EVIDENCE FOR AN OCTANOATE SYNTHASE OPERATING DURING THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF PILIFORMIC ACID IN PORONIA-PILIFORMIS

Sodium [1-C-13]-octanoate is incorporated intact into the C-8 unit of piliformic acid 1 in Poronia piliformis whereas sodium [3-C-13]-decano ate 2 is incorporated into this unit only after prior beta-oxidation t o [1-C-13]-acetyl-CoA. Also 8-fluoraoctanaote 3 is utilised by P. pili formis as an intact unit to generate 9-fluoropiliformic acid 5 whereas 10-fluorodecanoate 4 is not. These results suggest that octanoate is biosynthesised de novo for secondary metabolism and is not assimilated from higher fatty acids by beta-oxidation. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.