Synthesis of depressin, cryptomeridiol and 4-epi-cryptomeridiol enabled by a terpenoid chiral pool-producing platform

• Yao Kong,
• Tao Wang,
• Chen Wang,
• Pengcheng Zhang,
• Yuanning Liu,
• Kaibiao Wang,
• Fen Liu,
• Hongli Jia and
• Zhengren Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2026, 22, 683–690, doi:10.3762/bjoc.22.53

• skeletons including casbene (4) and germacrene A (5) were produced by an Escherichia coli-based heterologous host harboring the isopentenol utilization pathway and corresponding terpene cyclases. Two allylic oxidations of both C13 and C5 positions of the casbene skeleton followed by deoxygenation of C13

• hydroxy group allowed the synthesis of compound 1 from 4 in nine steps. Selective acid-mediated 5,10-transannular cyclization of 5 followed by hydration reaction furnished both products 2 and 3 in two steps. Keywords: chemoenzymatic synthesis; chiral pool; isopentenol utilization pathway; terpene

• condensation of dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP) with different numbers of isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) [6]. Two naturally existing pathways, i.e., the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway and mevalonic acid (MVA) pathway, as well as artificially designed pathways, such as the isopentenol utilization

Confirmation of the stereochemistry of spiroviolene

• Yao Kong,
• Yuanning Liu,
• Kaibiao Wang,
• Tao Wang,
• Chen Wang,
• Ben Ai,
• Hongli Jia,
• Guohui Pan,
• Min Yin and
• Zhengren Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 852–858, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.77

• alteration of stereochemical assignment of spiroviolene would have consequences for a different mechanistic proposal. We herein report the production of spiroviolene (1) in a heterologous host by taking advantage of an artificial isopentenol utilization pathway [21][22][23][24][25][26], and confirm its

• stereochemistry by X-ray crystallography using a hydrazone derivative of 1. Results and Discussion Our work commenced with the heterologous production of spiroviolene by E. coli using a recently developed isopentenol utilization pathway for the efficient supply of two C5 precursors for terpene biosynthesis

• spiroviolene and related natural products. Heterologous production of spiroviolene using the isopentenol utilization pathway. A) Gas chromatogram of the EtOAc extract of the fermentation broth. B) EI mass spectrum of spiroviolene. Possible cyclization mechanisms for spiroviolene (1) and related natural

Bacterial terpene biosynthesis: challenges and opportunities for pathway engineering

• Eric J. N. Helfrich,
• Geng-Min Lin,
• Christopher A. Voigt and
• Jon Clardy

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2889–2906, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.283

• the novel 1-deoxy-ᴅ-xylulose 5-phosphate pathway (nDXP) [145] and the isopentenol utilization pathway (IUP) [146], that bypass (part of) the natural MVA or MEP pathway were designed to circumvent this complex endogenous interaction and regulation (Figure 11a). Lastly, integration of pathways into the