Xenofuranones A and B: phenylpyruvate dimers from Xenorhabdus szentirmaii

Abstract

Xenofuranones A (1) and B (2) have been isolated from cultures of the insect-pathogenic bacterium Xenorhabdus szentirmaii, and their structures were elucidated by NMR and mass spectroscopy. Both compounds show similarities to fungal furanones, and their biosynthesis was studied using a reversed approach by feeding putative 12C precursors to an overall 13C background in small-scale experiments followed by gas chromatographic analysis coupled to mass spectrometry.