A protecting-group-free route for the total synthesis of (-)-lycopodine was demonstrated in only 8 steps from Wade's fawcettimine enone (12 steps from commercial availiable (R)-(+)-pulegone). The key core of this alkaloid was constructed through a phosphoric acid promoted and highly stereocontrolled alkyne aza-Prins cyclization reaction, synchronously establishing the bridged B-ring and the C13 quaternary stereocenter. Importantly, the synthesis further features a new efficient approach for the preparation of other lycopodine-type alkaloids.

Background: Members of the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) and UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT) gene superfamily have been shown to play essential roles in regulating secondary metabolite biosynthesis. However, the systematic identification of CYP450s and UGTs has not been reported in Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem, a highly valued medicinal plant. Results: In the present study, we conducted the RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of the leaves, stems, and roots of A. elata, yielding 66,713 total unigenes. Following annotation and KEGG pathway analysis, we were able to identify 64 unigenes related to triterpenoid skeleton biosynthesis, 254 CYP450s and 122 UGTs, respectively. A total of 150 CYP450s and 92 UGTs encoding > 300 amino acid proteins were utilized for phylogenetic and tissue-specific expression analyses. This allowed us to cluster 150 CYP450s into 9 clans and 40 families, and then these CYP450 proteins were further grouped into two primary branches: A-type (53%) and non-A-type (47%). A phylogenetic analysis of 92 UGTs and other plant UGTs led to clustering into 16 groups (A-P). We further assessed the expression patterns of these CYP450 and UGT genes across A. elata tissues, with 23 CYP450 and 16 UGT members being selected for qRT-PCR validation, respectively. From these data, we identified CYP716A295 and CYP716A296 as the candidate genes most likely to be associated with oleanolic acid synthesis, while CYP72A763 and CYP72A776 were identified as being the most likely to play roles in hederagenin biosynthesis. We also selected five unigenes as the best candidates for oleanolic acid 3-O-glucosyltransferase. Finally, we assessed the subcellular localization of three CYP450 proteins within Arabidopsis protoplasts, highlighting the fact that they localize to the endoplasmic reticulum. Conclusions: This study presents a systematic analysis of the CYP450 and UGT gene family in A. elata and provides a foundation for further functional characterization of these two multigene families.

A visible-light-mediated radical addition of alkynoates to generate 3-bromocoumarins by using N-bromosuccinimide as the bromo source has been accomplished. This procedure provides a bromo radical addition/spirocyclization/ester migration cascade reaction under very mild reaction conditions without using any catalyst or strong oxidant and does not need high reaction temperature. Furthermore, the reaction can also be enlarged to the gram scale, and the product 3-bromocoumarins can be further applied in the synthesis of complex compounds.

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The first total synthesis of paucidirinine (1d), a highly congested aspidofractinine alkaloid containing a special contracted five-membered lactam ring, was achieved in 10 steps with 8% overall yield from commercially available materials. Several key maneuvers, including tandem enamination/[4 + 2] cycloaddition reaction and SmI2-promoted radical cyclization, were featured in this potentially scalable strategy.