Marine isocyanide biosynthesis

A COMPARISON OF MARINE ISOCYANIDE BIOSYNTHESIS WITH TERRESTRIAL BIOSYNTHETIC PROCESSES... 

Garson MJ, Simpson JS (2004) Marine Isocyanides and Related Natural Products -Structure, Biosynthesis and Ecology. Nat Prod Rep 21 164... 

Garson MJ, Simpson JS. Marine isocyanides and related natural products — structure, biosynthesis and ecology. Nat. Prod. Rep. 2004 21 164-179. 

Some fungal species produce cyclopentenyl isocyanides, for example trichoviridin (166), which are known to be biosynthesised from tyrosine by cleavage of the aromatic ring. Despite much experimental study, the biosynthetic origin of the isocyanide carbon into the cyclopentenyl diene isocyanide acid (167) and related metabolites remains elusive [101-103], Notably the standard C j-tetrahydrofolate precursors such as methionine, formate, glycine or serine do not provide the source of this carbon, nor is cyanide incorporated into the isocyanide moiety [101-103], In summary, other than one terrestrial cyanophyte, the marine environment appears so far unique in accessing cyanide for isocyanide biosynthesis. 

Dumdei, E. J., Flowers, A. E., Garson, M. J., and Moore, C. J., The biosynthesis of sesquiterpene isocyanides and isothiocyanates in the marine sponge A canthella cavernosa (Dendy) evidence for dietary tranfer to the dorid nudibranch Phyllidiella pustulosa, Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 113A, 1385, 1997. 

BIOSYNTHESIS OF THE ISOCYANIDE GROUP AND RELATED SUBSTITUENTS IN MARINE SPONGES... 

Simpson, J.S. and Garson. M.J. (2001) Advanced precursors in marine biosynthetic studies. Part 2 the biosynthesis of isocyanides and isofhiocyanates in the tropical marine sponge Axinyssa n.sp. Tetrahedron Lett., 42,4267-4269. 

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