Biosynthesis of aromatic isoprenoids. Part II. Aromatic hydroxylation in the biosynthesis of the furoquinoline alkaloids, skimmianine, evoxine, and choisyine
Abstract
Dictamnine (5) is shown to be an efficient biosynthetic precursor of skimmianine (6) by feeding [3-14C]- and [2,3-3H2;3-14C]-dictamnine to Choisya ternata and to a Skimmia species; dictamnine is also incorporated specifically into evoxine (7a) and into choisyine (8) in C. ternata. A g.l.c. method for the analysis of quinoline alkaloids of rutaceous plants is described.