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Updated: Apr 14, 2026

A Customizable Approach for the Enzymatic Production and Purification of Diterpenoid Natural Products
Published on: October 4, 2019
A modular approach to the total synthesis of tunicamycins
1State Key Laboratory of Bioorganic and Natural Products Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032 (China).
Abstract:
The tunicamycins constitute a delicate mimic of the bisubstrate intermediates of N-acetyl-D-hexosamine-1-phosphate translocases and thus inhibit bacterial cell-wall synthesis and the N glycosylation of eukaryotic proteins. An efficient approach to the synthesis of this unique type of nucleoside antibiotics is now reported and features the assembly of five modules in a highly stereoselective and robust manner. A Mukaiyama aldol reaction, intramolecular acetal formation, gold(I)-catalyzed O and N glycosylation, and final N acylation were used as the key steps.
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