title: Biosynthesis of stenusine.
abstract: The rove beetles of the genus Stenus Latreille synthesize the alkaloid stenusine in their pygidial glands, which are located in the last three segments of their abdomen. It is proposed that stenusine is derived from the two amino acids, L-lysine and L-isoleucine. Feeding S. bimaculatus beetles with deuterium-labeled amino acids and using GC/MS analysis showed that L-lysine forms the piperidine ring of the stenusine molecule. The side chain originates from L-isoleucine and the N-ethyl group from acetate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Ecology II, University of Bayreuth, Germany. Inka.Lusebrink@uni-bayreuth.de
authors.forename: Inka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lusebrink
authors.forename: Konrad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dettner
authors.forename: Karlheinz
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Seifert
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000737:chemistry; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D007532:Isoleucine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008239:Lysine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010880:Piperidines / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D010880:Piperidines; D007532:Isoleucine; C011112:stenusin; D008239:Lysine