The Advanced Floating Chirality Distance Geometry Approach―How Anisotropic NMR Parameters Can Support the Determination of the Relative Configuration of Natural Products

The configurational analysis of complex natural products by NMR spectroscopy is still a challenging task. The assignment of the relative configuration is usually carried out by analysis of interproton distances from NOESY or ROESY spectra (qualitative or quantitative) and scalar (J) couplings. About 15 years ago, residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) were introduced as a tool for the configurational determination of small organic molecules. In contrast to NOEs/ROEs which are local parameters (distances up to 400 pm can be detected for small organic molecules), RDCs are global parameters which allow to obtain structural information also from long-range relationships. RDCs have the disadvantage that the sample needs a setup in an alignment medium in order to obtain the required anisotropic environment. Here, we will discuss the configurational analysis of five complex natural products: axinellamine A (1), tetrabromostyloguanidine (2), 3,7-epi-massadine chloride (3), tubocurarine (4), and vincristine (5). Compounds 1–3 are marine natural products whereas 4 and 5 are from terrestrial sources. The chosen examples will carefully work out the limitations of NOEs/ROEs in the configurational analysis of natural products and will also provide an outlook on the information obtained from RDCs.

Plakilactones G and H from a marine sponge. Stereochemical determination of highly flexible systems by quantitative NMR-derived interproton distances combined with quantum mechanical calculations of 13C chemical shifts

In this paper the stereostructural investigation of two new oxygenated polyketides, plakilactones G and H, isolated from the marine sponge Plakinastrella mamillaris collected at Fiji Islands, is reported. The stereostructural studies began on plakilactone H by applying an integrated approach of the NOE-based protocol and quantum mechanical calculations of 13C chemical shifts. In particular, plakilactone H was used as a template to extend the application of NMR-derived interproton distances to a highly flexible molecular system with simultaneous assignment of four non-contiguous stereocenters. Chemical derivatization and quantum mechanical calculations of 13C on plakilactone G along with a plausible biogenetic interconversion between plakilactone G and plakilactone H allowed us to determine the absolute configuration in this two new oxygenated polyketides.

Accuracy in determining interproton distances using Nuclear Overhauser Effect data from a flexible molecule

The determination of accurate NOE-derived interproton distances and confirmation/prediction of relative populations in multi-conformer, flexible small molecules was investigated with the model compound 4-propylaniline. The low accuracy assumed for semi-quantitative NOE distance restraints is typically taken to suggest that large numbers of constraints need to be used in the dynamical analysis of flexible molecules, and this requires, for example, the measurement and Karplus-type analysis of scalar coupling constants (3 J CH and 3 J HH). Herein we demonstrate that, contrary to this common perception, NOE measurements alone are accurate enough to establish interproton distances, and hence conformational detail, in flexible molecules to within a few percent of their ensemble-averaged values, hence reducing the demand for additional restraints in such dynamic analyses.

Determination of the three-dimensional structure of hordothionin-α by nuclear magnetic resonance

The high-resolution three-dimensional solution structure of the plant toxin hordothionin-α obtained from Korean barley was determined by using two-dimensional NMR techniques combined with distance geometry and restrained molecular dynamics. Experimentally derived restraints including 292 interproton distances from nuclear Overhauser effect measurements, 16 hydrogen bond restraints together with four disulphide bridge restraints were used as input to calculations of distance geometry and restrained molecular dynamics. Also included in the calculations were 36 ϕ and 17 χ1 torsion angles obtained from 3JHNα and 3Jαβ coupling constants in double quantum filtered COSY and primitive exclusive COSY experiments, respectively. The overall protein fold is similar to crambin and purothionin-α1. Two α-helices running in opposite directions are found on the basis of 3JHNα and 3Jαβ and deuterium exchange rates for backbone NH protons, and encompass residues 7–18 and 22–28. These two helices are connected by a turn and form a ‘helix–turn–helix’ motif. A short stretch of an anti-parallel β-sheet exists between residues 1–4 and 31–34. The two protein termini of hordothionin-α are ‘well-anchored’: the N-terminus of the protein is immobilized by this short β-sheet whereas the C-terminus is ‘pasted’ to the carbonyl group of Cys-4 by a very stable hydrogen bond. The average root-mean-square differences for the backbone and heavy atoms after the restrained molecular dynamics calculations are 0.62 and 1.16 Å respectively. These numbers represent a significant improvement over the corresponding values for the previous NMR structures of other thionins. The distance violation from the experimental interproton distances for the final structures is 0.14 Å for all atoms.