Differential Sequestration of a Cytotoxic Vismione from the Host Plant Vismia baccifera by Periphoba arcaei and Pyrrhopyge thericles.

We sought to compare the abilities of the specialist Lepidoptera Pyrrhopyge thericles (Hesperiidae) and the generalist Periphoba arcaei (Saturniidae) to assimilate three highly cytotoxic compounds from their larval host plant, Vismia baccifera (Clusiaceae) and to determine whether either insect discriminated in its assimilation of the compounds that are structurally similar but of variable cytotoxicity. Vismione B (1), deacetylvismione A (2), and deacetylvismione H (3) are cytotoxic compounds isolated from V. baccifera.

Ecology- and bioassay-guided drug discovery for treatments of tropical parasitic disease: 5alpha,8alpha-epidioxycholest-6-en-3beta-ol isolated from the mollusk Dolabrifera dolabrifera shows significant activity against Leishmania donovani.

An ecology- and bioassay-guided search employed to discover compounds with activity against tropical parasitic diseases and cancer from the opisthobranch mollusk, Dolabrifera dolabrifera, led to the discovery of antileishmanial properties in the known compound, 5alpha,8alpha-epidioxycholest-6-en-3beta-ol (1). Compound 1 was identified through nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H, 13C) and mass spectrometry. The compound was concentrated in the digestive gland of D.

Significant natural product biosynthetic potential of actinorhizal symbionts of the genus frankia, as revealed by comparative genomic and proteomic analyses.

Bacteria of the genus Frankia are mycelium-forming actinomycetes that are found as nitrogen-fixing facultative symbionts of actinorhizal plants. Although soil-dwelling actinomycetes are well-known producers of bioactive compounds, the genus Frankia has largely gone uninvestigated for this potential. Bioinformatic analysis of the genome sequences of Frankia strains ACN14a, CcI3, and EAN1pec revealed an unexpected number of secondary metabolic biosynthesis gene clusters.

Malyngolide dimer, a bioactive symmetric cyclodepside from the panamanian marine cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula.

Fractionation of the extract of the marine cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula collected from Panama led to the isolation of malyngolide dimer (1). The planar structure of 1 was determined using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and HRESI-TOFMS. The absolute configuration was established by chemical degradation followed by chiral GC-MS analyses and comparisons with an authentic sample of malyngolide seco-acid (4).

Antimalarial linear lipopeptides from a Panamanian strain of the marine cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula.

As part of the Panama International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups (ICBG) project, two new (2, 4) and two known (1, 3) linear alkynoic lipopeptides have been isolated from a Panamanian strain of the marine cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula. Carmabin A (1), dragomabin (2), and dragonamide A (3) showed good antimalarial activity (IC50 4.3, 6.