No abstract

The enantiomers of glucuronolactone are excellent chirons for the synthesis of the 10 stereoisomeric 2,5-dideoxy-2,5-iminohexitols by formation of the pyrrolidine ring by nitrogen substitution at C2 and C5, with either retention or inversion of configuration; the stereochemistry at C3 may be adjusted during the synthesis to give seven stereoisomers from each enantiomer. A definitive side-by-side comparison of the glycosidase inhibition of a panel of 13 glycosidases showed that 8 of the 10 stereoisomers showed significant inhibition of at least one glycosidase.

The assembly switch of cell division protein FtsZ monitored with a fluorescent probe targeting the cleft between domains.

Selected by the EditorialO ffice for our Showcaseo fo utstanding Reviewtype articles (www.chemeurj.org/showcase).

The Ho crossed aldol condensation provides access to a series of carbon branched iminosugars as exemplified by the synthesis of enantiomeric pairs of isoDMDP, isoDGDP, and isoDAB, allowing comparison of their biological activities with three linear isomeric natural products DMDP, DGDP, and DAB and their enantiomers. L-IsoDMDP [(2S,3S,4R)-2,4-bis(hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidine-3,4-diol], prepared in 11 steps in an overall yield of 45% from d-lyxonolactone, is a potent specific competitive inhibitor of gut disaccharidases [K(i) 0.081 μM for rat intestinal maltase] and is more effective in the suppression of hyperglycaemia in a maltose loading test than miglitol, a drug presently used in the treatment of late onset diabetes. The partial rescue of the defective F508del-CFTR function in CF-KM4 cells by L-isoDMDP is compared with miglustat and isoLAB in an approach to the treatment of cystic fibrosis.