Versatile Synthetic Route to Cycloheximide and Analogues That Potently Inhibit Translation Elongation

Cycloheximide (CHX) is an inhibitor of eukaryotic translation elongation that has played an essential role in the study of protein synthesis. Despite its ubiquity, few studies have been directed towards accessing synthetic CHX derivatives, even though such efforts may lead to protein synthesis inhibitors with improved or alternate properties. Described here is the total synthesis of CHX and analogues, and the establishment of structure-activity relationships (SAR) responsible for translation inhibition. The SAR studies aided the design of more potent compounds, one of which irreversibly blocks ribosomal elongation, preserves polysome profiles, and may be a broadly useful tool for investigating protein synthesis.