Chemistry of RNAs, Nucleosides, Peptides and Heterocycles

 

Team Composition

Mélanie Etheve-Quelquejeu, Pr

Permanent Staff

E. Braud, Pr
H. Chen, MCU, HDR
C. Garbay, PRem
L. Iannazzo, CR, HDR
D. Bouquet, IE

Non Permanent Staff

Dylan Coelho, Post-Doc
Yoann Colas, Post-Doc

 

PhD Students

Yan Badji
Katie Burke
Yusif Afandizada
Du Jianxun

Former Members

L. Mossino
T. Xavier
F. Bouchet
S. Saidjalolov
C. Kitoun
K. Bartosik, Post-Doc
S. Leprevost, ASI
B. Li

 

 

 

 

Our team is specialized in chemistry of nucleosides, nucleotides, peptides and heterocycles, which is used to generate molecules with desired physical or biological properties in order to better understand or inhibit biological processes. More recently, the team has reinforced is expertise in chemistry of nucleic acids to obtain synthetic RNAs and has acquired new expertise in β-lactamine chemistry. The molecules and biomolecules synthesized are used i) to explore the catalytic mechanism of transferases involved in the cell wall synthesis of bacteria  ii) to study transferases involved in epitranscriptomic events, iii) as tools for structural studies of enzymes. The different projects are presented below :

Chemistry of RNAs :

Development of new methodologies for post-functionalization of RNAs. Using our methodologies, we were able to synthesized :

– Peptidyl-RNA conjugates for the study of FmhB of Staphyloccocus Aureus

– Stable aminoacyl-tRNA analogues to explore non ribosomal peptide synthesis processes.

– RNA-SAM cofactor conjugates to study  m6A-RNA methyltransferases.

– Development of Nanospectroscopy for mapping RNA profile in Tumor-educated blood platelets.
the chemistry of RNA

 

 

 

Chemistry of Peptides

We  synthezise peptidoglycan fragments to study L,D- transpeptidases enzymes involved in cell wall synthesis of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis.

 

Chemistry of Heterocycles

Development of new chemistry for the synthesis of carbapenem or avibactam analogues in order to inhibit or study the cell wall synthesis of bacteria. Development of selective inhibitors of FAK kinase is also one of our current projects.

All of these projects are at the interface between chemistry and biology and benefit from collaboration at the local, national and international levels.

Main publications

(click here for all publication )

1. Y. S. Polikanov, M. Etheve-Quelquejeu, R. Micura, “Synthesis of Peptidyl-tRNA Mimics for Structural Biology Applications”Accounts of Chemical Research, 2023, doi-org.ezproxy.u-paris.fr/10.1021

2. L. Iannazzo, E. Braud, C. Atdjian,  M. Ethève-Quelquejeu & al., Synthesis of RNA-cofactor conjugates and structural exploration of RNA recognition by an m6A RNA methyltransferase, Nucleic Acids Research, 2022, gkac354, https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkac354

3. S. Saidjalolov, E. Braud, L. Iannazzo, M. Etheve-Quelquejeu & al., Click and Release Chemistry for Activity-based Purification of b-lactam targets, Chem. Eur. J., 2021, DOI:10.1002/chem.202100653

4. C. Kitoun, M. Etheve-Quelquejeu, L. Iannazzo & al. Phosphine-Mediated Bioconjugation of 3’-end of RNA,  Org. Lett. 2020, DOI:10.1021/acs.orglett.0c02982.

5. F. Bouchet, H. Atze & al. Diazabicyclooctane functionalization for inhibition of β-lactamases from enterobacteria, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry,  2020, 63, 10, 5257–5273  https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b02125

6. C. Atdjian, L. Iannazzo, E. Braud & al. Synthesis of SAM-adenosine conjugates for the study of m6A-RNA methyltransferases Eur. J. Org. Chem., 2018, 4411-4425.

Chemistry of RNAs, Nucleosides, Peptides and Heterocycles

Team composition

 

Permanent Staff

Mélanie Etheve-Quelquejeu, Pr

E. Braud, Pr
H. Chen, MCU, HDR
C. Garbay, PRem
L. Iannazzo, CR, HDR
D. Bouquet, IE

Non Permanent Staff

Dylan Coelho, Post-Doc

Yoann Colas, Post-Doc

PhD Students

Yan Badji
Katie Burke
Yusif Afandizada
Du Jianxun

Former Members

L. Mossino
T. Xavier
F. Bouchet
S. Saidjalolov
C. Kitoun
K. Bartosik, Post-doc
S. Leprevost, ASI
B. Li

Our team is specialized in chemistry of nucleosides, nucleotides, peptides and heterocycles, which is used to generate molecules with desired physical or biological properties in order to better understand or inhibit biological processes. More recently, the team has reinforced is expertise in chemistry of nucleic acids to obtain synthetic RNAs and has acquired new expertise in β-lactamine chemistry. The molecules and biomolecules synthesized are used i) to explore the catalytic mechanism of transferases involved in the cell wall synthesis of bacteria  ii) to study transferases involved in epitranscriptomic events, iii) as tools for structural studies of enzymes. The different projects are presented below :

Chemistry of RNAs :

Development of new methodologies for post-functionalization of RNAs. Using our methodologies, we were able to synthesized :

– Peptidyl-RNA conjugates for the study of FmhB of Staphyloccocus Aureus

– Stable aminoacyl-tRNA analogues to explore non ribosomal peptide synthesis processes.

– RNA-SAM cofactor conjugates to study  m6A-RNA methyltransferases.

– Development of Nanospectroscopy for mapping RNA profile in Tumor-educated blood platelets.
the chemistry of RNA

 

 

 

Chemistry of Peptides

We  synthezise peptidoglycan fragments to study L,D- transpeptidases enzymes involved in cell wall synthesis of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis.

 

Chemistry of Heterocycles

Development of new chemistry for the synthesis of carbapenem or avibactam analogues in order to inhibit or study the cell wall synthesis of bacteria. Development of selective inhibitors of FAK kinase is also one of our current projects.

All of these projects are at the interface between chemistry and biology and benefit from collaboration at the local, national and international levels.

Main publications

(click here for all publication )

1. Y. S. Polikanov, M. Etheve-Quelquejeu, R. Micura, “Synthesis of Peptidyl-tRNA Mimics for Structural Biology Applications”Accounts of Chemical Research, 2023, doi-org.ezproxy.u-paris.fr/10.1021

2. L. Iannazzo, E. Braud, C. Atdjian,  M. Ethève-Quelquejeu & al., Synthesis of RNA-cofactor conjugates and structural exploration of RNA recognition by an m6A RNA methyltransferase, Nucleic Acids Research, 2022, gkac354, https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkac354

3. S. Saidjalolov, E. Braud, L. Iannazzo, M. Etheve-Quelquejeu & al., Click and Release Chemistry for Activity-based Purification of b-lactam targets, Chem. Eur. J., 2021, DOI:10.1002/chem.202100653

4. C. Kitoun, M. Etheve-Quelquejeu, L. Iannazzo & al. Phosphine-Mediated Bioconjugation of 3’-end of RNA,  Org. Lett. 2020, DOI:10.1021/acs.orglett.0c02982.

5. F. Bouchet, H. Atze & al. Diazabicyclooctane functionalization for inhibition of β-lactamases from enterobacteria, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry,  2020, 63, 10, 5257–5273  https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b02125

6. C. Atdjian, L. Iannazzo, E. Braud & al. Synthesis of SAM-adenosine conjugates for the study of m6A-RNA methyltransferases Eur. J. Org. Chem., 2018, 4411-4425.