Site-selective protein modification has become an important tool to study protein functions in chemical biology. In the preliminary work, allyl sulfides were found to be reactive substrates in aqueous cross-metathesis (CM) enabling the first examples of protein modification via this approach. In order to access the enhanced CM reactivity of allyl sulfide on proteins, facile chemical methods to install S-allyl cysteine on protein surface were developed. In particular, a cysteine-specific allylating reagent – allyl selenocyanate was used on protein substrate for the first time. The substrate scope of allyl sulfide-tagged proteins and factors that affect the outcome of CM was also investigated. A range of metathesis substrates containing different olefin tether of various lengths were screened; allyl ethers were found to be most suitable as CM partners. By reducing the steric hindrance around the allyl sulfide on protein surface through a chemical spacer, the rate and conversion of metathesis reaction on proteins was greatly enhanced. Moreover, allyl selenides were found to be more reactive than allyl sulfides in CM and enabled reactions with substrates that were previously impossible for the corresponding sulfur-analogue. Through this work, substrate selection guidelines for successful metathesis reaction on proteins were established. Rapid Se-relayed CM was further investigated through biomimetic chemical access to Se-allyl selenocysteine (Seac) via dehydroalanine. On-protein reaction kinetics revealed rate constants of Seac-mediated CM to be comparable or superior to off-protein rates of many current bioconjugations. This CM strategy was applied to histone proteins to install a mimic of acetylated lysine (K9Ac, an epigenetic marker). The resulting synthetic H3 was successfully recognized by antibody that binds natural H3-K9Ac. A Cope-type selenoxide elimination subsequently allowed the removal of such modification to regenerate dehydroalanine. Finally, preliminary research efforts towards metabolic incorporation of allyl sulfide-containing amino acid into proteins, and CM on cell surfaces were discussed.

Les cages moléculaires covalentes ou de coordination sont des molécules particulièrement intéressantes lorsqu’elles présentent une cavité active en reconnaissance moléculaire ou en réactivité chimique. Le projet consiste en la synthèse et l’étude d’un nouveau type de cage moléculaire, constituée de deux porphyrines reliées par des liaisons covalentes mais flexibles et de huit ligands 3-pyridyles (L) permettant de contrôler la taille de la cavité par un stimulus externe. L’étape-clé de la synthèse de cette cage est la formation d’un dimère de porphyrine par effet template, de sorte à favoriser la fermeture de la cage. Des cations métalliques coordinés par les groupements L ou un ligand ditopique comme le DABCO coordiné entre les métallo-porphyrines ont été utilisés pour pré-assembler le dimère. Ce dernier ayant été obtenu, les chaînes polyéther ont été reliées deux par deux par métathèse des oléfines. Une structure cristallographique de la cage covalente complexant le DABCO a pu être obtenue. La cage synthétisée a, par la suite, été démétallée et le DABCO retiré, la conformation adoptée par cette dernière molécule varie par rapport à son précurseur. / Covalent or coordination molecular cages are particularly interesting molecules when they incorporate an active cavity in molecular recognition or in chemical reactivity. The project consists in the synthesis and the study of a new type of molecular cage, built from two porphyrins linked together by covalent but flexible bonds and eight 3-pyridyl ligands (L) allowing a control of the size of the cavity by an external signal. The key-step in the cage synthesis is the formation of a template dimer in order to favour the covalent cage closing. Several metallic cations coordinated by the L moieties or a ditopic ligand such as DABCO coordinated between two metalloporphyrins have been used for the preorganization of a dimer. Once the latter compound formed, the polyether chains have been linked two-by-two by alkene metathesis. A crystallographic structure of the covalent cage complexing the DABCO has been obtained. Furthermore, the synthesized cage was demetallated and the DABCO removed, the conformation adopted by this molecule doesn’t change a lot from its precursor.