Publications
121. Performance Enhancing Asymmetric Catalysis (PEAC) Unlocks Tuning Without Rebuilding Zihang Deng, Jeffrey N. Johnston* Chem Catal. 2025, 5, 101577
120. Introduction of a single carboxylic acid converts the cyclic oligomeric depsipeptide ent-verticilide from an RyR2 inhibitor to RyR2 activator Tri Q. Do#, Daniel J. Blackwell#, Abigail N. Smith, Madelaine P. Thorpe, Robyn T. Rebbeck, Derek R. Laver, Jeffrey N. Johnston, and Björn C. Knollmann* Mol. Pharm. 2025, 107, 100086
1119. Total Synthesis of Feglymycin Using Umpolung Amide Synthesis Preston C. Gourville, Jade A. Bing, Rashanique D. Quarels, Sergey V. Tsukanov, Kenneth E. Schwieter, Kazuyuki Tokumaru, Amanda B. Stephens, Dawn M. Makley, Bo Shen, Abigail N. Smith, Jeffrey N. Johnston* Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 2025, 64, e202508819
118.Performance Enhancing Asymmetric Catalysis Driven by Achiral Counterion Design Zihang Deng, Jenna L. Payne, Mahesh Vishe, Julius E. L. Jan, Cody M. Funk, Jeffrey N. Johnston* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 17584-17591
Highlighted by Dirk Trauner & Michael D. Zott in Synfacts
117.End-to-End Backbone Cyclization Enhances Passive Permeability of bRo5 Oligomeric Depsipeptides with Nonlinear Size Dependence Madelaine Thorpe, Corey R. Hopkins, Jeffrey N. Johnston* ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2025 16, 638-645
116.Elucidating Fluorine Steering Effects in Diels-Alder Reactions Interfaced with Charge-Enhanced Reactivity Sabrina Hoford, Julius E. L. Jan, Jeffrey N. Johnston,* Travis Dudding* Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2025, e202401203
115. The Backbone Constitution Drives Passive Permeability Independent of Side Chains in Depsipeptide and Peptide Macrocycles
Madelaine P. Thorpe, Abigail N. Smith, Daniel J. Blackwell, Corey R. Hopkins, Bjorn C. Knollmann, Wendell S. Akers, and Jeffrey N. Johnston*
Chem. Sci. 2024, 15, 14977-14987
114. Backbone-Determined Antiarrhythmic Structure-Activity Relationships for a Mirror-Image, Oligomeric Depsipeptide Natural Product
Madelaine P. Thorpe, Daniel J. Blackwell, Bjorn C. Knollmann, and Jeffrey N. Johnston*
J. Med. Chem. 2024, 67, 12205-12220
Special issue for Natural Products Driven Medicinal Chemistry
113.Generality-Driven Catalyst Development: A Universal Catalyst for Enantioselective Nitroalkene Reduction
Zihang Deng, Melanie A. Padalino, Julius E. L. Jan, Sangjun Park, Michael W. Danneman, and Jeffrey N. Johnston*
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 1269-1275
Highlighted by Winter et al. in Trendbericht: Organische Chemie 2025
Highlighted by Douglass Taber at Organic Chemistry Highlights
Highlighted by Reto Mueller at the Organic Chemistry Portal
112.ent-Verticilide B1 inhibits type 2 ryanodine receptor channels and is antiarrhythmic in Casq2-/- mice
Gochman, A.; Do, T. Q.; Kim, K.; Schwarz, J. A.; Thorpe, M. P.; Blackwell, D. J.; Ritschel, P.; Smith, A. N.; Rebbeck, R. T.; Akers, W. S.; Cornea, R. L.; Laver, D. R.; Johnston, J. N.; Knollmann, B. C.* bioRxiv2023 & Mol. Pharm. 2024, 105, 194-201
111. RyR2 Binding of an Antiarrhythmic Cyclic Depsipeptide Mapped Using Confocal Fluorescence Lifetime Detection of FRET
Šeflová, J.; Schwarz, J. A.; Smith, A. N.; Svensson, B.; Blackwell, D. J.; Phillips, T. A.; Nikolaienko, R.; Bovo, E.; Rebbeck, R. T.; Zima, A. V.; Thomas, D. D.; Van Petegem, F.; Knollmann, B. C.; Johnston, J. N.*; Robia, S. L.; Cornea, R. L.*
ACS Chem. Biol. 2023, 18, 2290-2299.
110.The selective RyR2 inhibitor ent-verticilide suppresses atrial fibrillation susceptibility caused by Pitx2 deficiency
Kim, K. ; Blackwell, D.J. ; Yuen, S.L. ; Thorpe, M. P. ; Johnston, J. N. ; Cornea, R.L. ; Knollmann, B. C.*
J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 2023, 180, 1-9
“Top Original Research Paper of the Year” by the Editors of the J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. for 2023
Highlighted by Leigh MacMillan in a VUMC Reporter spotlight
109. In vivo pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of the antiarrhythmic molecule ent-verticilide
Blackwel, D.; Smith, A.; , Do, T. Q.; Gochman, A.; Schmeckpeper, J.; Hopkins, C.; Akers, W.*; Johnston, J. N.*; Knollmann, B.*
J. Pharm. Exptl. Ther. 2023, 385, 205-213
107. A Secondary Orbital Effect Involving Fluorine is Responsible for Substrate-Controlled Diastereodivergence in the syn-aza-Henry Reaction of α-Fluoronitroalkanes Smajlagic, I. ; Johnston, J. N. ; Dudding, T. Chem. Eur. J. 2023, 29 (24), e202204066.
106. Structure-Activity Relationships for the N-Me- versus N-H-Amide Modification to Macrocyclic ent-Verticilide Antiarrhythmics
Smith, A.; Thorpe, M; Blackwell, D; Batiste, S; Hopkins, C; Schley, N; Knollmann, B; Johnston, J. N. ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2022, 13, 1755-1762.
Featured in the Virtual Collection - Future of Medicinal Chemistry Collection
Don’t miss the Editorial, including statements from Abby (and Jeff) - Special Collection Editorial
105. Preparation of N-Aryl Amides by Epimerization-Free Umpolung Amide Synthesis Crocker, M. S.; Deng, Z. Johnston, J. N. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 16708-16714.
Featured by Douglass Taber in Org. Chem. Highlights - spectacular reactions
104. Enantioselective Iodolactonization to Prepare ε-Lactone Rings Using Hypervalent Iodine Payne, J.; Deng, Z.; Flach, A.; Johnston, J. N.* [†equal contribution] Chem. Sci. 2022, 13, 7318-7324.
103. Resolving Bromonitromethane Sourcing by Synthesis: Preparation at the Decagram Scale Thorpe, M. P.; Smith, A. N.; Crocker, M. S.;Johnston,
J. N. J. Org. Chem. 2022, 87, 5451-5455.
102. Exercise Causes Arrhythmogenic Remodeling of Intracellular Calcium Dynamics in Plakophilin-2 Deficient Hearts
van Opbergen, C.; Bagwan, N.; Maurya, S; Kim, J.C.; Smith, A; Blackwell, D; Johnston, J.N.; Knollmann, B; Cerrone, M.; Lundby, A; Delmar, M.
Circulation 2022, 145, 1480-1496.
Highlighted in Muscle Cell News
101. Fluorine-Induced Diastereodivergence Discovered in an Equally Rare Enantioselective syn-aza-Henry Reaction
Bing, J. A.; Schley, N. D.; Johnston, J. N. Chem. Sci. 2022, 13, 2614-2623.
100. Ring-Size as an Independent Variable in Cyclooligomeric Depsipeptide Antiarrhythmic Activity
Smith, A. N.; Blackwell, D. J.; Knollmann, B. C.; Johnston, J. N.
ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2021, 12, 1942-1947.
99. DFT-Based Stereochemical Rationales for the Bifunctional Brønsted Acid/Base-Catalyzed Diastereodivergent and Enantioselective aza-Henry Reactions of α-Nitro Esters Struble, T. J.;† Foy, Hayden;† Dudding, T.*; Johnston, J.N. [†equal contribution] J. Org. Chem. 2021, 86, 15606-15617.
98. The Formation of Impossible Rings in Macrocyclooligomerizations for Cyclodepsipeptide Synthesis: The 18-From-12 Paradox
Smith, A. N.; Johnston, J. N. J. Org. Chem. 2021, 86, 7904-7919.
Related: Batiste, S. M.; Johnston, J. N., Correction to “Evidence for Ion-Templation During Macrocyclooligomerization of Depsipeptides”. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 6701.
Related: Correction to “Rapid synthesis of cyclic oligomeric depsipeptides with positional, stereochemical, and macrocycle size distribution control” here.
97. RYR2 Channel Inhibition is the Principal Mechanism of Flecainide Action in CPVT
Kryshtal, D. O.; Blackwell, D. J.; Egly, C. L.; Smith, A. N.; Batiste, S. M.; Johnston, J. N.; Laver, D. R.; Knollmann, B. C. Circ. Res. 2021, 128, 321.
