Total Synthesis of Tagitinins, Goyazensolide and Related Furanoheliangolides and their Covalent Interaction with Importin-5 (IPO5)

Herein, we detail an extension of our research on the synthesis of a small library of furanoheliangolides and the characterization of the covalent interaction between goyazensolide and IPO5. Using a build-couple-pair strategy, we assembled a small library of germacrene-type lactones and diversified them into eight groups of structurally different analogues. The germacrene lactones were synthesized using Sonogashira coupling and Barbier-type macrocyclization, while the furanoheliangolides were further elaborated through gold-catalyzed transannulation followed by esterification. This synthetic approach enabled the generation of a goyazensolide alkyne-tagged cellular probe, which was used to identify the selective binding between goyazensolide and the oncoprotein importin-5 (IPO5). Mass spectrometry analysis of the proteolytic digest from the reaction between the goyazensolide probe and a recombinant IPO5 indicated a covalent engagement at Cys560 of IPO5, which was confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis.