An efficient, stereocontrolled synthesis of a potent omuralide-salinosporin hybrid for selective proteasome inhibition.

A short and highly stereocontrolled synthesis of the potent proteasome inhibitor 3 from the (S)-threonine-derived oxazoline 4 has been developed. The synthetic sequence is summarized in Scheme 1. Aldol coupling of the zinc enolate of 4 with isobutyraldehyde and subsequent silylation provided the TBS ether 5 diastereoselectively (10:1). Reductive cleavage of the oxazoline ring of 5 followed by Swern oxidation of the resulting amino alcohol afforded amino ketone 6, converted further by N-acylation to the acrylamide 7, whose structure was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Acrylamide 7 was cyclized to 8 by a novel application of the Kulinkovich Ti(II)-cyclopentene complex. Silylation of 8 to 9 and radical cyclization at low temperature produced the bicyclic lactam 10 with complete control of all stereocenters. Hydroxy desilylation and N-deprotection of 10 gave the dihydroxy ester 11, which was converted to 3 by a novel three-step sequence: (1) demethylation with [Me2AlTeMe]2, (2) combined beta-lactonization and chlorination, and (3) desilylation to effect cleavage of the TBS ether.