COMMUNICATIONS TO THE EDITOR
2024
cording to scheme 3,instead of A, will alter the arrangement of acetate carbons in cholesterol only at the four following positions: Cy, CS, Clz and C13. Evidence for the origin of one of these crucial carbon atoms is presented in this communication. Epiandrosterone, obtained by degradation of labeled dihydroch~lesterol,~~~ was oxidized under the conditions used for C-methyl determination7 to yield 1.7 moles of acetic acid (theory 2 moles). The acetic acid, which is derived from the angular methyl groups and the adjoining carbon atoms, was analyzed for C14 and degraded for separate assay of Cl0 C18and Cls C I ~ .The table shows that in cholesterol which had been synthesized biologor ically from methyl-labeled acetate, either C ~ O C13, in addition to the angular methyl groups, contains C14. Since it is known from the work of
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VOl. 75
by a methyl shift, would rationalize the fact that lanosterol is not constituted in accordance with the isoprene rule. CONVERSE LABORATORY HARVARD UNIVERSITY CAMBRIDGE, MASS.
R. B. WOODWARD
DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO KONRAD BLOCH CHICAGO, ILL. 11, 1953 RECEIVED MARCH
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ENZYMATIC REDUCTION OF COMPOUND E-21-ALDEHYDE TO COMPOUND E
Sir: A4-Pregnene-17a-01-21-al-3, 1lJ20-trione (Com-
pound E-21-aldehyde) has been prepared from A*-pregnene-17a,2l-diol-3,11,2O-trione (Compound E) by Rogers, et aZ.,l who noted that the aldehyde has approximately the same biological activity as the parent hormone. We believe that the observed activity of the aldehyde is due to its rapid reduction to Compound E in vivo, and wish to report Scheme Scheye Products analyzed Ab B Found the isolation of Compound E following the incu( 1 ) Epiandrosterone ... . . . 100 bation of the aldehyde in a simple cell-free in vitro system. (2) Acetic acid from (1) 95 143 135 Six grams of rat liver acetone powder was ex(3) Carboxyl-C from (2) CIO-I- C13 0 95 105 tracted with 60 ml. of Rreb’s phosphosaline buffer (4) Methyl-C from (2) Cia + CIP 190 190 165 7.4 for 30 min. at room temp. The sus ension E As infinitely thick samples of BaCOs. * Calcd. A: PH was centrifuged, and the supernatant (48mlJadded C I ~ ,CIP derived biologically from acetate-methyl ; (210, CIJderived biologically from acetate-carboxyl. Calcd. B: to 57.8 mg. of the aldehyde hydrate2 in 68 ml. of CIS, CIS, Cia derived biologically from acetate-methyl; the above buffer containing 100 mg. of dihydroClo derived biologically from acetate-carboxyl. diphosphopyridine nucleotide. After 30 min. at 38’ (gas phase air) the incubate was diluted with Cornforth, et U Z . , ~ that Cl0 is derived from an acetate acetone, filtered, and the acetone removed in w u o . carboxyl, it can be concluded that the labeled car- The aqueous residue was diluted with water and bon in the present case is c13.’ Now if C13 has its extracted with ethyl acetate. After removal of the origin in a methyl group of acetic acid cyclization solvent, the extract was chromatographed on magscheme A is untenable. Scheme B, which is con- nesium silicate Celite. Elution with ethyl acetate sistent with earlier as well as with the present new gave a single crystalline fraction which after reisotopic data, provides also a particularly reason- crystallization from methanol weighed 22 mg. It able basis for the biosynthesis of the triterpenoid was identified as Compound E by its m.p. (218alcohol, lanosterol (11), whose remarkable re- 220°, not depressed on admixture with authentic semblance to the sterols has recently been demon- Compound E), the observed absorption maxima in strated. l o Formation from squalene, accompanied sulfuric acid solution (280-285 mp, 340 mp and 410415 mp, corresponding to the published maxima for authentic Compound E,8 the m.p. of the acetate (242-24404), and the analysis of the acetate (Calcd. for CzaH30Oa: C, 68.65; H, 7.46. Found: C, 68.44; H, 7.20). A detailed study of this enzymatic reduction including efforts to effect its reversal will he published at a later date TABLEI CHEMICAL DEGRADATION OF STEROID SYNTHESIZED FROM METHYL-LABELED ACETATE C14, C.P.M a All values calculated for a ratib of 10 methyl to 9 carboxyl carbon atoms of acetate in epiandrosterone(cf. H.N. Little and K. Bloch, J . Bid. Chent.. 183,33 (1950).
I
I1
(61 Isolated by Dr. Josef Wiirsch.
(7) R. Kuhn and P. L’Orsa, 2. onfew. Chem.. 44,847 (1931). (8) J. W. Cornforth, G. D. Hunter and G . Popjak, private communication. (9) Thcsd armmmts will not be valid ia the very unlikely event that the angular methyl carbon Cin shifts quantitatively to another position during the mume of the oxidation. (10) W. V o w , M.Y.Mfjovic, H.Halaser, 0. Jeger and L. Ruzicka, Helo. Chim. Acta, S6, 2414 (1952).
DEPARTMENTOF EXPTL.MEDICINE JEFFERSON MEDICAL COLLEGE OF PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA, PA. JOHN J. SCHNEIDER 24, 1953 RECEIVED MARCH ( 1 ) E. F. Rogers, W. J. Leanra, J. P. Conbere and K. Pfister 3rd, THISJOUIZNAL, 74, 2947 (1952). (2) The author wishes to thank Dr. Karl P6ster and Dr. E. F. Rogers, Merck and Company, Inc., for the Compound E-21-aldehyde
hydrate used in this experiment. (3) A. Zaffaroni, ibtd., 73, 3828 (1950). (4) L. 11. Sarett, ibid., 70, I454 (1948).
