Phytoalexins of the Pyrinae: Biphenyls and dibenzofurans

• Cornelia Chizzali and
• Ludger Beerhues

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2012, 8, 613–620, doi:10.3762/bjoc.8.68

• Cornelia Chizzali Ludger Beerhues Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 1, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany 10.3762/bjoc.8.68 Abstract Biphenyls and dibenzofurans are the phytoalexins of the Pyrinae, a subtribe of the plant family Rosaceae. The

• Pyrinae correspond to the long-recognized Maloideae. Economically valuable species of the Pyrinae are apples and pears. Biphenyls and dibenzofurans are formed de novo in response to infection by bacterial and fungal pathogens. The inducible defense compounds were also produced in cell suspension cultures

• after treatment with biotic and abiotic elicitors. The antimicrobial activity of the phytoalexins was demonstrated. To date, 10 biphenyls and 17 dibenzofurans were isolated from 14 of the 30 Pyrinae genera. The most widely distributed compounds are the biphenyl aucuparin and the dibenzofuran γ