Full details of a convergent total synthesis of the ramoplanin A2 and ramoplanose aglycon aredisclosed. Three key subunits composed of residues 3-9 (heptapeptide
15), pentadepsipeptide
26 (residues1, 2 and 15-17), and pentapeptide
34 (residues 10-14) were prepared, sequentially coupled, and cyclizedto provide the 49-membered depsipeptide core of the aglycon. Key to the preparation of the pentadepsipeptide
26 incorporating the backbone ester was the asymmetric synthesis of an orthogonally protected
L-threo-
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-hydroxyasparagine and the development of effective and near-racemization free conditions foresterification of its hindered alcohol (EDCI, DMAP, 0
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C). The coupling sites were chosen to maximize theconvergency of the synthesis including that of the three subunits, to prevent late stage racemization ofcarboxylate-activated phenylglycine-derived residues, and to enlist
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-sheet preorganization of an acyclicmacrocyclization substrate for 49-membered ring closure. By altering the order of final couplings, twomacrocyclization sites, Phe
9-
D-Orn
10 and Gly
14-Leu
15, were examined. Macrocyclization at the highlysuccessful Phe
9-
D-Orn
10 site (89%) may benefit from both
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-sheet preorganization as well as closure ata
D-amine terminus within the confines of a
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-turn at the end of the H-bonded antiparallel
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-strands. Amore modest, but acceptable macrocyclization reaction at the Gly
14-Leu
15 site (40-50%) found at theother end of the H-bonded antiparallel
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-strands within a small flexible loop may also benefit frompreorganization of the cyclization substrate, is conducted on a substrate incapable of competitiveracemization, and accommodates the convergent preparation of analogues bearing depsipeptide modifications. Deliberate late-stage incorporation of the subunit bearing the labile depsipeptide ester and a finalstage Asn
1 side-chain introduction provides future access to analogues of the aglycons which themselvesare equally potent or more potent than the natural products in antimicrobial assays.