On the sequence of bond formation in loline alkaloid biosynthesis.

Loline alkaloids are saturated pyrrolizidines with an oxygen bridge between carbon atoms C-2 and C-7 and an amino group on C-1. They are bioprotective alkaloids produced by Epichloë and Neotyphodium species, mutualistic fungal endophytes that are symbiotic with cool-season grasses. The sequence of bond formation in loline alkaloid biosynthesis was determined by synthesizing deuterated forms of potential intermediates and feeding them to cultures of the endophyte Neotyphodium uncinatum. These cultures incorporated deuterium from labeled N-(3-amino-3-carboxypropyl)proline and exo-1-aminopyrrolizidine into N-formylloline. The first result suggests that N-(3-amino-3-carboxypropyl)proline is the first committed intermediate in loline biosynthesis, and the second result demonstrates that the pyrrolizidine rings form before the ether bridge. The incorporation of these two compounds into lolines and the lack of incorporation of several related compounds clarify the order of bond formation in loline alkaloid biosynthesis.

Synthesis and Conformational Properties of the Sterically Crowded D3d -Symmetric all-trans Hexa(spirotetrahydrofuranyl)cyclohexane System.

An unprecedented high barrier to ring inversion [Eq. (1)] prevents 1 from engaging in bifacial complexation with lithium ions. The X-ray crystal structure analysis of this hexaspiro compound corroborates the adoption of a cyclohexane chair with all six C-O bonds projected equatorially (1-eq).

trans,anti,trans-Tetra(spirotetrahydrofuranyl)cyclohexane-1,2-dione. Stereocontrolled Synthesis and Definition of Its Susceptibility to Photoisomerization.

The title alpha-diketone (18) has been synthesized in stereocontrolled fashion. The ability to introduce the four contiguous spirocyclic ether oxygens in extended trans fashion rests on the ability of the Normant reagent (ClMgCH(2)CH(2)CH(2)OMgCl) to engage in chelation control during 1,2-addition to an alpha-oxy substituted cyclohexanone. The successful pathway is dependent on the ability of osmium tetraoxide to add (slowly) across the double bond of the cyclohexene precursor. The highly substituted 1,2-cyclohexanedione is quite sensitive to light and rearranges by means of an interesting photoisomerization process to a laterally fused pyran system. A likely mechanistic pathway for this intramolecular isomerization is presented.