standards. The amount of tropane alkaloids produced by all six fungi in liquid cultures was quantified using HPLC analysis. Among the six tropane alkaloid-producing fungi Col letotrichum incarnatum gave the highest yields of hyoscyamine and scopolamine which were 3.906 mg/L and 4.13 mg/L, respectively. With an aim to characterize the tropane alkaloid biosynthetic genes in these fungi, the PMT gene was isolated from five of the endophytic fungi- Col letotrichum boni-nense, Fusarium solani, Col letotrichum incarnatum, Col letotrichum siamense and Col-letotrichum gloeosporioides for the first time and the sequence analysis showed high ho-mology (98%) to the Datura metel PMT cDNA. The gene was found to be devoid of introns in the fungi. Further phylogenetic analysis of the full length PMT sequence from the fungi strongly supports the hypothesis of horizontal gene transfer between the host plant and endophytic fungi. For further in detail characterization of fungal PMT, the Col letotrichum boninense PMT gene was taken as a representative. CbPMT gene was cloned in pRSET A expres-sion vector and heterologously expressed in E. coli and biochemically characterized. For optimal yield of soluble protein upon heterologous expression different conditions such as IPTG concentration, temperature and time post induction were optimized. Optimal yield was obtained by inducing the culture by 0.25 mM IPTG once it had reached and O.D. of 0.6 and incubating at 37◦ C for 3 h. The recombinant CbPMT enzyme expressed as histidine tagged fusion protein was purified using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. Gel elution studies were carried out to determine molecular weight of the protein and it was found that the protein exists as a homodimer in solution with some amount also present as a monomer. Catalytic activity of the purified recombinant enzyme was studied for its dependence on both substrates putrescine as well as S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). The Km and Vmax values for putrescine were found to be 464 µM and 18.55 nkat/mg, respectively, while those for S-adenosylmethionine were found to be 628 µM and 18.63 nkat/mg, respectively. Optimum temperature for activity was found to be 37◦ C and optimum pH range was found to be 8-9. Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to study the binding affinity of both the sub-strates to the enzyme. Fluorescence quenching data for each substrate was analysed by using a nonlinear regression curve fit and Kd values were found to be 0.309 mM for pu-trescine and 0.118 mM for SAM, respectively. Circular dichroism spectrum of the enzyme indicated a pattern typical for alpha helix in the secondary structure. Binding of either substrate led to increase in ellipticity of the protein. Fluorescence quenching studies with collisional quenchers- acrylamide, potassium iodide, and cesium chloride indicated that the native protein is folded in a conformation that allows tryptophan residues to be acces-sible for quenching. The fraction of tryptophan residues (fa ) accessible for quenching by acrylamide (1.06) was found to be higher than that for potassium iodide (0.54) while that cesium ions was the least (0.38). The neutral quencher acrylamide could access all the tryptophans meaning that none of tryptophans are completely buried inside hydrophobic cores. the differential accessibility to the charged quenchers, however, indicates that more of the tryptophans are surrounded by positively charged amino acids. The unfolding of the protein was studied with the aid of chaotropic agents guanidine-HCl and urea and thermodynamic parameters were determined. The denaturant m-values were found to be 2.313 kcal/mol/M for Gdn-HCl and 2.345 kcal/mol/M for urea respectively. The free energy of unfolding was estimated to be 2.635 kcal/mol for Gdn-HCl and 4.630 kcal/mol for urea. Since no reports are available about the thermodynamics of folding and unfolding of PMT from any plant source, this study contributes towards the understanding of protein stability. Although a lot of reports are available on the biochemical characterization of PMT from different plant sources, the crystal structure of PMT is not yet available. In the current work, homology based modelling studies on CbPMT were carried out to get some idea about the protein tertiary structure. Homology based modelling studies showed that a significant amount of protein is present as α-helices which are present on the surface while the β-sheets are present in the interior of the protein. Each monomer of the protein is capable of binding both the substrates and hence the dimerization property of the enzyme could be a purely structural one leading to more stability and solubility of the protein. In conclusion, this study has shown for the first time that endophytic fungi have significant potential to be used for tropane alkaloid production and six such fungal strains have been identified. Although the production of tropane alkaloids by endophytic fungi is not very high, it can be scaled up by over-expressing the biosynthetic gene putrescine N-methyltransferase in the highest producer- Col letotrichum incarnatum to further increase the yield. These endophytic fungi have significant potential to be applied in fermentation technology to meet the demands for these drugs economically.

The thesis entitled “Enantiospecific total synthesis of indole alkaloids eburnamonine, aspidospermidine, quebrachamine, henrycinols A and B and synthesis of azepino[4,5-b]indolones” is divided into three chapters. In the first chapter, a unified strategy for the enantiospecific total synthesis of monoterpene indole alkaloids (+)-eburnamonine (1), (–)-aspidospermidine (2) and (–)-quebrachamine (3) is described. The chiral pool synthesis commenced with (S)-ethyl lactate 4, which was elaborated to the allylic alcohol 5. Johnson-Claisen orthoester rearrangement of the allylic alcohol 5 furnished the key chiral building block 6 possessing a quaternary stereogenic center. Pictet-Spengler cyclization of tryptamine with the corresponding aldehydes obtained by appropriate functionalization of the chiral building block 6 and ring closing metathesis were the key reactions employed en route the total synthesis of the indole alkaloids 1–3 (Scheme 1). Scheme 1. Unified strategy for the synthesis of monoterpene indole alkaloids (+)-eburnamonine (1), (–)-aspidospermidine (2) and (–)-quebrachamine (3). The second chapter of the thesis pertains to the synthesis of azepino[4,5-b]indolones 7 via Brønsted acid mediated intramolecular cyclization of unsaturated tryptamides 8. Various ,-unsaturated acids 9 derived from different -hydroxy esters 10, were converted to the corresponding unsaturated tryptamides 8 and subjected to the optimized reaction conditions. The results of the study indicated that -substituted unsaturated secondary tryptamides derived from (S)-ethyl lactate were the most effective in undergoing an intramolecular cyclization to furnish the corresponding azepino[4,5-b]indolones 7, possessing a quaternary stereogenic center in good yields. The presence of an alkenyl moiety in the quaternary center allowed the functionalization of these compounds and was subsequently employed to access the ABCD core 11 of tronocarpine and the tetracyclic cores 12 of some iboga alkaloids. The loss of chirality in the formation of the azepino[4,5-b]indolones indicated that the reaction proceeds predominantly by an SN1 pathway. During the course of the study an interesting formation of an azonino[5,4-b]indolone 13 by a competing SN1 pathway and a tetracyclic azepino[4,5-b]indolone 14 via a cascade cyclization were noticed (Scheme 2). Scheme 2. Synthesis of azepino[4,5-b]indolones 7 possessing a quaternary stereogenic center. The first total synthesis of two new indole alkaloids, henrycinols A (15) and B (16) which were isolated from the plant Melodinus henryi CRAIB is described in the third chapter of the thesis. The key reaction in the synthetic sequence is the Pictet-Spengler cyclization of L-tryptophan methyl ester 17a and the aldehyde 18 derived from D-tartaric acid which leads to the installation of all the stereogenic centers present in the natural products. Interestingly, a switch in the diastereoselectivity of the reaction was observed by varying the substituent on the amine in L-tryptophan methyl ester 17. When L-tryptophan methyl ester 17b possessing an N-allyl substitution was employed, the desired 1,3-trans tetrahydro--carboline 19b could be obtained in good yields, which was subsequently elaborated to the natural products 15 and 16 (Scheme 3). Scheme 3. Total synthesis of henrycinols A (15) and B (16).

No description available.

Natural products are secondary metabolites produced by plants and microorganisms that often possess medicinal properties and are implicated in organismal defense. Drawbacks to utilizing natural products in the pharmaceutical industry are difficulties with isolation from biological sources and low yields that can lack stereospecificity from synthetic sources. It is paramount to solve these issues and to develop novel natural products to combat the growing antimicrobial resistance crisis, which was responsible for ~5 million deaths in 2019 alone. One approach is utilizing enzymes to synthesize existing natural products to improve the yields and stereospecificity issue. This dissertation is focused on the biochemical characterization of three enzymes-ZvFMO, OxaD, and CreE-that are implicated in the detoxification of natural products used for organismal defense or participate in the biosynthesis of novel natural products. Each of these enzymes belong to the flavin-dependent monooxygenase (FMO) family, which catalyze the oxygenation of a substrate, generating an oxidized product. ZvFMO, from the insect food crop pest, Zonocerus variegatus, was determined to catalyze a highly uncoupled oxygenation reaction of the nitrogen or sulfur atom of various substrates. OxaD, from Penicillium oxalicum F30, catalyzes novel sequential oxidation reactions of the indole nitrogen of roquefortine C. CreE, from Streptomyces cremeus, also catalyzes sequential nitrogen oxidation reactions to convert L-aspartate to nitrosuccinate en route to biosynthesis of cremeomycin. For each enzyme, the steady-state kinetics have been determined using an oxygen consumption assay and the rapid-reaction kinetics were measured using anaerobic time-resolved spectroscopy. All three enzymes feature a fast flavin reduction step and a slow flavin dehydration step. The oxygenation chemistry of each enzyme was found to proceed through a highly reactive oxygenating species, the C4a-hydroperoxyflavin. Site-directed mutagenesis efforts led to the identification of key active site residues involved in flavin motion and substrate binding, revealing important information about the active site architecture for enzyme engineering applications and drug discovery efforts. / Doctor of Philosophy / Natural products are compounds that are produced by many plants, fungi, and bacteria that have potent medicinal properties and can be used to defend the organism against pests. Unfortunately, using these compounds widely in the pharmaceutical industry is difficult because it is hard to isolate the compound of interest from the organism that produces it and attempts to produce it chemically can result in low yields. Additionally, the overuse of the current natural products, which are most of the antibiotics on the market today, has led to an extreme increase in the resistance of bacteria, fungi, and parasites to the natural product-based drug. Therefore, it is essential that a method is developed to produce novel natural products at high yields to combat the antimicrobial resistance crisis. One method is by using enzymes to generate the natural products of interest. Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up reactions by ensuring that less energy is required to transition from a reactant to a product and are highly efficient. This dissertation focuses on the characterization of three enzymes that could aid in our understanding of natural product chemistry. All three enzymes insert an oxygen atom on a nitrogen of their respective reactant. The first enzyme ZvFMO, is from an insect and its reactivity causes the insect to become resistant to the natural product-based plant defense mechanism, demonstrating that ZvFMO is a great candidate for inhibitor design. OxaD is the second enzyme and is involved in producing natural products that have antimicrobial and anticancer properties. The last enzyme, CreE, is involved in generating the natural product, cremeomycin, which possesses potent antimicrobial and anticancer properties as well. The reactions of OxaD and CreE positions these enzymes as candidates to produce novel natural products and other efforts to expand their reactivity. The rates of each reaction step have been determined in this work. Key amino acids that contribute to the reaction chemistry and the uptake of the reactant have been identified, laying a solid foundation for drug discovery efforts.

Les travaux présentés concernent dans une première partie la synthèse biomimétique d’un alcaloïde indolomonoterpénique : la bipléiophylline. La bipléiophylline est le résultat de l’assemblage complexe de deux unités indoliques identiques ancrées sur une plateforme aromatique. Une stratégie générale de synthèse biomimétique de la bipléiophylline consistant i) à la synthèse de l’unité indolique pléiocarpamine et ii) à l’oxydation de l’acide 2,3-dihydroxybenzoïque a été envisagée. L’accès au squelette complexe de la pléiocarpamine a été étudié selon plusieurs stratégies de synthèse totale mais également par hémisynthèse. Parallèlement une étude des conditions d’oxydation notamment par électrochimie de l’acide 2,3-dihydroxybenzoïque ont permis de déterminer et caractériser son potentiel d’oxydation et de mettre au point les conditions de formation de sa forme oxydée. La seconde partie est consacrée à la synthèse biomimétique d’un modèle du cœur central de l’haliclonine A, un alcaloïde de la famille des manzamines. La synthèse de plusieurs précurseurs a été réalisée ainsi que l’étude de l’étape clé de double addition nucléophile sur un 5,6-dihydropyridinium. / Our work deals in the first part with a biomimetic synthesis of bipleiophyllin, an indolomonoterpenic alkaloid. The bipleiophyllin is the result of a complex anchorage of two identical indolic subunits on an aromatic platform. A general strategy for the biomimetic synthesis of bipleiophyllin consisting of i) the synthesis of the indolic unit pleiocarpamin and ii) the oxidation of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid; was considered. Access to the complex skeleton of pleiocarpamin has been studied by different total synthesis strategies but also by hemisynthesis. Meanwhile this work, a study of the oxidation conditions of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid including by electrochemistry, helped identify and characterize its oxidation potential and develop the required conditions to obtain its oxidized form. The second part is devoted to the biomimetic synthesis of a model compound, mimic of the central core of haliclonin A, an alkaloid of the family of manzamins. The synthesis of several precursors and the study of the key step consisting in a double nucleophilic addition to a 5,6-dihydropyridinium were done.

Ces travaux de thèse traitent de la synthèse et de la fonctionnalisation d’hétérocycles azotés catalysées par les métaux de transition. La première partie de ce projet a été consacrée à la mise en place d’une méthode simple et efficace pour la N-cyclopropylation de différents composés azotés. A partir de l’acide cyclopropylboronique, en présence de sels de cuivre et dans des conditions de couplage oxydant, une grande variété de composés azotés ont pu être N-cyclopropylés. Cette méthode permet une nouvelle voie d’accès aux substrats N-cyclopropylés.La deuxième partie de ces travaux de thèse porte sur l’étude de la synthèse de benzimidazole. Ces hétérocycles azotés ont pu être obtenus à partir d’amidines grâce à une séquence réactionnelle faisant intervenir une réaction de N-arylation suivi d’une cyclisation via la fonctionnalisation d’une liaison C-H.La troisième partie de ce manuscrit se focalise sur la synthèse de pyrroles. Cette famille de composés est réputée pour son abondance dans les molécules biologiquement actives. Nous avons développé une réaction séquentielle monotope, permettant la synthèse de N-H pyrroles poly-fonctionnalisés via la formation d’un énaminone, catalysée par de l’indium (III), suivi d’une étape d’hétéroannulation catalysée par du palladium.Enfin, la dernière partie de ce projet scientifique décrit notre approche vers la synthèse totale d’un alcaloïde : la (-)-norsuavéoline. L’originalité de notre approche est basée sur la synthèse, dans un premier temps, du noyau pyridinique de la molécule à partir de l’acide L-(-)-glutamique, pour finir par la formation tardive du noyau indolique. Jusqu’à maintenant, nous avons développé et optimisé la synthèse de la pyridine. Des études sont toujours en cours au laboratoire afin de former la partie indolique et de terminer cette synthèse. / These scientific project deals with synthesis and functionalization of nitrogen heterocycles catalyzed by transition metals. The first part of this project was devoted to the development of a simple and efficient reaction for the N-cyclopropylation of various nitrogen compounds. From cyclopropylboronic acid under copper oxidative coupling conditions, a wide variety of nitrogen compounds have been N-cyclopropylated. This method allows a new access to N-cyclopropylated substrates.The second part of this work deals with benzimidazoles synthesis. These nitrogen heterocycles have been obtained from amidines through a sequence involving a N-arylation reaction followed by cyclization via a C-H bond functionalization.The third part of this manuscript focuses on pyrroles synthesis. Pyrroles are known for their abundance in biologically active molecules. We have developed a new sequential one-pot procedure for poly-functionalized N-H pyrroles synthesis. Through a enaminone formation catalyzed by indium (III), followed by a palladium catalyzed heteroannulation, various N-H pyrroles have been synthesizedThe final part of this scientific project describes our approach to total synthesis of an alkaloid: the (-)-norsuavéoline. The specificity of our approach was based on the formation of pyridine ring in the beginning of the synthesis and a late formation of indole ring. To date, we have developed and optimized the pyridine synthesis from L-(-)-glutamic acid. Studies are ongoing in the laboratory to obtain the indole part and complete the synthesis of this natural product.