Back to results

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Structures of the Didemnins (Antiviral, Antitumor, Compounds)

Abstract

dc:description

The didemnins (shown below), promising new antiviral and antitumor depsipeptides, have been isolated from a Caribbean tunicate. Their amino acid compositions were ascertained by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of the trifluoroacetyl n-butyl ester derivatives of the amino acids present in the total acid hydrolyzates. The identities of non-amino acyl components were revealed by ('1)H NMR spectroscopy and/or by their isolation. The connectivities of the didemnins were elucidated by high resolution field desorption mass spectrometry (HRFDMS) of partial hydrolyzates and by high resolution electron impact mass spectrometry (HREIMS) of the intact depsipeptides. Their structures were later confirmed by high resolution fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (HRFABMS) of degradation products and of the intact depsipeptides. The sequences of didemnins D and E were determined by FABMS, supplemented by HRFABMS and by analogy to the structures of didemnins A-C. Didemnin A, the simplest of these closely related compounds, contains one mole each of N-methyl-D-leucine (MeLeu), L-threonine (Thr), 3S,4R-statine (Sta), L-leucine (Leu), L-proline (Pro), and N,O-dimethyl-L-tyrosine (Me(,2)Tyr), and a 2R,4R-hydroxyisovalerylpropionyl (Hip) group. Didemnins B-E differ from didemnin A by acylation of the methylamino group of MeLeu with the substitutents shown. Didemnin B is the most active of these compounds, possessing ID(,50) = 0.0022 (mu)g/mL vs. L1210 leukemic cells, T/C up to 199 vs. P388 leukemia, and T/C up to 160 vs. B16 melanoma.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph.D.
Level thesis:degree_level
Dissertation
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Chemistry
Grantor
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Year dc:date
2014

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Gloer, James Benton

Subjects

dc:subject × 1

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Identifier
(UMI)AAI8409453
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/70229

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
Base URL
www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Gloer, James Benton. Structures of the Didemnins (Antiviral, Antitumor, Compounds). Dissertation thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2142/70229