The biosynthesis of the antibioticum xanthocillin (1.4-bis- [4-hydroxylphenyl] -butadien- (1.3-diisonitril- (2.3)) (I) in P. notatum Westling has been investigated. DL-Tyrosin- [2-14C] proved to be an excellent precursor for the 1.4-diaryl-butadien portion of I (18-25% incorporation) whereas tyrosin-[1-14C] is not incorporated into I. The nitrogen of the isonitril group does very probably not come from the amino group of tyrosin since the 14C/15N ratio increases from 10.2 to 61.6 when DL-tyrosin- [2-14C-15N] is incorporated into I. Acetate-1- and -[2-14C], formate-[14C] and methionine-[14CH3] were tested as possible precursors for the isonitril-C-atom but in none of these cases was activity found in this carbon-atom.
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Achenbach et al. (1965) studied this question.