Nudicaulins are unique alkaloids responsible for the yellow color of the petals of some papaveraceaous plants. To elucidate the unknown biosynthetic origin of the skeleton, a (13) CO2 -pulse/chase experiment was performed with growing Papaver nudicaule plants. (13) C NMR analysis revealed more than 20 multiple (13) C-enriched isotopologues in nudicaulins from the petals of (13) CO2 -labeled plants. The complex labeling pattern was compared with the isotopologue composition of a kaempferol derivative that was isolated from petals of the same (13) CO2 -labeled plants. The deconvolution of the labeling profiles indicated that the nudicaulin scaffold is assembled from products or intermediates of indole metabolism, the phenylpropanoid pathway, and the polyketide biosynthesis. Naringenin-type compounds and tryptophan/tryptamine are potential substrates for the condensation reaction finally generating the aglycone skeleton of nudicaulins.
Keywords: Papaver nudicaule; biosynthesis; indole alkaloids; isotopic labeling; nudicaulin.
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