Faculty Bibliography

Genetics and pharmacology are often seen as two distinct approaches to interrogating, elucidating, and manipulating biological systems. The former is renowned for its precision whereas the latter for its fast kinetics, reversibility, and practicality. Here, we show that both can be joined as "tethered pharmacology", wherein a genetically programmed bioconjugation site provides selectivity and a tethered pharmacophore provides function. The speed of onset, and especially cessation, of pharmacological activity can be greatly enhanced by incorporating photoswitches and using light as the trigger ("tethered photopharmacology"). Genetically encoded, tethered photopharmacology is a variant of optogenetics and could even play a role in medicine wherever gene therapy is viable. However, gene therapy may not be necessary if sufficiently selective tethering strategies that operate on wild-type receptors can be developed.

The cystobactamids are a family of antibacterial natural products with unprecedented chemical scaffolds that are active against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. Herein, we describe the first total synthesis of cystobactamid 919-2 from three fragments. Our convergent synthesis enabled both the confirmation of the correct structure and the determination of the absolute configuration of cystobactamid 919-2.

The dragonbloodins are a pair of complex flavonoid trimers that have been isolated from the palm tree Daemonorops draco, one of the sources of the ancient resin known as "dragon's blood". We present a short synthesis that clarifies their relative configurations and sheds light on their origin in Nature. This synthesis features biomimetic cascade reactions that involve both ionic and radical intermediates. The biogenetic relationships between dracorhodin, the dracoflavans C, and the dragonbloodins A1 and A2 are discussed.

Hippolachnin A (1) is an antifungal polyketide that bristles with ethyl groups mounted onto a caged heterotricyclic core. It has shown potent activity against Cryptococcus neoformans, a yeast that can affect immunocompromised patients as an opportunistic pathogen. Herein we describe a concise, diversifiable, and scalable synthesis of (+/-)-hippolachnin A (1). It features a powerful photochemical opening step, a diastereoselective addition of an ethyl cuprate and an unusual strategy to install two additional ethyl groups that makes use of a thiocarbonyl ylide generated in situ.

Excitatory amino acid transporters clear glutamate from the synaptic cleft and play a critical role in glutamatergic neurotransmission. Their differential roles in astrocytes, microglia, and neurons are poorly understood due in part to a lack of pharmacological tools that can be targeted to specific cells and tissues. We now describe a photoswitchable inhibitor, termed ATT, that interacts with the major mammalian forebrain transporters EAAT1-3 in a manner that can be reversibly switched between trans (high-affinity) and cis (low-affinity) configurations using light of different colors. In the dark, ATT competitively inhibited the predominant glial transporter EAAT2 with approximately 200-fold selectivity over the neuronal transporter EAAT3. Brief exposure to 350 nm light reduced the steady-state blocker affinity by more than an order of magnitude. Illumination of EAAT2 complexed with ATT induced a corresponding increase in the blocker off-rate monitored in the presence of glutamate. ATT can be used to reversibly manipulate glutamate transporter activity with light and may be useful to gain insights into the dynamic physiological roles of glutamate transporters in the brain, as well as to study the molecular interactions of transporters with ligands.

A concise, enantioselective synthesis of lycopladine A and carinatine A is presented. Our synthetic approach hinges on the recently developed mild carbocyclization of ynones to furnish the hydrindane core of the alkaloids. Their pyridine ring was efficiently installed using the Ciufolini method. Both heterocycles of carinatine A, a rare naturally occurring nitrone, were formed in a single operation.

Wickerol A (1) is an unusual diterpene with remarkable activity against the H1N1 influenza virus. Its tetracyclic skeleton contains three quaternary carbons and is marked by several syn-pentane interactions which force a six-membered ring into a twist-boat conformation. We present an asymmetric synthesis of wickerol A (1) that is based on a Jung Diels-Alder reaction, an intramolecular alkylation to complete the 6-5-6-6 ring system, and a conjugate addition, all of which overcome considerable steric strain. During the synthesis, we isolated an unexpected cyclopropane that presumably stems from a carbonium ion intermediate.

alpha-Synuclein is a presynaptic protein the function of which has yet to be identified, but its neuronal content increases in patients of synucleinopathies including Parkinson's disease. Chronic overexpression of alpha-synuclein reportedly expresses various phenotypes of synaptic dysfunction, but the primary target of its toxicity has not been determined. To investigate this, we acutely loaded human recombinant alpha-synuclein or its pathological mutants in their monomeric forms into the calyces of Held presynaptic terminals in slices from auditorily mature and immature rats of either sex. Membrane capacitance measurements revealed significant and specific inhibitory effects of WT monomeric alpha-synuclein on vesicle endocytosis throughout development. However, the alpha-synuclein A53T mutant affected vesicle endocytosis only at immature calyces, whereas the A30P mutant had no effect throughout. The endocytic impairment by WT alpha-synuclein was rescued by intraterminal coloading of the microtubule (MT) polymerization blocker nocodazole. Furthermore, it was reversibly rescued by presynaptically loaded photostatin-1, a photoswitcheable inhibitor of MT polymerization, in a light-wavelength-dependent manner. In contrast, endocytic inhibition by the A53T mutant at immature calyces was not rescued by nocodazole. Functionally, presynaptically loaded WT alpha-synuclein had no effect on basal synaptic transmission evoked at a low frequency, but significantly attenuated exocytosis and impaired the fidelity of neurotransmission during prolonged high-frequency stimulation. We conclude that monomeric WT alpha-synuclein primarily inhibits vesicle endocytosis via MT overassembly, thereby impairing high-frequency neurotransmission.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Abnormal alpha-synuclein abundance is associated with synucleinopathies including Parkinson's disease, but neither the primary target of alpha-synuclein toxicity nor its mechanism is identified. Here, we loaded monomeric alpha-synuclein directly into mammalian glutamatergic nerve terminals and found that it primarily inhibits vesicle endocytosis and subsequently impairs exocytosis and neurotransmission fidelity during prolonged high-frequency stimulation. Such alpha-synuclein toxicity could be rescued by blocking microtubule polymerization, suggesting that microtubule overassembly underlies the toxicity of acutely elevated alpha-synuclein in the nerve terminal.

The optical control over biological function with small photoswitchable molecules has gathered significant attention in the last decade. Herein, we describe the design and synthesis of a small library of photoswitchable peptidomimetics based upon human atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), in which the photochromic amino acid [3-(3-aminomethyl)phenylazo]phenylacetic acid (AMPP) is incorporated into the peptide backbone. The endogeneous hormone ANP signals via the natriuretic peptide receptor A (NPR-A) through raising intracellular cGMP concentrations, and is involved in blood pressure regulation and sodium homeostasis, as well as lipid metabolism and pancreatic function. The cis- and trans-isomers of one of our peptidomimetics, termed TOP271, exhibit a four-fold difference in NPR-A mediated cGMP synthesis in vitro. Despite this seemingly small difference, TOP271 enables large, optically-induced conformational changes ex vivo and transforms the NPR-A into an endogenous photoswitch. Thus, application of TOP271 allows the reversible generation of cGMP using light and remote control can be afforded over vasoactivity in explanted murine aortic rings, as well as pancreatic beta cell function in islets of Langerhans. This study demonstrates the broad applicability of TOP271 to enzyme-dependent signalling processes, extends the toolbox of photoswitchable molecules to all classes of transmembrane receptors and utilizes photopharmacology to deduce receptor activation on a molecular level.

Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) represent a versatile model system to emulate the fundamental properties and functions associated with the plasma membrane of living cells. Deformability and shape transitions of lipid vesicles are closely linked to the mechanical properties of the bilayer membrane itself and are typically difficult to control under physiological conditions. Here, we developed a protocol to form cell-sized vesicles from an azobenzene-containing phosphatidylcholine (azo-PC), which undergoes photoisomerization on irradiation with UV-A and visible light. Photoswitching within the photolipid vesicles enabled rapid and precise control of the mechanical properties of the membrane. By varying the intensity and dynamics of the optical stimulus, controlled vesicle shape changes such as budding transitions, invagination, pearling, or the formation of membrane tubes were achieved. With this system, we could mimic the morphology changes normally seen in cells, in the absence of any molecular machines associated with the cytoskeleton. Furthermore, we devised a mechanism to utilize photoswitchable lipid membranes for storing mechanical energy and then releasing it on command as locally usable work.