Abstract
We report a protoilludane-type sesquiterpene, mucoroidiol, and a geranylated bicyclogermacranol, firmibasiol, isolated from Dictyostelium cellular slime molds. The methanol extracts of the fruiting bodies of cellular slime molds were separated by chromatographic methods to give these compounds. Their structures have been established by several spectral means. Mucoroidiol and firmibasiol are the first examples of more modified and oxidized terpenoids isolated from cellular slime molds. Mucoroidiol showed moderate osteoclast-differentiation inhibitory activity despite demonstrating very weak cell-proliferation inhibitory activity. Therefore, cellular slime molds produce considerably diverse secondary metabolites, and they are promising sources of new natural product chemistry.
Highlights
Natural products, those derived from microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria, have long played an essential role in the development of novel drugs [1] pharmaceutical research into natural products has recently declined because of factors such as increased difficulty in identifying new compounds with skeletally novel structures [2,3]
Amoebozoa, which is taxonomically distinct from fungi [4,5] The cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum has been used as a model organism for studying eukaryotic cell functions because of its simple developmental pattern and ease of handling [6,7,8,9] Vegetative cells of D. discoideum grow as single ameba by eating bacteria
A phylogenetic analysis revealed that terpene cyclase genes exist in several species of cellular slime molds [29]
Summary
Those derived from microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria, have long played an essential role in the development of novel drugs [1] pharmaceutical research into natural products has recently declined because of factors such as increased difficulty in identifying new compounds with skeletally novel structures [2,3]. Amoebozoa, which is taxonomically distinct from fungi [4,5] The cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum has been used as a model organism for studying eukaryotic cell functions because of its simple developmental pattern and ease of handling [6,7,8,9] Vegetative cells of D. discoideum grow as single ameba by eating bacteria. When these cells are starved, they initiate a developmental program of morphogenesis, forming a slug-shaped multicellular aggregate. At the end of its development, the aggregate forms a fruiting body consisting of spores and a multicellular stalk [10]
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