Tryptophan racemization

Enzymatic hydrolysis is also used for the preparation of L-amino acids. Racemic D- and L-amino acids and their acyl-derivatives obtained chemically can be resolved enzymatically to yield their natural L-forms. Aminoacylases such as that from Pispergillus OTj e specifically hydrolyze L-enantiomers of acyl-DL-amino acids. The resulting L-amino acid can be separated readily from the unchanged acyl-D form which is racemized and subjected to further hydrolysis. Several L-amino acids, eg, methionine [63-68-3], phenylalanine [63-91-2], tryptophan [73-22-3], and valine [72-18-4] have been manufactured by this process in Japan and production costs have been reduced by 40% through the appHcation of immobilized cell technology (75). Cyclohexane chloride, which is a by-product in nylon manufacture, is chemically converted to DL-amino-S-caprolactam [105-60-2] (23) which is resolved and/or racemized to (24)... 

The first observation of the enantioselective properties of an albumin was made in 1958 (28) when it was discovered that the affinity for L-tryptophan exceeded that of the D-enantiomer by a factor of approximately 100. This led to more studies in 1973 of the separation of DL-tryptophan [54-12-6] C22H22N2O2, on BSA immobilized to Sepharose (29). After extensive investigation of the chromatographic behavior of numerous racemic compounds under different mobile-phase conditions, a BSA-SILICA hplc column (Resolvosil-R-BSA, Macherey-Nagel GmvH, Duren, Germany) was... 

Tryptophan (and also tryptophanol) undergoes a stereoselective cyclocondensation with racemic compound 249, in a very interesting process involving a kinetic resolution with epimerization of the tryptophan stereocenter and simultaneous desymmetrization of the two diastereotopic acetate chains <2005CC1327>, affording the enantiomeri-cally pure lactam 250. A subsequent treatment of the latter compound with trifluoroacetic acid led to the indolo[2,3- ]quinolizidine 251 through an intermediate acyliminium cation (Scheme 50) <20050L2817>. 

Ai-Stearoylamino acids and their methyl esters were synthesized from enantiomeric and racemic forms of tyrosine, serine, alanine, and tryptophan (Fig. 16). Analogs of these molecules were investigated initially over 30 years ago by Zeelen and Havinga, who found stereochemical differentiation in the monolayer HjA isotherms of these materials (Zeelen, 1956 Zeelen and Havinga, 1958). We have extended this study using more sensitive Langmuir balances, a wider array of dynamic and equilibrium techniques, and the A-stearoyl methyl esters of the amino acids (Harvey et al., 1989 Harvey and Arnett, 1989). 

Figure 17 shows the 11/A isotherms of racemic and enantiomeric films of the methyl esters of 7V-stearoyl-serine, -alanine, -tryptophan, and -tyrosine on clean water at 25°C. Although there appears to be little difference between the racemic and enantiomeric forms of the alanine surfactants, the N-stearoyl-tyrosine, -serine, and -tryptophan surfactants show clear enantiomeric discrimination in their WjA curves. This chiral molecular recognition is first evidenced in the lift-off areas of the curves for the racemic versus enantiomeric forms of the films (Table 2). As discussed previously, the lift-off area is the average molecular area at which a surface pressure above 0.1 dyn cm -1 is first registered. The packing order differences in these films, and hence their stereochemical differentiation, are apparently maintained throughout the compression/expansion cycles. 

The instability of these chiral monolayers may be a reflection of the relative stabilities of their bulk crystalline forms. When deposited on a clean water surface at 25°C, neither the racemic nor enantiomeric crystals of the tryptophan, tyrosine, or alanine methyl ester surfactants generate a detectable surface pressure, indicating that the most energetically favorable situation for the interfacial/crystal system is one in which the internal energy of the bulk crystal is lower than that of the film at the air-water interface. Only the racemic form of JV-stearoylserine methyl ester has a detectable equilibrium spreading pressure (2.6 0.3dyncm 1). Conversely, neither of its enantiomeric forms will spread spontaneously from the crystal at this temperature. 

Racemic fluorinated tryptophan derivatives 31 were obtained from 3-methylene indole 29 and fluorinated imines 30 using the imino-ene reaction (Equation (18)).28 The highest yields were obtained for the more electrophilic imines (R2 = SC>2Ph, Ts, SC Me). Moreover, these reactions took place at ambient temperature. 

Attempts have been made for the enantioselective synthesis of (—)-yohim-bane. Kametani et al. (216) reported the total synthesis of key intermediate (-)-368 starting from L-tryptophan, using enamide photocyclization. However, the optical purity of (—)-17-methoxyhexadehydroyohimbane obtained was only 17% owing to the partical racemization of intermediates throughout the reaction sequence. 

The synthesis of /./-pyridindolol 1064 started by acetonation of glyceric ester 1057 to give 1058, which was converted to the imidazoline 1059 by reaction with l,l-dimethyl-l,2-diaminoethane followed by acetylation. Its methylation gave 1060, which can be reduced to 1061 further reaction with tryptamine or tryptophan ester hydrochloride 1062 gave the respective diastreomeric mixture of carboline 1063 (80H947). Its conversion to racemic alkaloid d,/-pyridindolol 1064 could be readily achieved (79JOC535). 

Alkaline hydrolysis (with NaOH, KOH or more seldom with Ba(OH)2) is almost exclusively applied for the determination of tryptophan and phosphoamino acids. Serine, threonine, arginine, and cysteine are completely destroyed by alkaline hydrolysis, while other amino acids are racemized [190]. Since racemization also occurs during acid hydrolysis, when it is important to... 

Racemic jS-fluoroalkyl tyrosines and phenylalanines have been prepared by classical methods starting from the corresponding fluoroacetophenones. Synthesis of the nonracemic compounds is much more difficult, as exemplified by the preparation of jS-difluoromethyl meta-tyrosines (Figure 5.14). jS-Trifluoromethyl tryptophan is prepared by alkylation of ethyl acetamido malonate with indolyl-2,2-trifluoroethanol. Surprisingly, the decarboxylation reaction leads stereoselectively to the syn isomer (Figure 5.15). ... 

Saturated 5(4//)-oxazolones are easily obtained from //-acylamino acids in the presence of a cyclization agent and have been used extensively in coupling reactions as synthetic equivalents of a-amino acids in the synthesis of peptides. In this context, tautomeric equilibrium can be a significant problem due to the racemization associated with the isomerization. For example, trifluoroacetylation of tryptophan in ether affords the 5(4//)-oxazolone 5 without racemization. However, upon dissolution in acetonitrile, 5 completely racemizes. Further, upon heating, an aqueous dioxane solution of 5 cleanly isomerizes to the isomeric 5(2//)-oxazolone 6 (Scheme 7.2). 

The synthesis of 2-(trifluoromethyl) derivatives is more difficult and the compound preferentially obtained depends on the substituents and on the reaction conditions. Thus, the reaction of tryptophan with TFAA gives the 5(47/)-oxazolone without racemization." However, when this optically active product is dissolved in acetonitrile the racemic 5(47/)-oxazolone is obtained. On the other hand, treatment of the optically active compound with hot aqueous dioxane gave the isomeric 5(27/)-oxazolone (see Scheme 7.2). 

Under these reducing conditions of hydrolysis of tryptophan peptides, cystine is reduced to cysteine and its coelution with proline using standard buffer gradients, makes quantitation difficult. Thus, cysteine and cystine are generally derivatized prior to acid hydrolysis by oxidation to cysteic acid with performic acid 21 or alkylation, upon reduction in the case of cystine, with iodoacetic acid 21 or, more appropriately, with 4-vmylpyridine)22 23 50 Conversion of cysteine into 5- 3-(4-pyridylethyl)cysteine bears the additional advantage of suppressing epimerization via the thiazoline intermediate, thus allowing for standardization of the acid-hydrolysis dependent racemization of cysteine in synthetic peptides)24 ... 

Figure 4.11 Relative abundance for D L -stereoisomer groups of the oligo-tryptophan n-mers (n = 7 and 10, respectively), obtained after two racemic NCA-Trp feedings (a) in the absence (n = 7) and (b) in the presence of POPC liposomes (n = 10). The relative abundances of the stereoisomer subgroups (dark-gray columns) are mean values of three measurements. Standard deviations are given as error bars. The white columns correspond to the theoretical distribution, assuming a statistical oligomerization. (From Blocher et al., 2001.)...

Blocher, M., Hitz, T., and Luisi, P. L. (2001). Stereoselectivity in the oligomerization of racemic Tryptophan A-Carboxyanhydride (NCA-Trp) as determined by isotopic labelling and mass spectrometry. Helv. Chim. Acta, 84, 842-8. 

It is involved as a coenzyme (pyridoxal phosphate) in metabolism of tryptophan, in several metabolic transformations of amino acids including transamination, decarboxylation and racemization. 

Despite the known propensity for racemization, base-catalyzed cyclization continues to be used occasionally. Thus a series of cyclodipeptides derived from 1-methyl-L- and D-tryptophans and S-methyl-L-and D-cysteine have been prepared by ammonia-catalyzed cyclization (87JMC1706), (Scheme 1). 

Pyridoxal phosphate is the coenzyme for the enzymic processes of transamination, racemization and decarboxylation of amino-acids, and for several other processes, such as the dehydration of serine and the synthesis of tryptophan that involve amino-acids (Braunstein, 1960). Pyridoxal itself is one of the three active forms of vitamin B6 (Rosenberg, 1945), and its biochemistry was established by 1939, in considerable part by the work of A. E. Braunstein and coworkers in Moscow (Braunstein and Kritzmann, 1947a,b,c Konikova et al 1947). Further, the requirement for the coenzyme by many of the enzymes of amino-acid metabolism had been confirmed by 1945. In addition, at that time, E. E. Snell demonstrated a model reaction (1) for transamination between pyridoxal [1] and glutamic acid, work which certainly carried with it the implication of mechanism (Snell, 1945). 

The amide bonds in peptides and proteins can be hydrolyzed in strong acid or base Treatment of a peptide or protein under either of these conditions yields a mixture of the constituent amino acids. Neither acid- nor base-catalyzed hydrolysis of a protein leads to ideal results because both tend to destroy some constituent ammo acids. Acid-catalyzed hydrolysis destroys tryptophan and cysteine, causes some loss of serine and threonine, and converts asparagine and glutamine to aspartic acid and glutamic acid, respectively. Base-catalyzed hydrolysis leads to destruction of serine, threonine, cysteine, and cystine and also results in racemization of the free amino acids. Because acid-catalyzed hydrolysis is less destructive, it is often the method of choice. The hydrolysis procedure consists of dissolving the protein sample in aqueous acid, usually 6 M HC1, and heating the solution in a sealed, evacuated vial at 100°C for 12 to 24 hours. 

An interesting question is whether or not component selection occurs in the course of the self-assembly if a mixture is used, in particular in the case of chiral compounds. Thus, the assembly of a bis-L-tryptophan TAP derivative by di-w-butyl-B A was studied both as the optically pure LL compound and as a racemic mixture with the DD enantiomer [9.169]. The crystal structure of the latter showed... 

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