Structure of 2′,3′-dimethyl-3,5-diiodo-D,L-thyronine, a fixed-conformation analogue of the thyroid hormone 3,5,3′-triiodo-L -thyronine
The three-dimensional molecular structure of 2′,3′-dimethyl-3,5-diiodo-D,L-thyronine (2′,3′-DMT2) has been determined by X-ray diffraction in order to establish the conformational characteristics responsible for biological activity in thyroid hormone analogues. Crystals of 2′,3′-DMT2 hydrochoride hydrate are monoclinic with cell dimensions a = 29.76, b = 6.84, c = 24.09 Å, β = 91.4°, space group C2/c with Z = 8 molecules per cell. The structure was solved by Patterson and Fourier techniques and refined by least squares. The atoms comprising the alanine portion of the molecule are disordered but the conformation of the diphenyl ether rings is clear: the β-ring 2′-methyl and 3′-methyl groups are situated distal to the α-ring. Thus the conformation postulated for this compound in biological tests of fixed-conformation thyromimetics is now structurally supported.