Echinacea is one of the top ten selling medicinal herbs in Europe and United States. Commercially available formulations may contain different plant parts of three species (Echinacea purpurea, E. pallida, and E. angustifolia). Our study evaluates the diversity of microbial community associated with healthy E. purpurea clones and their ability to produce defense compounds. We recovered and ident...

Claviceps purpurea, a fungal pathogen responsible for ergot diseases in many agriculturally important cereal crops, produces high levels of ricinoleic acid (12-hydroxyoctadec-cis-9-enoic acid) in its sclerotia. It has been believed for many years that the biosynthesis of this fatty acid in C. purpurea involves a hydration process with linoleic acid as the substrate. Using degenerate polymerase ...

The grass parasitic fungus Claviceps purpurea sensu lato produces sclerotia with toxic indole alkaloids. It constitutes several genetic groups with divergent habitat preferences that recently were delimited into separate proposed species. We aimed to 1) analyze genetic variation of C. purpurea sensu lato in Norway, 2) characterize the associated indole alkaloid profiles, and 3) explore relation...

Claviceps purpurea, a biotrophic pathogen of cereals, has developed a unique pathogenic strategy including an extended period of unbranched directed growth in the host's style and ovarian tissue to tap the vascular system. Since the small GTPase Cdc42 has been shown to be involved in cytoskeleton organization and polarity in other fungi, we investigated the role of Cdc42 in the development and ...

Claviceps purpurea, a fungal pathogen responsible for ergot diseases in many agriculturally important cereal crops, produces high levels of ricinoleic acid (12-hydroxyoctadec-cis-9-enoic acid) in its sclerotia. It has been believed for many years that the biosynthesis of this fatty acid in C. purpurea involves a hydration process with linoleic acid as the substrate. Using degenerate polymerase ...

The aerial parts of Tephrosia carrollii afforded two chromene chalcones. Their structures and stereochemistry were established by spectroscopic methods. The structure of oaxacacin was revised and confirmed by X-ray diffraction. In this paper, we describe the isolation of the chalcone known as "oaxacacin" and the new chalcone named epoxyobovatachalcone. The compound der. oaxacacin was found to b...