Bioorganic Chemistry in Healthcare and Technology

In current thinking, Bioorganic Chemistry may be defined as the area of chemistry which lies in the border region between organic chemistry and biology and which describes and analyzes biological phenomena in terms of detailed molecular structures and molecular mechanisms. This molecular-level view of biological processes is not only essential to their fuller understanding but also serves as the platform for the application of the principles of such processes to areas of health­ care and technology. The objective of the ASI workshop on " Bioorganic Chemistry in Healthcare and Technology", held in the Hengelhoef Congress Centre in Houthalen-Helchteren, Belgium, from September 18-21, 1990, was to bring together most of the international experts in the field to discuss the current developments and new trends in bioorganic chemistry, especially in relation to the selected theme. The book presents nineteen invited plenary and session lectures and eighteen posters. These cover areas of (i) molecular design of therapeutic and agronomical agents based npon mechanistic rationale or drug-receptor interactions, (ii) production of substances of commercial value via combined organic chemical and bio-chemical methodologies, (iii) fundamental studies on the molecular mechanisms of enzymes and (iv) the evolution of conceptually new molecular systems which are programmed to execute specific recognition and/or catalytic functions. An abstracted version of the plenary discussion held at the end of the workshop is also included. We feel confident that the subject matter of this book will be of interest to a broad group of chemists engaged in academic or industrial research.

Inhalt

Biogeneration of aromas: Gamma and delta lactones from C-6 to C-12.- Catalytic antibodies.- Inhibition of sterol biosynthesis by analogues of carbenium ion intermediates.- Molecular modelling and structural databases in pharmaceutical research.- Supramolecular reactivity and catalysis of phosphoryl transfer.- Polymer assisted molecular recognition: The current understanding of the molecular imprinting procedure.- The chemistry of lignin biodegradation catabolism of veratryl alcohol and its methyl ether.- Studies on plant tissue culture - synthesis and biosynthesis of biologically active substances.- NMR Studies of complexes of L. casei dihydrofolate reductase with antifolate drugs: Multiple conformations and conformational selection of bound rotational isomers.- Structure-function relationship of gastrin hormones: A rational approach to drug design.- Indirect modelling of drug-receptor interactions.- Production of beta-lactams: A mixture of organic synthesis processes and enzymatic processes.- Mechanism of action of ?-lactamases and DD-peptidases.- NMR Studies of the enzyme mechanisms of vitamin B12 biosynthesis.- Synthesis of homochiral pharmaceuticals using effective enantioselective biocatalysts.- Chemical intervention in catalysis by enzymes.- Immobilisation of reductases by two-phase systems and polymer matrices.- Two approaches in the design of plant enzyme inhibitors.- The mechanism of the urocanase reaction.- The microbiological reduction/oxidation concept: An approach to a chemoenzymatic preparation of optically pure lactones and lactonic synthons.- Effect of temperature on enzymatic synthesis of cephalosporins.- Study of the action of hydrolases on insoluble substrates in aqueous and non-aqueous systems.- Enzymes in organic solvents: Enantioselective transesterification of alpha-methyl substituted primary alcohols catalyzed by a lipase.- Production of mannitol by Leuconostoc mesenteroides, immobolized on reticulated polyurethane foam.- Synthesis of potential inhibitors of vitamin D hydroxylases.- Inhibitors of adenylosuccinate lyase.- Model studies of the thymidylate synthase reaction: Design of mechanism-based potential inhibitors of DNA biosynthesis.- Design of plant sterol biosynthesis inhibitors - Inhibition of the steps involved in the removal of the 14?-methyl group.- Biosynthesis of melanin by Pyricularia oryzae: Mechanism of reduction of polyhydroxynaphthalenes.- The predictive value of historical and functional models: Coenzyme stereospecificity of glucose dehydrogenase.- Modular abiotic amino acid receptors.- New alkaloids of some Turkish medicinal plants.- Towards chemical control of gene expression: Copper (II) and thiols, including glutathione, are powerful reagents for cleavage of DNA.- Interaction of reductively methylated lysyl-Fd gene 5 protein with a negatively charged lanthanide paramagnetic macrocyclic chelate or with oligonucleotides using 13-C NMR.- Structural and kinetic analysis of flavine adenine dinucleotide modification in alcohol oxidase from methylotropic yeasts.- Isolation, characterization and utilization of psychrophilic proteinases from Atlantic cod.- Conformational analysis of leukotrienes and related compounds for mapping the leukotriene D4 receptor: Application to the design of novel anti-asthma drugs.- Closing Session.- Participants.- Author Index.