(-)-2C-METHYL-D-ERYTHRONO-1,4-LACTONE IS FORMED AFTER APPLICATION OF THE TERPENOID PRECURSOR 1-DEOXY-D-XYLULOSE

Application of [1,2-C-14]1-deoxy-D-xylulose, the committed precursor o f terpenoids, thiamine and pyridoxol, to a variety of plant species re sulted in the labelling of an unknown metabolite, The isolation and pu rification of this metabolite from Ipomoea purpurea plants fed with 1- deoxy-D-xylulose (DX), followed by MMR analysis, resulted in the ident ification of its structure as (-)-2C-methyl-D-erythrono-1,4-lactone (M DEL), MDEL has been previously isolated as a stress metabolite of cert ain plants, A hypothetical biosynthetic scheme is given. (C) 1998 Fede ration of European Biochemical Societies.