How a diversity-oriented approach has inspired a new hypothesis for the gabosine biosynthetic pathway. A new synthesis of (+)-gabosine C.

A new synthesis of (+)-gabosine C has been accomplished as part of a general diversity-oriented approach that also delivered the previously unknown (-)-4-epi-gabosine C. The identification of the unexpected intermediate (+)-8, together with the isolation of ketones 9 and 10 in previous investigations, prompted us to formulate a new hypothesis for the biosynthesis of gabosines, based on a keto-enol equilibrium cascade pathway starting from 2-epi-5-epi-valiolone, along which the necessary precursors for all the different types of gabosines are generated.

Stereoselective synthesis and relative configuration assignment of gabosine J.

The first total synthesis of (+)-gabosine J and that of the epimer at C4 of its enantiomer have been accomplished through an enantioselective approach from a common intermediate 1. These syntheses have allowed us to establish the correct relative configuration of the natural metabolite, which was originally misassigned. This work, together with our former syntheses of other gabosines and related compounds, validates enone 1 as a general synthetic precursor for this kind of carbasugars.