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

• are assembled by prenyltransferases to afford oligoprenyl pyrophosphates, such as farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP, 3 × C5) and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP, 4 × C5), with varied C5 units. The linear oligoprenyl pyrophosphates are typically converted by terpene synthases in a chemo- and

• stereoselective process to form complex terpene skeletons, normally with multiple stereocenters. In this context, the 3D-defined cyclization products retain the rich information of the complex cyclization process. Thus, assignment of the stereochemistry of the terpene skeleton with high confidence is crucial for

• deoxyconidiogenol (4, Scheme 1A) by several terpene cyclases from fungus (PcCS, PchDS, PrDS) [15][16], which involves a 1,11-10,14 cyclization of GGPP, followed by 1,2-alkyl shift and a 2,10-cyclization, to give the key C3 cationic intermediate IM-1. A key 1,2-hydride shift from C2 to C3, which was observed in the

Discovery and biosynthesis of bacterial drimane-type sesquiterpenoids from Streptomyces clavuligerus

• Dongxu Zhang,
• Wenyu Du,
• Xingming Pan,
• Xiaoxu Lin,
• Fang-Ru Li,
• Qingling Wang,
• Qian Yang,
• Hui-Min Xu and
• Liao-Bin Dong

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 815–822, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.73

• calidoustene C, DrtB from Aspergillus calidoustus functions as a dual-functional enzyme, comprising two domains: a HAD-like hydrolase domain fused with a terpene cyclase domain. Initially, FPP is cyclized into the drimenyl diphosphate in a class II terpene cyclase manner, which is then processed by the

• our analysis indicated that 16 of them are potential terpene-producing BGCs, indicative of its extensive capacity for diverse metabolite production [25]. In our large-scale fermentation of S. clavuligerus, aimed at uncovering novel bacterial terpenoids, we observed that specific culture conditions are

• crucial for metabolite production. Different culture media can lead to the biosynthesis of varied compounds. Specifically, in this study, S. clavuligerus was cultivated in two terpene favored media, XTM and YMS [26][27], resulting in three drimenol (1) congeners from the extracts: 3β-hydroxydrimenol (2

Genome mining of labdane-related diterpenoids: Discovery of the two-enzyme pathway leading to (−)-sandaracopimaradiene in the fungus Arthrinium sacchari

• Fumito Sato,
• Terutaka Sonohara,
• Shunta Fujiki,
• Akihiro Sugawara,
• Yohei Morishita,
• Taro Ozaki and
• Teigo Asai

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 714–720, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.65

• underexplored family of natural products. In the biosynthesis of fungal LRDs, bifunctional terpene cyclases (TCs) consisting of αβγ domains are generally used to synthesize the polycyclic skeletones of LRDs. Herein, we conducted genome mining of LRDs in our fungal genome database and identified a unique pair of

• of TCs in fungi. Keywords: diterpenoids; fungi; genome mining; labdane; terpene cyclase; Introduction Terpenoids are a structurally diverse family of natural products, including more than 80,000 compounds [1]. In the biosynthesis of terpenoids, terpene cyclases (TCs) add structural diversity and

• existing in their substrates. From a structural point of view, TCs consist of α, β, and γ domains in various combinations. As these TCs are assumed to be evolved by fusion and loss of domains [2][3][4], the functional analysis of terpene synthases of unique domain organization is of great significance to

Production of non-natural 5-methylorsellinate-derived meroterpenoids in Aspergillus oryzae

• Jia Tang,
• Yixiang Zhang and
• Yudai Matsuda

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 638–644, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.56

• and three additional biosynthetic enzymes for the formation of (6R,10′R)-epoxyfarnesyl-5-MOA methyl ester, which served as a non-native substrate for four terpene cyclases from DMOA-derived meroterpenoid pathways. As a result, we successfully generated six unnatural 5-MOA-derived meroterpenoid species

• , demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach in the generation of structural analogues of meroterpenoids. Keywords: biosynthesis; meroterpenoids; natural products; pathway engineering; terpene cyclases; Introduction Meroterpenoids are a class of natural products partially biosynthesized from a terpenoid

• polyketide portion [11][12][13][14]. One exception has been found in funiculolide biosynthesis, in which a 5-MOA-derived phthalide undergoes dearomatizing prenylation catalyzed by the UbiA-like prenyltransferase FncB (Figure 1B) [15]. In addition to prenyltransferases, transmembrane terpene cyclases play a

Chemical and biosynthetic potential of Penicillium shentong XL-F41

• Ran Zou,
• Xin Li,
• Xiaochen Chen,
• Yue-Wei Guo and
• Baofu Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 597–606, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.52

• investigations, accompanied by fermentation media optimization, of a newly isolated fungus, Penicillium shentong XL-F41, led to the isolation of twelve compounds. Among these are two novel indole terpene alkaloids, shentonins A and B (1 and 2), and a new fatty acid 3. Shentonin A (1) is distinguished by an

• terpene alkaloid; natural products; Penicillium; structure elucidation; Introduction Penicillium, a genus within the Ascomycota phylum, is a type of critical saprophytic fungus with over 400 strains identified in diverse environments such as mountains, oceans, and the human gut [1]. After the first

• stimulating the production of a greater number of metabolite peaks, as shown in Figure 1. Scaled-up fermentation allowed us to isolate and characterize two new indole terpene alkaloids, shentonins A and B (1 and 2), a new fatty acid 3, and nine previously identified compounds 4–12, among which were gram

Recent developments in the engineered biosynthesis of fungal meroterpenoids

• Zhiyang Quan and
• Takayoshi Awakawa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 578–588, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.50

• mutagenesis of key enzymes, including terpene cyclases and α-ketoglutarate (αKG)-dependent dioxygenases, that contribute to the structural diversity. Notable progress in genome sequencing has led to the discovery of many novel genes encoding these enzymes, while continued efforts in X-ray crystallographic

• for the design of biosynthetic machineries to produce a variety of bioactive meroterpenoids. Keywords: αKG-dependent dioxygenases; enzyme engineering; fungal meroterpenoids; synthetic biology; terpene cyclases; Introduction Meroterpenoids are complex natural products with intricate skeletal

• biosynthesis of bioactive compounds with still greater skeletal diversity. Conclusion In summary, many novel terpene cyclases and αKG-dependent dioxygenases were discovered by recent developments in genome mining approaches. Unique meroterpenoids have been generated by integrating these enzymes into

Unraveling the role of prenyl side-chain interactions in stabilizing the secondary carbocation in the biosynthesis of variexenol B

• Moe Nakano,
• Rintaro Gemma and
• Hajime Sato

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1503–1510, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.107

• Moe Nakano Rintaro Gemma Hajime Sato Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, 4-4-37 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8510, Japan PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332–0012, Japan 10.3762/bjoc.19.107 Abstract Terpene

• cyclization reactions involve a number of carbocation intermediates. In some cases, these carbocations are stabilized by through-space interactions with π orbitals. Several terpene/terpenoids, such as sativene, santalene, bergamotene, ophiobolin and mangicol, possess prenyl side chains that do not participate

• completed through bridging from the exomethylene group, and (iii) the annulation from the exomethylene group proceeds in a barrier-free manner. Keywords: biosynthesis; carbocation; cation–π interaction; DFT; terpene; Introduction Terpene/terpenoids are most abundant natural products in nature, more than

Functions of enzyme domains in 2-methylisoborneol biosynthesis and enzymatic synthesis of non-natural analogs

• Binbin Gu,
• Lin-Fu Liang and
• Jeroen S. Dickschat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1452–1459, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.104

• Binbin Gu Lin-Fu Liang Jeroen S. Dickschat Kekulé-Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Straße 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany 10.3762/bjoc.19.104 Abstract Two aspects of the biosynthesis of the non-canonical terpene synthase for 2-methylisoborneol have been

• of the 2-methylisoborneol synthase was investigated through enzyme incubations with several substrate analogs, giving access to two C12 monoterpenoids. Implications on the stereochemical course of the terpene cyclisation by 2-methylisoborneol synthase are discussed. Keywords: biosynthesis; enzymes

• model was proposed that proceeds through the S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) dependent methylation of geranyl diphosphate (GPP) to 2-methyl-GPP (2-Me-GPP), followed by a terpene cyclisation to 1 (Scheme 1A) [10]. The cyclisation cascade requires isomerisation to (R)-2-methyllinalyl diphosphate [22], followed

Functional characterisation of twelve terpene synthases from actinobacteria

• Anuj K. Chhalodia,
• Houchao Xu,
• Georges B. Tabekoueng,
• Binbin Gu,
• Kizerbo A. Taizoumbe,
• Lukas Lauterbach and
• Jeroen S. Dickschat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1386–1398, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.100

• Anuj K. Chhalodia Houchao Xu Georges B. Tabekoueng Binbin Gu Kizerbo A. Taizoumbe Lukas Lauterbach Jeroen S. Dickschat Kekulé-Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Straße 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany 10.3762/bjoc.19.100 Abstract Fifteen type I terpene

• synthase homologs from diverse actinobacteria that were selected based on a phylogenetic analysis of more than 4000 amino acid sequences were investigated for their products. For four enzymes with functions not previously reported from bacterial terpene synthases the products were isolated and their

• structures were elucidated by NMR spectroscopy, resulting in the discovery of the first terpene synthases for (+)-δ-cadinol and (+)-α-cadinene, besides the first two bacterial (−)-amorpha-4,11-diene synthases. For other terpene synthases with functions reported from bacteria before the products were

Strategies to access the [5-8] bicyclic core encountered in the sesquiterpene, diterpene and sesterterpene series

• Cécile Alleman,
• Charlène Gadais,
• Laurent Legentil and
• François-Hugues Porée

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 245–281, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.23

• Terpene compounds probably represent the most diversified class of secondary metabolites. Some classes of terpenes, mainly diterpenes (C20) and sesterterpenes (C25) and to a lesser extent sesquiterpenes (C15), share a common bicyclo[3.6.0]undecane core which is characterized by the presence of a

• . Keywords: 5-8 bicycle; cyclization strategies; terpenes; Introduction Terpene compounds represent the largest and most diversified class of secondary metabolites. They are present in all organisms and their structure can vary from simple terpenes (C10 skeleton) to polymers (example of rubber) thanks to

Germacrene B – a central intermediate in sesquiterpene biosynthesis

• Houchao Xu and
• Jeroen S. Dickschat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 186–203, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.18

• farnesylfarnesyl diphosphate (FFPP) can serve as a precursor to triterpenes [5], a compound class that was believed to be solely derived from squalene. Terpene synthases convert these linear precursors through cationic cascade reactions into terpene hydrocarbons or alcohols [6][7][8]. For type I terpene synthases

• is terminated by deprotonation to yield a terpene hydrocarbon or by nucleophilic attack of water to generate a terpene alcohol. For the precursor of sesquiterpenes FPP six initial cyclisation modes are possible (Scheme 1). After ionisation to A either a 1,10-cyclisation to the (E,E)-germacradienyl

• of the δ-selinene synthase (ag4) from Abies grandis [66] and a product of several terpene synthases from C. sativa (CsTPS7, CsTPS8 and CsTPS22) [67], while 10 is the main product of the bacterial selinadiene synthase from Streptomyces pristinaespiralis [36][68]. It has recently been shown by a

Sequential hydrozirconation/Pd-catalyzed cross coupling of acyl chlorides towards conjugated (2E,4E)-dienones

• Benedikt Kolb,
• Daniela Silva dos Santos,
• Sanja Krause,
• Anna Zens and
• Sabine Laschat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 176–185, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.17

• through this approach. As the sequential hydrozirconation/Pd-catalyzed acylation worked reasonably well for aliphatic substrates, we surmised that terpene-derived enynes might be suitable starting materials for natural product synthesis. For this purpose, two terpene enynes 25p and 25q were synthesized

• deprotonated with LDA at −78 °C in THF and subsequently methylated to give 34 in 99%, followed by treatment with alkynyl Grignard reagent to give the tertiary alcohol 35 in 71% yield. Final elimination with MsCl and NEt3 yielded the desired enyne 25q (49%). When terpene enynes 25p and 25q were submitted to the

1,4-Dithianes: attractive C2-building blocks for the synthesis of complex molecular architectures

• Bram Ryckaert,
• Ellen Demeyere,
• Frederick Degroote,
• Hilde Janssens and
• Johan M. Winne

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 115–132, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.12

• allowed the assembly of complex terpenoid frameworks. Examples from our research group include various daucanoid and kauranoid terpene scaffolds such as 108, 109, and 110, which can be assembled from dihydrodithiin 3 as a building block in just a few synthetic operations with good to excellent control of

Combining the best of both worlds: radical-based divergent total synthesis

• Kyriaki Gennaiou,
• Antonios Kelesidis,
• Maria Kourgiantaki and
• Alexandros L. Zografos

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1–26, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.1

• meroterpenoids. This class of compounds possesses versatile bioactivities, ranging from anticancer and anti-HIV to antifungal properties, with minor modifications on the decoration of either the hydroquinone or the terpene part of the secondary metabolite [34]. The group applied a semisynthetic plan starting

• thermodynamic position of a Wieland−Miescher ketone derivative 68 with benzyl bromide 69. Despite the challenging O- and C7-alkylations that required suppression, the desired C9-alkylation was achieved in 72% yield under thermodynamically controlled conditions (t-BuOK in THF at −40 °C). This coupled the terpene

Navigating and expanding the roadmap of natural product genome mining tools

• Friederike Biermann,
• Sebastian L. Wenski and
• Eric J. N. Helfrich

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1656–1671, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.178

• ])) [28]. In contrast, discrete multi-enzymatic assemblies utilize distinct, monofunctional enzymes. Examples are terpene (e.g., cyclooctatin (8) [29]), ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP), or NRPS-independent alkaloid pathways. In the case of terpene biosynthesis

• , terpene cyclases generate the oftentimes multicyclic, hydrocarbon scaffold via a carbocation-mediated cascade reaction [30]. Terpene cyclases are obligatory components of canonical terpene pathways and are used to identify terpene BGCs (Figure 3B) [30][31]. RiPPs, on the other hand, lack genes that are

• bioinformatically [39]. State-of-the-art genome mining tools are ideally suited for the detection of assembly line-like pathways. The focus on these pathways led to a strong bias in training sets: In the MIBiG database of characterized BGCs nearly 80% of all deposited NP BGCs are PKS, NRPS, or terpene BGCs (April

Characterization of a new fusicoccane-type diterpene synthase and an associated P450 enzyme

• Jia-Hua Huang,
• Jian-Ming Lv,
• Liang-Yan Xiao,
• Qian Xu,
• Fu-Long Lin,
• Gao-Qian Wang,
• Guo-Dong Chen,
• Sheng-Ying Qin,
• Dan Hu and
• Hao Gao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1396–1402, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.144

• become a promising strategy for targeted discovery of natural products [10][11][12], which can also provide enzymatic tools toward combinatorial biosynthesis [13][14]. As terpene synthases play a fundamental role in constructing molecular skeletons, great efforts have been devoted to mining novel

Enzymes in biosynthesis

• Jeroen S. Dickschat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1131–1132, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.116

• remarkable transformations in nature. Some of the most interesting transformations catalyzed by enzymes are known from the biosynthetic pathways towards natural products. For instance, class I terpene synthases can convert highly complex transformations of an acyclic precursor, such as farnesyl or

• geranylgeranyl diphosphate, into sesqui- or diterpenes, respectively. As has been described recently, even farnesylfarnesyl diphosphate can be converted into triterpenes, a substance class that was previously believed to originate exclusively from squalene by class II terpene synthases [1]. These conversions

• proceed through multistep cationic cascade reactions and usually produce a polycyclic terpene hydrocarbon or alcohol with multiple stereogenic centers. While these transformations require only a single enzyme, polyketide and nonribosomal peptide biosyntheses are catalyzed by megasynthases that follow an

Understanding the competing pathways leading to hydropyrene and isoelisabethatriene

• Shani Zev,
• Marion Ringel,
• Ronja Driller,
• Bernhard Loll,
• Thomas Brück and
• Dan T. Major

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 972–978, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.97

• Translational Neuroscience – DANDRITE, Universitetsbyen 81, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark 10.3762/bjoc.18.97 Abstract Terpene synthases are responsible for the biosynthesis of terpenes, the largest family of natural products. Hydropyrene synthase generates hydropyrene and hydropyrenol as its main products along with

• . We show that there is a great thermodynamic preference for hydropyrene and hydropyrenol formation, and hence most likely in the synthesis of the isoelisabethatriene products kinetic control is at play. Keywords: diterpenes; enzyme mechanism; quantum mechanics; terpene synthases; thermodynamic and

• kinetic control; Introduction Terpenes constitute a ubiquitous class of natural molecules that are synthesized by terpene synthases (TPS). TPS generate a plethora of terpenes employing rich carbocation chemistry from a very limited number of substrates, known as geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP), farnesyl

Anti-inflammatory aromadendrane- and cadinane-type sesquiterpenoids from the South China Sea sponge Acanthella cavernosa

• Shou-Mao Shen,
• Qing Yang,
• Yi Zang,
• Jia Li,
• Xueting Liu and
• Yue-Wei Guo

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 916–925, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.91

• . Several examples of enantiomers formation catalyzed by different terpene synthases were also reported. Jiang et al. characterized two new fungal bifunctional terpene synthases, FoFS and AtAS (identity 27.8%), that catalyzed the formation of a pair of enantiomeric sesterterpenes [23]. Two groups

• ). Different enantiomeric ratios could explain the properties of the active sites in the corresponding terpene synthases, which remain unclear for further investigations [22]. The diversified structures of terpenes were constructed by terpene synthase [26] along with the post-modification enzymes, such as P450

• shifts led to aristolane-type carbocation intermediate G, which was further deprotonated to afford 9-aristolene (H) [29]. Multiple-step oxidation on H furnished the structure of 3. The terpene cyclase catalyzed the cyclization of cadinene-type sesquiterpenes using FPP as the substrate, which is first

Synthesis of odorants in flow and their applications in perfumery

• Merlin Kleoff,
• Paul Kiler and
• Philipp Heretsch

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 754–768, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.76

• -bed reactors were developed by the groups of de Souza and Yadav [33][34]. Very recently, Kirschning and co-workers presented a general method for the Matteson reaction in flow, allowing iterative homologation of various terpene boronate esters 17, which are subsequently oxidized to the corresponding

Terpenoids from Glechoma hederacea var. longituba and their biological activities

• Dong Hyun Kim,
• Song Lim Ham,
• Zahra Khan,
• Sun Yeou Kim,
• Sang Un Choi,
• Chung Sub Kim and
• Kang Ro Lee

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 555–566, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.58

• against SK-MEL-2 cell line, with an IC50 value of 9.81 μM. Conclusion Nine terpene derivatives, including three new sesquiterpene glycosides (1–3), two new diterpene glycosides (4 and 5), a known diterpene (6), and three known triterpenes (7–9) were isolated from CHCl3-, EtOAc-, and n-BuOH-soluble layers

The enzyme mechanism of patchoulol synthase

• Houchao Xu,
• Bernd Goldfuss,
• Gregor Schnakenburg and
• Jeroen S. Dickschat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 13–24, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.2

• compound 3 and several biogenetically related terpene hydrocarbons including α-patchoulene (4), β-patchoulene (5), α-bulnesene (6) and α-guaiene (7) (Figure 1) [7]. The enzyme was subsequently made available by cDNA gene cloning, revealing germacrene A (8), α-humulene (9), (E)-β-caryophyllene (10

• contradictory. For this reason, we have reinvestigated the enzyme mechanism of PTS in isotopic labelling experiments through methods recently developed in our laboratory that make use of 13C and 2H-substituted terpene precursors, and by DFT calculations. The general strategy in these experiments is to use

• terpene biosynthesis through neutral intermediates, and more specifically another example of sesquiterpene biosynthesis through the widespread biosynthetic intermediate germacrene A [11]. Initially assigned structures for patchoulol by Treibs (1) and by Büchi (2). Structures of patchoulol (3) and side

Targeting active site residues and structural anchoring positions in terpene synthases

• Anwei Hou and
• Jeroen S. Dickschat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2441–2449, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.161

• , turning SmTS1 from a sesterterpene into a diterpene synthase. This article gives rational explanations for these findings that may generally allow for protein engineering of other terpene synthases to improve their catalytic efficiency or to change their functions. Keywords: biosynthesis; enzyme

• (GFPP, C25) for sesterterpene biosynthesis. Type I terpene synthases (TPSs) activate these acyclic molecules by the abstraction of diphosphate to produce a reactive allyl cation that can initiate a cascade reaction through typical carbocation chemistry, including cyclisation reactions by intramolecular

• attack of an olefinic double bond to the cationic centre Wagner–Meerwein rearrangements, and proton or hydride migrations [2]. These multistep cascade reactions ultimately result in terpene hydrocarbons that are often (poly)cyclic and contain several stereogenic centres [3][4]. In some cases, water is

Halides as versatile anions in asymmetric anion-binding organocatalysis

• Lukas Schifferer,
• Martin Stinglhamer,
• Kirandeep Kaur and
• Olga García Macheño

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2270–2286, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.145

• transformations such as cyclizations or nucleophilic additions. Inspired by cationic terpene-type cyclization cascades, Jacobsen’s group turned their attention to the structure and properties of the chiral part of thiourea catalysts by introducing extended π-groups. A series of thiourea catalysts 53–55 with

Natural products in the predatory defence of the filamentous fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus

• Jana M. Boysen,
• Nauman Saeed and
• Falk Hillmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1814–1827, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.124

• decatetraenedioic acid connected via an ester bond. There is also a methoxy group, an epoxide and a terpene derived aliphatic chain that contains another epoxide, linked to cyclohexane. These unstable di-epoxides are responsible for the biological activity of fumagillin, which targets the active site of the