Dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) is a novel approach to medicinal chemistry which integrates the synthesis and screening of small molecule libraries into a single step. The concept uses reversible chemical reactions to present a dynamic library of candidate structures to a template which selects and removes the best binder from equilibrium. Using this evolutionary process with a biopolymer template, such as a protein, leads to the protein directing the synthesis of its own best ligand. Biological DCC applications are extremely challenging since the thermodynamic criterion of reversibility has to be met under physiological conditions to ensure stability of the biomolecular template. The list of reversible reactions satisfying these stringent criteria is limited and is a major constraint on achieving both reaction and structural diversity in adaptive dynamic libraries. This thesis reports the development of a catalysed version of acylhydrazone dynamic libraries which are truly adaptive under protein-friendly conditions. In the presence of aniline as a trans-imination catalyst, acylhydrazone dynamic combinatorial libraries equilibrate rapidly at pH 6.2 and are switched off by an increase in pH. We designed acylhydrazone libraries targeting the enzyme superfamily Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST) using a scaffold aldehyde, 4-chloro-3-nitrobenzaldehyde, which is structurally related to a known GST substrate chlorodinitrobenzene. On interfacing these dynamic libraries with two different GST enzymes (SjGST from the helminth worm Schistosoma japonicum and hGSTP1-1, a human isoform and an important oncology drug target) we observed isoformselective amplification effects with two different acylhydrazones selected by the proteins. To explore the potential of anchoring in our DCC methodology we conjugated the endogenous GST ligand, glutathione (GSH) onto the scaffold chloronitrobenzaldehyde. The GSH recognition motif acts as an anchor and allows us to explore the hydrophobic binding site of the enzyme in a fragment-based approach. The presence of the glutathione moiety led to increased solubility of the library members and a DCC experiment with the enzymes led to the selection of conjugate hydrazones with significant binding ability. Multi-level dynamic libraries use multiple exchange processes in the same system to increase their accessible structural diversity. These exchange reactions may be orthogonal, where the different chemistries can be activated or deactivated independently of each other, or simultaneous, where all the processes are dynamic and crossover under the same conditions. Together, these interacting molecular networks provide an exciting experimental approach to the emerging field of systems chemistry. We demonstrate that two reversible reactions, conjugate addition of thiols to enones and hydrazone formation, are fully compatible and orthogonal to one another in a single dynamic library. Hydrazone exchange takes place at acidic pH, while conjugate addition operates at basic pH. Simple pH change can be used to switch between each process and establish two channels of reactivity.

Target-guided synthesis is an approach to drug discovery that uses the biological target as a template to direct synthesis of its own best inhibitors from small molecule fragments. The process bridges the gap between chemical synthesis of drug candidates and their biological binding assay, merging the two operations into a single process whereby the active site or a binding pocket within the structure of the biological target directly controls the assembly of the best inhibitor in situ. Two different approaches to target-guided synthesis, the thermodynamic approach, making use of reversible reactions, and the kinetic approach, which uses an irreversible reaction, have been employed to discover novel, isoform selective inhibitors of the glutathione transferase (GST) enzyme family – possible drug targets in cancer and parasitic disease treatments. The thermodynamic approach described in this thesis uses the aniline-catalysed reversible acyl hydrazone formation reaction to create a dynamic covalent library of bivalent ligands designed to bind the dimeric structure of GST. In the presence of GST one of the bivalent ligands was selectively amplified at the expense of the other library members. This ligand was shown, via biological assays, to be a specific inhibitor for one isoform of GST, the mu isoform mGSTM1-1. A kinetic approach has also been investigated as a way to identify novel bivalent GST inhibitors utilising the Huisgen 1, 3 dipolar cycloaddition reaction. An azide and alkyne fragment library was designed to bind across the dimeric GST structure. The inhibitor structures are therefore bivalent, containing two anchoring fragments known to bind to the GST active site, linked by a triazolopeptide spacer. The triazole provides the click chemistry disconnection, enabling rapid in situ screening of candidate alkyne and azide fragments for inhibitor discovery. Whilst the in situ reaction with GST yielded inconclusive results, a number of the triazole products were found to have low nanomolar inhibitory activity towards GST.

Cytosolic glutathione transferases (GSTs) are a large family of enzymes that play an important role in detoxification of xenobiotics. They catalyse the conjugation of the glutathione tripeptide (GSH) to a wide range of toxic electrophilic acceptors. The overall 3D folds and architectures of the catalytic sites of many GSTs are conserved. They are composed of a well conserved glutathione binding site (G-site) and a promiscuous hydrophobic binding site (H-site). The 3D structure and ligand specificity has allowed the sub-classification of the multiple isoforms within the soluble GST superfamily. GSTs are involved in the drug detoxification and so are the target of medicinal chemistry programmes but it has proven difficult to generate isoform-specific inhibitors due to their inherent promiscuity. In this project, Venughopal Bhat (University of Edinburgh, laboratory of Dr. Mike Greaney) and I have explored a new platform to probe enzyme specificity. Protein-directed dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) allows the assembly and amplification of a ligand within the confines of a binding site. DCC was used as a tool to explore the promiscuous H-site of four eukaryotic GSTs. I purified recombinant forms of SjGST, hGST P1-1, mGST M1-1 and mGST A4-4 from E. coli and assayed them with the universal, synthetic GST substrate 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB). Venughopal Bhat prepared a ten-member, thermodynamically-controlled, dynamic combinatorial library (DCL) of acyl hydrazones from a 1-chloro-2-nitrobenzene aldehyde and ten acylhydrazides. This DCL was incubated with each of the four GST isozymes (spanning diverse classes) and distinct amplification effects were observed for SjGST and hGST P1-1. I subsequently carried out several biophysical experiments in an attempt to rank each of the ligands. These experiements, coupled with molecular modelling, provided insight into the basis of the observed selectivity. Bacterial GSTs are thought to play a role in primary metabolism and display a different GSH-conjugation mechanism compared to the eukaryotic GSTs. A recombinant form of the beta-class GST from the pathogenic bacterium Burkholderia cenocepacia was isolated, purified and biochemically characterised. The same ten-member acylhydrazone DCL was interfaced with the bacterial GST which was shown to amplify a hydrophobic library member that shared structural features with the known substrate 2-hydroxy-6-oxo-6-phenyl-2,4-dienoate (HOPDA). With the collaboration of Venughopal Bhat, I attempted to explore the putative active site of a GST-like protein with an unknown function using the same DCL. Although no amplification was observed, a new aldehyde template was suggested for future DCC experiments on this protein. GSTs are widely employed in biotechnology as protein fusion tags to enhance target protein solubility coupled with a facile enzyme assay. Manish Gupta and Juan Mareque-Rivas (University of Edinburgh) used the N-terminal, hexahistidine-tagged SjGST to demonstrate that quantum dots (QDs) coated with nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) bound to Ni2+ ions can be used to reversibly and selectively bind, purify, and fluorescently label a His6-tagged GST in one step with retention of enzymatic activity. For this prupose, I purified and characterized both the untagged and hexahistidinetagged – SjGST prior to their experiments.

Dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) is a powerful tool to identify new ligands for biological targets. In the technique, library synthesis and hit identification are neatly combined into a single step. A labile functionality between fragments allows the biological target to self-select binders from a dynamic combinatorial library (DCL) of interconverting building blocks. The scope of suitable reversible reactions that proceed under thermodynamic control in physiological conditions has been gradually expanded over the last decades, however DCC has thus far failed to gain traction as a technique appropriate for drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry. The constraints placed on library size by validated analytical techniques, and the effort-intensive reality of this academically elegant concept have not allowed DCC to develop into a broad-platform technique to compete with the high-throughput screening campaigns favoured by medicinal chemists. This thesis seeks to develop DCL analysis techniques, in an effort to increase the library size and accelerate the analysis of DCC experiments. Using a 19F-labelled core scaffold, we constructed a DCL that could be monitored non-invasively by 19F NMR. Building on NMR techniques developed by fragment screening and non-biological DCC campaigns, the method was developed to circumvent the undesired equilibrium-perturbing side effects arising from sample-consuming analytical methods. The N-acylhydrazone (NAH) DCL equilibrated rapidly at pH 6.2 using 4-amino-L-phenylalanine (4-APA) as a novel, physiologically benign, nucleophilic catalyst. The DCL was designed to target b-ketoacyl-ACP synthase III (FabH), an essential bacterial enzyme and antibiotic target. From the 5-membered DCL, a single combination was identified as a privileged structure by our 19F NMR method. The result correlated well with an in vitro assay, validating 19F NMR as a tool for DCL screening. During the 19F NMR study we identified an established antimicrobial compound, 4,5- dichloro-1,2-dithiole-3-one (HR45), to have potential as a core scaffold from which to develop future DCLs targeting FabH. Despite the potentially tractable chemistry of HR45 for DCC, lack of knowledge around the inhibitory mechanism of the compound prevented us from proceeding. Thus, we used mass spectrometry, NMR and molecular modelling to show that HR45 acts by forming a covalent adduct with S. aureus FabH. The 5-chloro substituent directs attack from the nucleophilic thiol side chain of the essential active site cysteine-112 residue via a Michael-type addition elimination mechanism. Although interesting, this mechanism disfavoured the use of HR45 as a core scaffold for NAH exchange in a DCC campaign. Electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is a powerful technique that allows for larger DCLs by eliminating the size-limitations imposed by the need for spectral or chromatographic resolution of DCL members. We developed a 4-APAcatalysed NAH library targeting the pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP) dependent enzyme 7,8-diaminopelargonic acid synthase (BioA), an essential enzyme in the biotin biosynthesis pathway. We exploited the aldehyde moiety of PLP to form an NAH DCL with a panel of hydrazides, and used the BioA isozymes from M. tuberculosis (Mtb) and E. coli to template the library. A combination of buffer exchange and denaturing ESI-MS allowed us to conduct a DCC experiment with a 29-member DCL. Hits from the DCC experiment correlated well with differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) results. Of these hits, 5 compounds were selected for further study. In vivo activity was displayed by 2 compounds against E. coli and the ESKAPE pathogen A. baumannii. The identification of compounds with antibacterial activity from a DCL further validates ESI-MS as a platform technology for drug discovery.

De nombreux glycoclusters multivalents des calixarènes, des pillararènes ou des fullerènes ont été synthétisés au sein de notre laboratoire et ont montré d'excellentes affinités pour diverses lectines grâce à leur multivalence et au « glycoside cluster effect ». Nous avons cherché à approfondir ces résultats en ajoutant un degré de dynamisme à ces molécules. Pour cela, nous avons appliqué les concepts de la chimie combinatoire dynamique où des briques moléculaires s'auto-assemblent via des liaisons réversibles pour générer à l'équilibre thermodynamique une chimiothèque d'oligomères. Des briques moléculaires dithiophénols glycosylés sont capables de s'auto-assembler via la formation de ponts disulfures. Leurs propriétés ont été investiguées en chimie combinatoire dynamique et la distribution d'espèces résultant de l'équilibration a montré la formation exclusive des cyclotrimères et cyclotétramères, ou dyn[3]- et dyn[4]arènes. La répétition de l'expérience en présence d'une lectine modèle (ConA) a mené à l'amplification des homodyn[3]- et homodyn[4]arènes. Ces derniers ont été isolés par HPLC semi-préparative et leurs affinités pour ConA ont été mesurées en ITC dans le domaine du nanomolaire. Une extension de cette méthodologie aux lectines LecA et LecB de Pseudomonas aeruginosa est en cours / Several glycoclusters based on calixarenes, pillararenes or fullerenes have been synthesized in our laboratory. They exhibited strong affinities for several lectins through their multivalence and the “glycoside cluster effect”. The prupose of this study was to add a dynamic part to these molecules. We therefore applied the concept of dynamic combinatorial chemistry in which building blocks are able to self-assemble through reversible bonds to generate a library of oligomers. Dithiophenols bearing carbohydrate epitopes can self-assemble through the formation and exchange of disulfide bonds. Their properties in dynamic combinatorial chemistry were studied and the species distribution at the thermodynamic equilibrium revealed the selective formation of cyclotrimers and cyclotetramers named dyn[3]- and dyn[4]arenes. The equilibration in the presence of ConA, used as a model lectin, have led to the amplification of homodyn[3]- and homodyn[4]arenes. These glycodyn[n3,4]arenes have been isolated and their affinities toward ConA measured by ITC in the nanomolar range. Extension of this methodology toward the lectins LecA and LecB of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is in progress

<p>Dynamic Combinatorial Chemistry (DCC) is a recently introduced supramolecular approach to generate dynamically interchanging libraries of compounds. These libraries are made of different building blocks that reversibly interact with one another and spontaneously assemble to encompass all possible combinations. If a target molecule, for instance a receptor is added to the system and one or more molecules show affinity to the target species, these compounds will, according to Le Châtelier´s principle, be amplified on the expense of the other non-bonding constituents. To date, only a handful of different systems and formats have been used. Hence, to further advance the technique, especially when biological systems are targeted, new reaction types and new screening methods are necessary. This thesis describes the development of reversible sulfur reactions, thiol/disulfide interchange and transthiolesterification (the latter being a new reaction type for DCC), as means of generating reversible covalent bond reactions. Two different types of target proteins are used, enzymes belonging to the hydrolase family and the plant lectin Concanavalin A. Furthermore, two new screening/analysis methods not previously used in DCC are also presented; the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)-technique and catalytic self-screening.</p>

Utiliser la liaison peptidique dans des systèmes dynamiques covalents est très difficile en raison de sa stabilité intrinsèque. Dans ce travail, une nouvelle méthodologie pour échanger fragments peptidiques dans des conditions biocompatibles est décrite. Légères modifications du groupe amine d'un résidu de cystéine en peptides modèle permettent l'activation spécifique de cette jonction peptidique pour des réactions d'échange covalent. Grâce à un mécanisme de ligation chimique native réversible, fragments peptidiques sont échangés en solution aqueuse à pH physiologique et en présence de dithiothréitol (DTT), avec des demi-temps d'équilibration de 2 à 10 heures. Différentes possibles applications biologiques de cette nouvelle réaction réversible à peptides et glycopeptides sont aussi proposées. / The possibility to use the peptide bond in dynamic covalent systems is very challenging because of its intrinsic stability. In this work, a novel methodology to exchange peptide fragments in bio-compatible conditions is described. The introduction of small modifications to the N-terminus of a cysteine residue in model peptides allows for the specific activation of that peptide bond for exchange reactions. Through a reverse Native Chemical Ligation (NCL) mechanism, peptide fragments were scrambled in aqueous solution at physiological pH and in the presence of dithiothreitol (DTT), with half-times of equilibration in the 2-10 h range. Additionally, possible biological applications of this new reversible reaction to both peptides and glycopeptides are proposed.

Dynamic Combinatorial Chemistry (DCC) is a recently introduced supramolecular approach to generate dynamically interchanging libraries of compounds. These libraries are made of different building blocks that reversibly interact with one another and spontaneously assemble to encompass all possible combinations. If a target molecule, for instance a receptor is added to the system and one or more molecules show affinity to the target species, these compounds will, according to Le Châtelier´s principle, be amplified on the expense of the other non-bonding constituents. To date, only a handful of different systems and formats have been used. Hence, to further advance the technique, especially when biological systems are targeted, new reaction types and new screening methods are necessary. This thesis describes the development of reversible sulfur reactions, thiol/disulfide interchange and transthiolesterification (the latter being a new reaction type for DCC), as means of generating reversible covalent bond reactions. Two different types of target proteins are used, enzymes belonging to the hydrolase family and the plant lectin Concanavalin A. Furthermore, two new screening/analysis methods not previously used in DCC are also presented; the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)-technique and catalytic self-screening. / QC 20101118

Dynamic systems for screening, control and identification of different protein-ligand interactions are presented. Dynamic chemistry is used to produce new compounds/constituents in situ that can interact with a target molecule. Several entities can be introduced at the same time and interact with one another. These molecules make a dynamic combinatorial library (DCL) which is used in dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC). DCC is a recently introduced approach to generate dynamically interchanging libraries of compounds. These libraries are made of different building blocks that reversibly interact with one another and spontaneously assemble to encompass all possible combinations. If a target molecule, for instance a receptor is added to the system and one or more molecules show affinity to the target species, these compounds will, according to Le Châtelier´s principle, be amplified on the expense of the other non-bonding constituents. To further advance the technique, especially when biological systems are targeted, new reaction types and new screening methods are necessary. This thesis describes the development of different reversible reactions, thiol/disulfide interchange, transthiolesterification and the nitroaldol (Henry) reaction as means of generating reversible covalent bond reactions. Two different types of target proteins are used, enzymes belonging to the hydrolase family and the plant lectin Concanavalin A. Dynamic combinatorial resolution (DCR) is presented. This new concept relies on the consecutive kinetic resolution of dynamic combinatorial libraries, leading to complete amplification and control of dynamically interchangeable processes. By applying a kinetically controlled step to a thermodynamically controlled system, complete transformation and amplification can be obtained. The concept has been demonstrated by developing transthiolesterification and nitroaldol exchange reactions to generate diversity, forming libraries under thermodynamic control, and used in one-pot processes with kinetically controlled enzyme-mediated resolution. The results demonstrate that the reaction types are useful for the generation of dynamic libraries, and that the dynamic combinatorial resolution concept is highly valuable for efficient substrate identification, asymmetric synthesis, and library screening. The thesis also describes three other dynamic chemistry protocols. The first one describes dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) of nitroaldol adducts by combined lipase catalysis. The second one describes finding lectin inhibitors from a glycodisulfide library and the third one describes finding an inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase using a tandem driven dynamic self-inhibition approach. / <p>QC 20100818</p>

Depuis la fin du XXème siècle, la chimie combinatoire dynamique permet de synthétiser sous contrôle thermodynamique des récepteurs macrocycliques pour des molécules invités cibles. Ainsi, de nombreux hôtes supramoléculaires capables d’effectuer de la reconnaissance de molécules d’intérêt biologique dans l’eau ont été reportés dans la littérature. Nous avons décrit une nouvelle famille de récepteurs macrocycliques hydrosolubles appelés dyn[n]arènes polycarboxylates. Leur propriété de reconnaissance moléculaire vis-à-vis des polyamines, des métaux et des acides aminés ont permis d’envisager des applications biologiques. D’un point de vue fondamental, le rôle des divers paramètres, dont le solvant, a été étudié pour identifier les forces motrices responsables des associations. Des expériences in cellulo ont permis de démontrer un effet cytostatique anti-prolifératif transitoire du dyn[4]arène sur les cellules cancéreuses HeLa. Dans le but de moduler leurs propriétés de reconnaissance moléculaire, des réactions d’extrusion de soufre ont été envisagées pour synthétiser des dérivés plus robustes des dyn[n]arènes. Enfin, une famille d’objets macrocycliques apparentée a été envisagée basée sur le motif imino-1,5-dithiocines. Des études synthétiques et physico-chimiques pour l’élaboration de ces nouveaux cavitands laissent entrevoir de possibles applications biologiques similaires à celle de leurs analogues, les bases de Tröger / Since the end of the 20th century, dynamic combinatorial chemistry under thermodynamic control has enabled the synthesis of macrocyclic receptors towards targeted guest. So, many supramolecular hosts have been reported to be efficent in the molecular recognition of biologically relevant molecules in water. We describe a new family of hydrosoluble macrocycles called polycarboxylated dyn[n]renes. Their molecular recognition properties with polyamines, amino acids and metals allow biological studies. From the fundamental view, the role of each parameters, including the solvent, has been deeply studied to identify the strength of the association. In cellulo experiments have shown an antiproliferative and cytostatic effect of the dyn[4]arene on HeLa cancer cells for several hours. In order to modulate their molecular recognition properties, sulfur extrusion process has been carried out to synthesize more robust derivatives of dynarenes. Finally, a new family of similar macrocycles has been studied, based on imino-1,5-dithiocines. Syntheses and physico-chemical studies for the design of futurs cavitands pave the way for similar biological applications as described for Tröger’s bases