Summary
In contrast to the female, the adult males ofLytta vesicatoria (Coleopt. Meloidae) produced radioactive cantharidine on injection with14C-1-acetate and14C-2-mevalonate solutions. A partial degradation of the cantharidine showed that in the acetate experiment approximately 2/3 of the activity occurred at C atoms 2 + 3 whereas with mevalonate approximately 1/6 of the activity was at C atoms 8 + 9 and 1/6 at C atoms 10 + 11. These results show that cantharidine is not formed by a tail to tail linkage of 2 isoprene units.
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Wir danken dem Schweizerischen Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung für die Unterstützung dieser Arbeit, Herrn Dr.J. Würsch (Physikalisch-chemische Abteilung der Firma F. Hoffmann-La Roche & Co. AG, Basel) für14C-2-Mevalolacton und unserer mikroanalytischen Abteilung (LeitungH. Frohofer) für die Aktivitätsbestimmungen.
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Schlatter, C., Waldner, E.E. & Schmid, H. Zur Biosynthese des Cantharidins. I. Experientia 24, 994–995 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02138701
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02138701