Enzyme-Assisted Total Synthesis of the Optical Antipodes d -myo-Inositol 3,4,5-Trisphosphate and d -myo-Inositol 1,5,6-Trisphosphate: Aspects of Their Structure−Activity Relationship to Biologically Active Inositol Phosphates

Unambiguous total syntheses of both optical antipodes of the enantiomeric pair D-myo-inositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins(3,4,5)P3) and D-myo-inositol 1,5,6-trisphosphate (Ins(1,5,6)P3) are described. The ring system characteristic of myo-inositol was constructed de novo from p-benzoquinone. X-ray data for the enzymatically resolved (1S,2R,3R,4S)-1,4-diacetoxy-2,3-dibromocyclohex-5-ene enabled the unequivocal assignment of the absolute configuration. Subsequent transformations under stereocontrolled conditions led to enantiopure C2-symmetrical 1,4-(di-O-benzyldiphospho)conduritol B derivatives. Their synthetic potential was exploited to prepare Ins(3,4,5,6)P4 and Ins(1,4,5,6)P4 in three steps. With a recently identified and partially purified InsP5/InsP4 phosphohydrolase from Dictyostelium discoideum, these enantiomers could be converted to the target compounds, Ins(3,4,5)P3 and Ins(1,5,6)P3, on a preparative scale. An HPLC system employed for both purification of the inositol phosphates and analytical runs ensured that the products were isomerically homogeneous. The sensitivity of detection achieved by a complexometric postcolumn derivatization method indicates that the complexation properties of Ins(3,4,5)P3/Ins(1,5,6)P3 resemble those of Ins(1,2,3)P3, a compound with antioxidant potential. The set of inositol phosphates synthesized was used to clarify structural motifs important for molecular recognition by p42(IP4), a high-affinity Ins(1,3,4,5)P4/PtdIns(3,4,5)P3-specific binding protein from pig cerebellum.