Biosynthesis of Pinguisone in an Axenic Culture of the Liverwort Aneura pinguis.

Pinguisone accumulated in cultured gametophytes of Aneura pinguis to a significantly high level. A biosynthetic study on the formation of pinguisone was carried out by feeding [2-C-13]-acetate to the cultured gametophytes. Pinguisone was labeled at an adequate level to determine the labeling positions by a C-13-NMR analysis. The labeling pattern indicated two-methyl migration and C-C bond cleavage of the main chain in farnesyl diphosphate in the formation of pinguisone.