1.Synthesis of beta- and gamma-fluorenylmethyl esters of respectively N alpha-Boc-L-aspartic acid and N alpha-Boc-L-glutamic acid.
al-Obeidi F1, Sanderson DG, Hruby VJ. Int J Pept Protein Res. 1990 Mar;35(3):215-8.
The orthogonal synthesis of N alpha-Boc-L-aspartic acid-gamma-fluorenylmethyl ester and N alpha-Boc-L-glutamic acid-delta-fluorenylmethyl ester is reported. This is a four-step synthesis that relies on the selective esterification of the side-chain carboxyl groups on N alpha-CBZ-L-aspartic acid and N alpha-CBZ-L-glutamic acid. Such selectivity is accomplished by initially protecting the alpha-carboxyl group through the formation of the corresponding 5-oxo-4-oxazolidinone ring. Following side-chain esterification, the alpha-carboxyl and alpha-amino groups are deprotected with acidolysis. Finally, the alpha-amino group is reprotected with the t-butyl-oxycarbonyl (Boc) group. Thus aspartic acid and glutamic acid have their side-chain carboxyl groups protected with the base-labile fluorenylmethyl ester (OFm) and their alpha-amino groups protected with the acid-labile Boc group. These residues, when used in conjunction with N alpha-Boc-N epsilon-Fmoc-L-lysine, are important in the formation of side-chain to side-chain cyclizations, via an amide bridge, during solid-phase peptide synthesis.
2.An approach to trapping gamma-glutamyl radical intermediates proposed for vitamin K dependent carboxylase: alpha,beta-methyleneglutamic acid.
Slama JT1, Satsangi RK, Simmons A, Lynch V, Bolger RE, Suttie J. J Med Chem. 1990 Feb;33(2):824-32.
The vitamin K dependent carboxylase activates the glutamyl gamma-CH of substrate peptides for carboxylation by producing a gamma-glutamyl free radical, a gamma-glutamyl carbanion, or through a concerted carboxylation. We propose to intercept the putative gamma-glutamyl free radical by the intramolecular rearrangement of a substrate containing the alpha,beta-cyclopropane analogue of glutamic acid. The rearrangement of cyclopropylcarbinyl radicals into 2-butenyl radicals is rapid, exothermic, and considered diagnostic of free-radical formation. 1-Amino-2-(carboxymethyl)cyclopropane-1-carboxylate, the beta-cyclopropane analogue of glutamic acid, was synthesized starting from diethyl alpha-ketoglutarate. The alpha-keto ester was first treated with benzonitrile in sulfuric acid, to yield diethyl alpha,alpha-dibenzamidoglutarate. The alpha,alpha-dibenzamido acid was cleaved to produce the alpha,beta-dehydroamino acid and benzamide on treatment with p-toluenesulfonic acid in hot benzene.
