Le rhinovirus (RV) est connu pour être l'étiologie de plus de la moitié des rhumes bénins. Ces virus ont également été associés à des pathologies respiratoires beaucoup plus graves (asthme, bronchopneumopathie chronique obstructive (BPCO) et mucoviscidose). Le développement d'inhibiteurs de décapsidation du virus, appelés agents « capsid-binders », est ainsi devenu une priorité pour de nombreux laboratoires de recherche. Dans ce contexte, une classe d’inhibiteurs se liant au sein de la poche hydrophobe de la protéine capsidaire VP1 a été développée par notre équipe au travers d’une stratégie radicalaire médiée par le TDAE (Tétrakis(DiméthylAmino)Ethylène). Dans le but de poursuivre les investigations sur le hit LPCRW_0005, un travail de pharmacochimie a été entrepris selon deux approches. Dans un premier temps, une optimisation de la taille du LPCRW_0005 a été envisagée par un allongement du squelette chimique. La conception de ces molécules a été guidée par l’utilisation de modélisation moléculaire via la réalisation de docking rigide ligand/protéine. La synthèse de nombreux composés et leur évaluation in vitro, ont permis de mieux apprécier le potentiel biologique de ce type de dérivés. L’identification de la configuration active du centre stéréogène porté par le linker alcool a été rendue possible par la séparation énantiosélective de certains inhibiteurs suivie d’une caractérisation basée sur un protocole de Mosher. Dans un second temps, une étude comparative des séquences primaires protéiques, nous ont conduits à concevoir de nouveaux composés afin de développer des « capsid-binders » à plus large spectre d'action.

Rhinovirus (RV), virus of Picornaviridae family, is known to be the aetiology of more than half of the common cold. Through advances in molecular biology, the rhinoviruses have been associated with much more serious respiratory pathologies (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis). So, the development of viral attachment and/or uncoating inhibitors named « capsid-binders » molecules has become a priority for many research laboratories. In this context, a class of inhibitors binding into a hydrophobic pocket of the VP1 capsid protein has been identified by our team through a TDAE strategy. In order to follow the investigations on the LPCRW_0005 hit, a pharmacochemistry work was begun according to two approaches. Initially, an optimisation of the LPCRW_0005 size was envisaged by an extension of the scaffold via various pallado-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. The design of these molecules was guided by the use of molecular modeling via a rigid ligand/protein docking. The synthesis of many compounds and their in vitro biological evaluation on HeLa cells infected with the rhinovirus 14 (RV-B14), refined our knowledge about the biological potential of such a scaffold. The enantioselective separation of some inhibitors followed by a Mosher’s protocol allowed us to identify the active configuration of the alcohol linker. Finally, a comparative study of protein primary…

Advisors/Committee Members: Vanelle, Patrice (thesis director), Terme, Thierry (thesis director).

Kainic acid has been used for nearly 50 years as a tool in neuroscience due to its pronounced neuroexcitatory properties. However, the significant price increase of kainic acid resulting from the disruption in the supply from its natural source, the alga Digenea Simplex, as well as inefficient synthesis of kainic acid, call for the exploration of functional mimics of kainic acid that can be synthesized in a simpler way. Aza kainoids analog could be one of them. The unsubstituted aza analog of kainoids has demonstrates its ability as an ionotropic glutamate receptor agonist and showed affinity in the chloride dependent glutamate (GluCl) binding site. This opened a question of the importance of the presence of one nitrogen or both nitrogens in the aza kainoid analogs for binding to glutamate receptors. Therefore, two different pyrrolidine analogs of kainic acid, trans-4-(carboxymethyl)pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acid and trans-2-carboxy-3-pyrrolidineacetic acid, were synthesized through multi-step sequences. The lack of the affinity of both pyrrolidine analogs in GluCl binding site indicated that both nitrogens in aza kainoid analogs are involved in hydrogen bonding with receptors, significantly enhancing their affinity in GluCl binding site. Another potential functional mimic of kainic acid is isoxazolidine analogs of kainoids whose skeleton can be constituted directly via a 1, 3 dipolar cycloaddition as the key step. The difficulty in synthesizing N-unsubstituted isoxazolidines when applying such common protecting groups as alkyl, phenyl and benzyl groups, and the requirement of a desired enantioselectivity due to the three chiral ceneters in kainic acid, pose great challenges. Hence, several different protected nitrones were studied to establish that diphenylmethine nitrone may be a good candidate as the dipole in that the generated isoxazolidines can be deprotected in mild conditions with high yields. Our investigations also indicated that the exo/endo selectivity of the 1, 3 dipolar cycloaddition can be controlled by Lewis acids, and that the application of a directing group in dipolarophiles can accomplish a satisfied enantioselectivity. Those results demonstrated the synthesis of isoxazoldines analogs of kainic acid is very promising. Advisors/Committee Members: Kathleen S. Rein, David Becker, Kevin O'Shea, Philip Stoddard, Waston Lees.