Biosynthesis of anosmine, an imidazole alkaloid of the orchid Dendrobium parishii

Abstract

Tracer experiments with ¹³C,¹⁵N doubly labelled (i.e., C–N ‘bond-labelled’) substrates show that the orchid alkaloid anosmine 1(1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9-octahydrodipyrido[1,2-a:1′,2′-c]imidazol-10-ium bromide) is derived from two lysine units, one of which is incorporated by way of cadaverine, the other presumably via pipecolic acid.