Abstract
Bioactive natural products acting specifically on its molecular targets are expected as promising drug leads in clinical use and/or useful biological probes for basic studies in life sciences.
Two phenalenone compounds, sculezonones A and B, isolated from a marine-derived fungus inhibit DNA polymerases alpha and beta or gamma (1), while an oxylipin compound, plakevulin A, obtained from a marine sponge is an inhibitor of DNA polymerases alpha and gamma (2). An oxyindole alkaloid, speradine A, separated from a marine-derived fungus inhibits Ca-ATPase (3). Two taxoids with different functionalities from taxol, taxuspines D and L, isolated from a Japanese yew inhibit microtubule depolymerization (4), whereas a bicyclic peptide, moroidin, and its related peptides, celogentins, obtained from seeds of a higher plant is an inhibitor of tubulin polymerization (5). Some macrolides otained from marine sponges are F-actin destabilizers, while a macrolide, amphidinolide B, separated from a marine dinoflagellate activates actomyosin ATPase (6). A tetracyclic alkaloid, sieboldine A, isolated from a club moss is an inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase(7).
In this symposium, the structures and activities of these natural products will be described.
References
(1) Biochemistry 2002, 41, 7610-7616. (2) Tetrahedron 2003, 59, 1137-1141. (3) Tetrahedron 2003, 59, 3227-3230. (4) Medical Research Reviews 2002, 22, 305-328. (5) J. Org. Chem. 2001, 66, 6626-6633. (6) J. Org. Chem. 2002, 67, 6585-6592. (7) Org. Lett. 2003, 5, 3991-3993. [Jpn J Physiol 54 Suppl:S13 (2004)]
