Crafting Unnatural Peptide Macrocycles via Rh(III)-Catalyzed Carboamidation

J Am Chem Soc. 2024 Jul 31;146(30):20868-20877. doi: 10.1021/jacs.4c05248. Epub 2024 Jul 18.

Abstract

Contemporary developments in the field of peptide macrocyclization methodology are imperative for enabling the advance of drug design in medicinal chemistry. This report discloses a Rh(III)-catalyzed macrocyclization via carboamidation, reacting acryloyl-peptide-dioxazolone precursors and arylboronic acids to form complex cyclic peptides with concomitant incorporation of noncanonical α-amino acids. The diverse and modular technology allows for expedient access to a wide variety of cyclic peptides from 4 to 15 amino acids in size and features simultaneous formation of unnatural phenylalanine and tyrosine derivatives with up to >20:1 diastereoselectivity. The reaction showcases an expansive substrate scope with 45 examples and is compatible with the majority of standard protected amino acids used in Fmoc-solid phase peptide synthesis. The methodology is applied to the synthesis of multiple peptidomimetic macrocyclic analogs, including derivatives of cyclosomatostatin and gramicidin S.

MeSH terms

  • Catalysis
  • Cyclization
  • Macrocyclic Compounds / chemical synthesis
  • Macrocyclic Compounds / chemistry
  • Molecular Structure
  • Peptides, Cyclic* / chemical synthesis
  • Peptides, Cyclic* / chemistry
  • Rhodium* / chemistry

Substances

  • Rhodium
  • Peptides, Cyclic
  • Macrocyclic Compounds