Pfizer Handbook of Microbial Metabolites 682 



C^*-Labeled orsellinic acid has been prepared by using 

 Chaetomium cochliodes as the producer. Orsellinic acid 

 was known to be a metabolite of Penicillium barnense, 

 which also produces penicillic acid. When Penicillium 

 barnense was grown in the presence of the labeled orsel- 

 linic acid, it could be shown that orsellinic acid was a 

 precursor of penicillic acid in this organism. ^^ The sites 

 of labeling and actual modes of cleavage are shown. 



HO O CH2 CH3 

 y C C 



COOH 



HC C 



V/x * 



h o + CO2 



0CH3 



Orsellinic Acid Penicillic Acid 



It appears that orsellinic acid is an intermediate in the 

 biogenesis of the xanthone ravenehn.*'' It has been sug- 

 gested as an intermediate in the biosynthesis of several 

 other types of compounds, e.g., lichen substances, fungal 

 anthraquinones and alternariol. 



An uncharacterized substance has been isolated from 

 Curvularia lunata.^^ 



417a Substance from Curvularia lunata, Cj 411x^0.5, colorless solid, 

 m.p. 195°. 



Apparently phenohc. Mannitol was isolated from the 

 same culture. 



Curvularin, also produced by Curvalaria lunata, is pro- 

 duced by Penicillium steckii as well.** 



A new depsidone has been isolated from an Australian 

 Uchen and characterized as norlobaridone : *'* 



85 Klaus Mosbach, Acta. Chem. Scand. 14 457 (1960). 



86 Private communication from Herchel Smith. 



^~ T. Krishna Murty and S. Sankara Subramanian, Indian J. 

 Pharmacij 20 72 (1958). 



»* D. Fennell, K. B. Raper and F. H. Stodola, Chem. and Ind., 1382 

 (1959). 



*" G. P. Briner, G. E. Gream and N. V. Riggs, Australian J. Chem. 

 13 275 (1960). 



