New Strategies for the Synthesis of Unusual Peptides and Alkaloids

Title:

New Strategies for the Synthesis of Unusual Peptides and Alkaloids

Schedule:

Date: 14^th May, 2024 (Tuesday)

Time: 4:30 - 5:30 pm (HKT)

Venue: Lecture Theatre P1, Chong Yuet Ming Chemistry Building

Speaker:

Prof. Steven L. Castle

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

United States of America

Biography:

Steven L. Castle is a professor of chemistry at Brigham Young University and director of the Simmons Center for Cancer Research. His research interests encompass the development of new synthetic methods targeting complex bioactive natural products, studies of their modes of action, and peptide science. He is the recipient of a Research Innovation Award from Research Corporation, a Long-Term Invitation Fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and the Wesley P. Lloyd Award for Distinction in Graduate Education from Brigham Young University.

Abstract:

The complex structures of peptide and alkaloid natural products provide inspiration for the of new methods in synthetic organic chemistry. Additionally, the potent and selective bioactivity of many of these compounds provides opportunities to use organic synthesis to answer important questions in chemical biology. Results from our synthetic efforts targeting the peptide yaku’amide A and related analogs will be presented, and the anticancer activity of these compounds will be discussed. In addition, use of the methodology developed in this endeavor to evaluate the ability of dehydroamino acids to increase the proteolytic stability of peptides will be described. Moreover, a novel serine ligation protocol inspired by our yaku’amide A synthetic strategy will be highlighted.

Microwave-promoted reactions of iminyl radicals provide straightforward and efficient means of constructing nitrogen-containing compounds. Our results in this area will be presented, including iminyl radical fragmentations and cyclizations. Application of a novel iminyl radical cascade reaction to the synthesis of the alkaloid virosinine A will be described.

- ALL ARE WELCOME -