The proposed diastereoisomers (1 a-d) together with their C8'-epimers (1 e-h) of amipurimycin, a unique antifungal peptidyl nucleoside antibiotic, have been synthesized for the first time. The synthetic approach is efficient and stereodivergent, and features a stereoselective aldol condensation to build the branched C9 sugar amino acid skeleton and a regio- and stereocontrolled gold(I)-catalyzed N-glycosylation to furnish the purine nucleoside. Analysis of the NMR data suggests that the previously assigned configuration of the tertiary C3' in amipurimycin should be of opposite configuration.

Feeding studies indicate a possible synthetic pattern for the N-terminal cis-aminocyclopentane carboxylic acid (ACPC) and suggest an unusual source of the highcarbon sugar skeleton of amipurimycin (APM). The biosynthetic gene cluster of APM was identified and confirmed by in vivo experiments. A C9 core intermediate was discovered from null mutants of ACPC pathway, and an ATP-grasp enzyme (ApmA8) was reconstituted in vitro for ACPC loading. Our observations allow a first proposal of the APM biosynthetic pathway. Letter pubs.acs.org/OrgLett

Homo-dimerizations of a variety of aldosulose and aldonolactone derivatives via aldol and Claisen reactions have been achieved, leading to novel branched higher carbon sugars in a highly stereoselective manner.