Kunio Kato

Synthesis and absolute stereochemistry of serricornin [(4S,6S,7S)-4,6-dimethyl-7-hydroxy-3-nonanone]: The sex pheromone of the cigarette beetle

Abstract The absolute stereochemistry o serricornin (4,6-dimethyl-7-hydroxy-3-nonanone) was established as 4 S , 6 S , 7 S by synthesizing both (4 S , 6 S , 7 S )-isomer and its antipode. Only the natural enantiomer was bioactive.

Lasioderma chemistry sex pheromone of cigarette beetle (Lasioderma serricorne F.)

A chemical study of the sex pheromone of the cigarette beetle was carried out. Seven components were isolated from active fractions of column chromatography of the female extract, and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic evidence and confirmed by synthesis to be (4S,6S,7S)-4,6-di-methyl-7-hydroxynonan-3-one (serricornin) (I), 2,6-diethyl-3,5-dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran (anhydroserricornin) (II), 4,6-dimethylnonan-3,7-dione (III), 4,6-dimethylnonan-3,7-diol (IV), 4,6-dimethyl-7-hydroxy-4-nonen-3-one (V), (2S,3R)-2,3-dihydro-3,5-dimethyl-2-ethyl-6-(l-methyl-2-oxobutyl)-4H-pyran-4-one (serricorone) (VI) and (2S,3R)-2,3-dihydro-3,5-dimethyl-2-ethyl-6-(1-methyl-2-hydroxybutyl)-4H-pyran-4-one (serricorole) (VII).These structural features suggested that the occurrence of these components might be related to the polyketide biosynthesis. The behavioral bioassay and BAG experiments revealed the biological role of each component in the copulatory behavior of this insect.

An extracellular arabinogalactan-protein from Nicotiana tabacum

Abstract An extracellular arabinogalactan-protein was obtained from suspension-cultured tobacco cells. It seemed to be a homogeneous preparation from the results of gel-filtration, ultracentrifugation and disc gel electrophoresis. Its MW was estimated to be 2.24 × 10 5 and its sedimentation coefficient ( S 20,w ) was calculated to be 5.07 S. It consisted of arabinose (40.0%), galactose (36.2%), rhamnose (0.8 %), glucuronic acid (10.0 %), glucosamine (0.2 %), galactosamine (0.1%) and protein (5.5 %). The sugar moiety appeared to be a typical arabino-3,6-galactan. A d -glucuronic acid residue was present as the non-reducing terminal group and was attached to C(O)-6 of a d -galactosyl residue by β-linkage.

Absolute stereochemistry of serricornin, the sex pheromone of cigarette beetle, as determined by the synthesis of its (4S,6R,7R)-isomer

Abstract The absolute stereochemistry of serricornin was determined to be (4S,6S,7S) by the synthesis of its (4S,6R,7R)-isomer using a carbohydrate synthon.

Chromosome aberrations induced by pyrolysates of carbohydrates in Chinese hamster V79 cells

The clastogenic activity of some pyrolysates of carbohydrates was examined in cultured Chinese hamster V79 cells. These pyrolysates include levoglucosan (LG-I), levoglucosenone (LG-II), furfural (FF), 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furfural (HMF), glyoxal (GL), methylglyoxal (MGL), 3-deoxy-D-glucosone (DG) and thiazolidine (TZ). LG-I did not induce a significant number of chromosome aberrations at doses up to 8000 micrograms/ml. In contrast, the related compound LG-II induced aberrations and reduced mitosis in a dose-dependent fashion at around 1/2000 of the LG-I doses. Both furan derivatives, FF and HMF, and both glyoxal derivatives, GL and MGL, induced a significant number of chromosome aberrations and a significant lowering of mitotic activity. Among these compounds, FF and MGL showed stronger clastogenic activity than HMF and GL, respectively. DG slightly but positively induced chromosome aberrations. TZ was one of the most potent clastogens among the compounds examined in this study, showing the highest incidence of aberrant cells with many exchanges at doses inducing a significant lowering of mitotic activity. The results of this study indicate the need for a re-evaluation of the thermal decomposition of carbohydrates as a source of genotoxic contaminants.

4.6-dimethyl-7-hydroxy-nonan-3-one, a sex pheromone of the cigarette beetle (Lasioderma serricorne F.)

Abstract A structure of the sex pheromone produced by the female cigarette beetle (Lasioderma serricorne F.) is established as 4,6-dimethyl-7-hydroxy-nonan-3-one (Ia) by chemical and spectroscopic evidences.

Chiral synthons from levoglucosenone: Short routes for (—)-δ-multistriatin and (+)-prelog-djerassi lactonic acid

Abstract Levoglucosenone ( 1 ) was used as the starting material for short and stereoselective routes to chiral synthons for (—)-δ-multistriatin ( 2 ) and (+)-Prelog-Djerassi lactonic acid ( 3 ). The stereochemistry of these synthons is discussed on the basis of high-resolution 1 H-n.m.r. data.

Glucosides of ionone-related compounds in several nicotiana species

Abstract The β-glucosides of 3-oxo-α-ionol and 5,6-epoxy-5,6-dihydro-3-hydroxy-β-ionol were isolated from fresh leaves of Nicotiana rustica. Two or more of the glucosides of 3-oxo-α-ionol, 5,6-epoxy-5,6-dihydro-3-hydroxy-β-ionol, 3-hydroxy-β-damascone, blumenol A, 4-(3-hydroxybutylidene)-3,5,5-trimethyl-2-cyclohexenl-one and blumenol C were shown to be present and the amounts measured in N. alata, N. repanda, N. rustica, N. undulata, N. accuminata, N. sylvestris and N. tabacum. No glucosides were detected in N. paniculata.

Determination of the absolute configuration at C-6 and C-7 of serricornin (4,6-dimethyl-7-hydroxy-3-nonanone), the sex pheromone of the cigarette beetle

Abstract The absolute configuration at C-6 and C-7 of serricornin was established as (6 S , 7 S ) by synthesizing its (6 R , 7 S - erythro and (6 R , 7 R - threo isomers.

Sesquiterpenoid stress compounds from Nicotiana species

Abstract Solavetivone, 3-hydroxysolavetivone, solanascone, phytuberin and phytuberol were identified as stress compounds in leaves of Nicotiana tabacum cv Samsun NN. N. sylvestris , which is the maternal progenitor of N. tabacum , produced all the above compounds except 3-hydroxysolavetivone. In the F 1 , hybrid of N. tabacum and N. glutinosa , all the stress compounds produced by N. tabacum and N. glutinosa , respectively, were accumulated.