5-epi-Incensole: synthesis, X-ray crystal structure and absolute configuration by means of ECD and VCD studies in solution and solid state

Incensole 1 and its acetate 2, found in incense, demonstrate interesting biological activities. Incensole acetate 2 was prepared on a large scale by employing the Paul and Jauch protocol from the crude extracts of Boswellia papyrifera Hochst. 5-epi-Incensole 3, obtained as colorless crystals, was prepared from incensole acetate via three steps; deacetylation, oxidation and reduction. The structure of 5-epi-incensole 3 was elucidated by means of spectroscopic data analysis, and the absolute configuration was established by single crystal X-ray analysis in combination with electronic and vibrational circular dichroism. In particular, the applicability of the solid-state ECD/TDDFT protocol to a compound with only two non-conjugated alkene chromophores was verified

The ancient CYP716 family is a major contributor to the diversification of eudicot triterpenoid biosynthesis

Triterpenoids are widespread bioactive plant defence compounds with potential use as pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other high-value products. Enzymes belonging to the cytochrome P450 family have an essential role in creating the immense structural diversity of triterpenoids across the plant kingdom. However, for many triterpenoid oxidation reactions, the corresponding enzyme remains unknown. Here we characterize CYP716 enzymes from different medicinal plant species by heterologous expression in engineered yeasts and report ten hitherto unreported triterpenoid oxidation activities, including a cyclization reaction, leading to a triterpenoid lactone. Kingdom-wide phylogenetic analysis of over 400 CYP716s from over 200 plant species reveals details of their evolution and suggests that in eudicots the CYP716s evolved specifically towards triterpenoid biosynthesis. Our findings underscore the great potential of CYP716s as a source for generating triterpenoid structural diversity and expand the toolbox available for synthetic biology programmes for sustainable production of bioactive plant triterpenoids

In the Mists of a Fungal Metabolite: An Unexpected Reaction of 2,4,5-Trimethoxyphenylglyoxylic Acid

The reactions of phenylglyoxylic acids during the synthesis and biological evaluation of fungal metabolites led to the discovery of hitherto unknown compounds with a p-quinone methide (p-QM) structure. The formation of these p-QMs using 13C-labelled starting materials revealed a key-step of this reaction being a retro-Friedel–Crafts alkylation