An assay for DNA polymerase ß lyase inhibitors that engage the catalytic nucleophile for binding.

DNA polymerase ß (Pol ß) repairs cellular DNA damage. When such damage is inflicted upon the DNA in tumor cells treated with DNA targeted antitumor agents, Pol ß thus diminishes their efficacy. Accordingly, this enzyme has long been a target for antitumor therapy. Although numerous inhibitors of the lyase activity of the enzyme have been reported, none has yet proven adequate for development as a therapeutic agent. In the present study, we developed a new strategy to identify lyase inhibitors that critically engage the lyase active site primary nucleophile Lys72 as part of the binding interface. This involves a parallel evaluation of the effect of the inhibitors on the wild-type DNA polymerase ß (Pol ß) and Pol ß modified with a lysine analogue at position 72. A model panel of five structurally diverse lyase inhibitors identified in our previous studies (only one of which has been published) with unknown modes of binding were used for testing, and one compound, cis-9,10-epoxyoctadecanoic acid, was found to have the desired characteristics. This finding was further corroborated by in silico docking, demonstrating that the predominant mode of binding of the inhibitor involves an important electrostatic interaction between the oxygen atom of the epoxy group and Nε of the main catalytic nucleophile, Lys72. The strategy, which is designed to identify compounds that engage certain structural elements of the target enzyme, could find broader application for identification of ligands with predetermined sites of binding.

Effects of a defective endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation pathway on the stress response, virulence, and antifungal drug susceptibility of the mold pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus.

Proteins that are destined for release outside the eukaryotic cell, insertion into the plasma membrane, or delivery to intracellular organelles are processed and folded in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). An imbalance between the level of nascent proteins entering the ER and the organelle's ability to manage that load results in the accumulation of unfolded proteins. Terminally unfolded proteins are disposed of by ER-associated degradation (ERAD), a pathway that transports the aberrant proteins across the ER membrane into the cytosol for proteasomal degradation. The ERAD pathway was targeted in the mold pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus by deleting the hrdA gene, encoding the A. fumigatus ortholog of Hrd1, the E3 ubiquitin ligase previously shown to contribute to ERAD in other species. Loss of HrdA was associated with impaired degradation of a folding-defective ERAD substrate, CPY*, as well as activation of the unfolded-protein response (UPR). The ΔhrdA mutant showed resistance to voriconazole and reduced thermotolerance but was otherwise unaffected by a variety of environmental stressors. A double-deletion mutant deficient in both HrdA and another component of the same ERAD complex, DerA, was defective in secretion and showed hypersensitivity to ER, thermal, and cell wall stress. However, the ΔhrdA ΔderA mutant remained virulent in mouse and insect infection models. These data demonstrate that HrdA and DerA support complementary ERAD functions that promote survival under conditions of ER stress but are dispensable for virulence in the host environment.

HacA-independent functions of the ER stress sensor IreA synergize with the canonical UPR to influence virulence traits in Aspergillus fumigatus.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is a condition in which the protein folding capacity of the ER becomes overwhelmed by an increased demand for secretion or by exposure to compounds that disrupt ER homeostasis. In yeast and other fungi, the accumulation of unfolded proteins is detected by the ER-transmembrane sensor IreA/Ire1, which responds by cleaving an intron from the downstream cytoplasmic mRNA HacA/Hac1, allowing for the translation of a transcription factor that coordinates a series of adaptive responses that are collectively known as the unfolded protein response (UPR). Here, we examined the contribution of IreA to growth and virulence in the human fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. Gene expression profiling revealed that A. fumigatus IreA signals predominantly through the canonical IreA-HacA pathway under conditions of severe ER stress. However, in the absence of ER stress IreA controls dual signaling circuits that are both HacA-dependent and HacA-independent. We found that a ΔireA mutant was avirulent in a mouse model of invasive aspergillosis, which contrasts the partial virulence of a ΔhacA mutant, suggesting that IreA contributes to pathogenesis independently of HacA. In support of this conclusion, we found that the ΔireA mutant had more severe defects in the expression of multiple virulence-related traits relative to ΔhacA, including reduced thermotolerance, decreased nutritional versatility, impaired growth under hypoxia, altered cell wall and membrane composition, and increased susceptibility to azole antifungals. In addition, full or partial virulence could be restored to the ΔireA mutant by complementation with either the induced form of the hacA mRNA, hacA(i), or an ireA deletion mutant that was incapable of processing the hacA mRNA, ireA(Δ10). Together, these findings demonstrate that IreA has both HacA-dependent and HacA-independent functions that contribute to the expression of traits that are essential for virulence in A. fumigatus.

Divergent Protein Kinase A isoforms co-ordinately regulate conidial germination, carbohydrate metabolism and virulence in Aspergillus fumigatus.

The genome of Aspergillus fumigatus encodes two isoforms of the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase (PKA). Although deletion of the class I isoform, pkaC1, leads to an attenuation of virulence, the function of the class II subunit, PkaC2, was previously uninvestigated. In this report, we demonstrate that both isoforms act in concert to support various physiologic processes that promote the virulence of this pathogen. Whereas pkaC1 and pkaC2 single-deletion mutants display wild-type conidial germination, a double-deletion mutant is delayed in germination in response to environmental nutrients. Furthermore, PkaC1 and PkaC2 interact to positively regulate flux through the carbohydrate catabolic pathway and, consequently, the ΔpkaC1ΔpkaC2 mutant is unable to grow on low glucose concentrations. Importantly, the reduced germinative capacity and inability to utilize glucose observed for the ΔpkaC1ΔpkaC2 strain correlated with an inability of the mutant to establish infection in a murine model. Conversely, overexpression of pkaC2 both promotes the in vitro growth on glucose, and restores the fungal burden and mortality associated with the ΔpkaC1 to that of the wild-type organism. Taken together, these data demonstrate the functional capacity of pkaC2 and emphasize the importance of PKA-mediated metabolic control in the pathogenic potential of A. fumigatus.

Secretion stress and antifungal resistance: an Achilles' heel of Aspergillus fumigatus?

The ability of Aspergillus fumigatus to establish and maintain an infection requires a continuous supply of nutrients to fuel energy production and growth. Like other filamentous fungi, A. fumigatus acquires nutrients by absorption, a mode of nutrition that depends upon the secretion of extracellular hydrolases to degrade the complex organic polymers in host tissues into reduced forms of carbon and nitrogen. If the folding capacity of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is exceeded during periods of high secretory activity, a signaling pathway known as the unfolded protein response (UPR) is activated to relieve the stress on the ER. Current evidence indicates that A. fumigatus relies upon this pathway to sustain the high rate of protease secretion needed to grow optimally in mammalian tissue. In addition, the UPR strengthens the ability of the secretory system to deliver cell wall and membrane components to the hyphal apex, which promotes the invasive growth of the expanding hyphae and protects the fungus from damage caused by antifungal drugs. The important contribution of UPR-dependent functions to the pathogenesis of invasive aspergillosis and antifungal susceptibility suggests that components of this pathway could be promising new targets for antifungal therapy.

Pharmacologic Targeting of S6K1 in PTEN-Deficient Neoplasia.

Genetic S6K1 inactivation can induce apoptosis in PTEN-deficient cells. We analyzed the therapeutic potential of S6K1 inhibitors in PTEN-deficient T cell leukemia and glioblastoma. Results revealed that the S6K1 inhibitor LY-2779964 was relatively ineffective as a single agent, while S6K1-targeting AD80 induced cytotoxicity selectively in PTEN-deficient cells. In vivo, AD80 rescued 50% of mice transplanted with PTEN-deficient leukemia cells. Cells surviving LY-2779964 treatment exhibited inhibitor-induced S6K1 phosphorylation due to increased mTOR-S6K1 co-association, which primed the rapid recovery of S6K1 signaling. In contrast, AD80 avoided S6K1 phosphorylation and mTOR co-association, resulting in durable suppression of S6K1-induced signaling and protein synthesis. Kinome analysis revealed that AD80 coordinately inhibits S6K1 together with the TAM family tyrosine kinase AXL. TAM suppression by BMS-777607 or genetic knockdown potentiated cytotoxic responses to LY-2779964 in PTEN-deficient glioblastoma cells. These results reveal that combination targeting of S6K1 and TAMs is a potential strategy for treatment of PTEN-deficient malignancy.

Effect of six flavonoid compounds from Ixeris sonchifolia on stimulus-induced superoxide generation and tyrosyl phosphorylation in human neutrophils.

BACKGROUND: Ixeris sonchifolia (Bge.) Hance is an herbal medication used in China as an analgesic. METHODS: The effect of six flavonoid compounds isolated from Ixeris sonchifolia (Bge.) Hance on stimulus-induced superoxide generation and phosphorylation of tyrosine residues of protein in human neutrophils was investigated. The six compounds examined were luteolin 7-glucuronide methylester (LGME), luteolin 7-glucuronide ethylester (LGEE), luteolin 7-glucoside (LG), luteolin 7-glucopyranosyl-(1-->6)-glucoside (LGG6), luteolin 7-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-glucoside (LGG2) and apigenin 7-glucoside (AG). RESULTS: When the cells were preincubated with these six flavonoids, the superoxide generation induced by N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) was significantly suppressed in a concentration-dependent manner. These flavonoids also suppressed the superoxide generation induced by arachidonic acid (AA). The rate of suppression by these flavonoids was AG>LG, LGG6, LGEE, LGG2>LGME. In case of the superoxide generation induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), LG, LGG6 and AG suppressed the superoxide generation but LGME, LGEE and LGG2 gave no effect. When the cells were incubated with fMLP in the presence of LGME, LGEE and AG, fMLP-induced tyrosyl phosphorylation of 45-kDa proteins of the cells was dose-dependently suppressed in parallel to the suppression of fMLP-induced superoxide generation. CONCLUSION: Flavonoids suppress tyrosine phosphorylase in a dose-dependent manner, and may have pharmacoceutical applications.

Deletion of the sec4 homolog srgA from Aspergillus fumigatus is associated with an impaired stress response, attenuated virulence and phenotypic heterogeneity.

Small GTPases of the Rab family are master regulators of membrane trafficking, responsible for coordinating the sorting, packaging and delivery of membrane-bound vesicles to specific sites within eukaryotic cells. The contribution of these proteins to the biology of the human pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus has not been explored. In this study, we characterized the srgA gene, encoding a Rab GTPase closely related to Sec4. We found that a GFP-SrgA fusion protein accumulated preferentially at hyphal tips and mature condiophores. The radial growth of a ΔsrgA mutant was impaired on both rich and minimal medium, consistent with a role for SrgA in filamentous growth. In addition, the ΔsrgA mutant revealed dysmorphic conidiophores that produced conidia with heterogeneous morphology. The ΔsrgA mutant was hypersensitive to brefeldin A-mediated inhibition of vesicular trafficking and showed increased temperature sensitivity relative to wild type A. fumigatus. However, the most striking phenotype of this mutant was its phenotypic heterogeneity. Individual colonies isolated from the original ΔsrgA mutant showed variable morphology with colony sectoring. In addition, each isolate of the ΔsrgA mutant displayed divergent phenotypes with respect to thermotolerance, in vitro stress response and virulence in a Galleria mellonella infection model. Taken together, these results indicate that SrgA contributes to the asexual development and filamentous growth of A. fumigatus. However, the discordant phenotypes observed among individual isolates of the ΔsrgA mutant suggest that the absence of srgA exerts selective pressure for the acquisition of compensatory changes, such as second-site suppressor mutations.

Qualitative and quantitative determination of ten iridoids and secoiridoids in Gentiana straminea Maxim. by LC-UV-ESI-MS.

A simple and accurate HPLC-UV/MS method was developed for the simultaneous determination of ten iridoids and secoiridoids in the roots of Gentiana straminea Maxim. Separations were performed on a Kromasil-C18 column by gradient elution using methanol and water containing phosphoric acid. Analytes were identified by HPLC coupled with ESI-MS experiments. The chromatographic method was validated for selectivity, linearity, precision, limit of detection, limit of quantification, accuracy, and stability. The developed assay could be considered as a suitable quality control method for G. straminea and other "Qinjiao" herbs.

Substrate specifity profiling of the Aspergillus fumigatus proteolytic secretome reveals consensus motifs with predominance of Ile/Leu and Phe/Tyr.

BACKGROUND: The filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus (AF) can cause devastating infections in immunocompromised individuals. Early diagnosis improves patient outcomes but remains challenging because of the limitations of current methods. To augment the clinician's toolkit for rapid diagnosis of AF infections, we are investigating AF secreted proteases as novel diagnostic targets. The AF genome encodes up to 100 secreted proteases, but fewer than 15 of these enzymes have been characterized thus far. Given the large number of proteases in the genome, studies focused on individual enzymes may overlook potential diagnostic biomarkers. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: As an alternative, we employed a combinatorial library of internally quenched fluorogenic probes (IQFPs) to profile the global proteolytic secretome of an AF clinical isolate in vitro. Comparative protease activity profiling revealed 212 substrate sequences that were cleaved by AF secreted proteases but not by normal human serum. A central finding was that isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine predominated at each of the three variable positions of the library (44.1%, 59.1%, and 57.0%, respectively) among substrate sequences cleaved by AF secreted proteases. In contrast, fewer than 10% of the residues at each position of cleaved sequences were cationic or anionic. Consensus substrate motifs were cleaved by thermostable serine proteases that retained activity up to 50°C. Precise proteolytic cleavage sites were reliably determined by a simple, rapid mass spectrometry-based method, revealing predominantly non-prime side specificity. A comparison of the secreted protease activities of three AF clinical isolates revealed consistent protease substrate specificity fingerprints. However, secreted proteases of A. flavus, A. nidulans, and A. terreus strains exhibited striking differences in their proteolytic signatures. CONCLUSIONS: This report provides proof-of-principle for the use of protease substrate specificity profiling to define the proteolytic secretome of Aspergillus fumigatus. Expansion of this technique to protease secretion during infection could lead to development of novel approaches to fungal diagnosis.

Impact of the lectin chaperone calnexin on the stress response, virulence and proteolytic secretome of the fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus.

Calnexin is a membrane-bound lectin chaperone in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that is part of a quality control system that promotes the accurate folding of glycoproteins entering the secretory pathway. We have previously shown that ER homeostasis is important for virulence of the human fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, but the contribution of calnexin has not been explored. Here, we determined the extent to which A. fumigatus relies on calnexin for growth under conditions of environmental stress and for virulence. The calnexin gene, clxA, was deleted from A. fumigatus and complemented by reconstitution with the wild type gene. Loss of clxA altered the proteolytic secretome of the fungus, but had no impact on growth rates in either minimal or complex media at 37°C. However, the ΔclxA mutant was growth impaired at temperatures above 42°C and was hypersensitive to acute ER stress caused by the reducing agent dithiothreitol. In contrast to wild type A. fumigatus, ΔclxA hyphae were unable to grow when transferred to starvation medium. In addition, depleting the medium of cations by chelation prevented ΔclxA from sustaining polarized hyphal growth, resulting in blunted hyphae with irregular morphology. Despite these abnormal stress responses, the ΔclxA mutant remained virulent in two immunologically distinct models of invasive aspergillosis. These findings demonstrate that calnexin functions are needed for growth under conditions of thermal, ER and nutrient stress, but are dispensable for surviving the stresses encountered in the host environment.

The virulence of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus requires cooperation between the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation pathway (ERAD) and the unfolded protein response (UPR).

The filamentous fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus secretes hydrolytic enzymes to acquire nutrients from host tissues. The production of these enzymes exerts stress on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which is alleviated by two stress responses: the unfolded protein response (UPR), which adjusts the protein folding capacity of the ER, and ER-associated degradation (ERAD), which disposes of proteins that fail to fold correctly. In this study, we examined the contribution of these integrated pathways to the growth and virulence of A. fumigatus, focusing on the ERAD protein DerA and the master regulator of the UPR, HacA. A ΔderA mutant grew normally and showed no increase in sensitivity to ER stress. However, expression of the UPR target gene bipA was constitutively elevated in this strain, suggesting that the UPR was compensating for the absence of DerA function. To test this, the UPR was disrupted by deleting the hacA gene. The combined loss of derA and hacA caused a more severe reduction in hyphal growth, antifungal drug resistance and protease secretion than the loss of either gene alone, suggesting that DerA and HacA cooperate to support these functions.  Moreover, the ΔderA/ΔhacA mutant was avirulent in a mouse model of invasive aspergillosis, which contrasted the wild type virulence of ΔderA and the reduced virulence of the ΔhacA mutant. Taken together, these data demonstrate that DerA cooperates with the UPR to support the expression of virulence-related attributes of A. fumigatus.

Library screen for inhibitors targeting norovirus binding to histo-blood group antigen receptors.

Human noroviruses (NVs) are a common cause of nonbacterial gastroenteritis. The disease is difficult to control due to its widespread nature and the lack of antivirals or vaccines against NVs. The recent identification of human histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) as NV receptors opens a new way for the discovery and design of antivirals against NVs. A saliva-based enzyme immune assay (EIA) was used to screen a synthetic-compound library for inhibition of the binding of norovirus-like particles to HBGA receptors. Among 5,000 compounds tested in the first round of screening, 153 compounds exhibited >50% inhibition of the binding of VA387 (an NV that binds to A, B, and H epitopes) to the A antigen in saliva at approximately 50 mug/ml, and 14 of the 153 compounds revealed strong inhibition, with a 50% effective concentration of <15 muM. Ten and 11 of the 14 compounds also revealed inhibition of the binding of VA387 to the B and H antigens, respectively. Seven and 6 of the 14 compounds also blocked the binding of the prototype Norwalk virus (A and H binder) to the A and H antigens, respectively. One compound significantly inhibited the binding of MOH (A and B binder) to the A and B antigens, but no compound revealed any inhibitory effect on the binding of a Lewis binding strain (VA207) to the Lewis antigens. The EIA is a high-throughput method for large-scale library screening for antivirals against NVs. Studies to further characterize the lead compounds and to screen additional compounds for other NVs are ongoing in our laboratory.

DNA polymerase beta lyase inhibitors from Maytenus putterlickoides.

During a survey of plant secondary metabolites for DNA polymerase beta lyase inhibitors, we found that a crude methyl ethyl ketone extract prepared from Maytenus putterlickoides showed strong inhibition of the lyase activity of DNA polymerase beta in an in vitro assay. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the extract, using an in vitro assay, resulted in the discovery of a new active principle, 30-(4'-hydroxybenzoyloxy)-11alpha-hydroxylupane-20(29)-en-3-one (1), as well as a known compound, (-)-epicatechin (2). Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited DNA polymerase beta lyase inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 62.8 and 18.5 microM, respectively. Compound 2 was capable of potentiating the action of the monofunctional methylating agent methyl methanesulfonate in cultured human cancer cells, consistent with the possible utility of inhibitors of this type in vivo.

Biscoumarin derivatives from Edgeworthia gardneri that inhibit the lyase activity of DNA polymerase beta.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of an active methyl ethyl ketone extract of Edgeworthia gardneri, using an assay to monitor DNA polymerase beta lyase inhibition, resulted in the isolation of three known biscoumarin derivatives, 7-hydroxy-3,7'-dicoumaryl ether (edgeworin, 1), 7-hydroxy-6-methoxy-3,7'-dicoumaryl ether (daphnoretin, 2), and 6,7-dihydroxy-3,7'-dicoumaryl ether (edgeworthin, 3). Compounds 1-3 inhibited the lyase activity of DNA polymerase beta with IC(50) values of 7.3 microg/mL (22.5 microM), 43.0 microg/mL (122.3 microM), and 32.1 microg/mL (94.8 microM), respectively.

Plant sterols as selective DNA polymerase beta lyase inhibitors and potentiators of bleomycin cytotoxicity.

In a survey of crude plant extracts for DNA polymerase beta lyase inhibitors, the hexanes extracts of Cladogynus orientalis, Hymenache donacifolia, and Heteropsis integerrima, and the methyl ethyl ketone extract of Acacia pilispina were found to exhibit good inhibition of the dRP lyase activity of DNA polymerase beta. Bioassay-guided fractionation of these extracts led to the isolation of three DNA polymerase beta lyase inhibitory phytosterols, namely stigmasterol (1) and beta-sitosterol (2), isolated from the hexanes extracts, and beta-sitosterol-beta-d-glucoside (3), isolated from the methyl ethyl ketone extract. Compounds 1-3 inhibited the DNA polymerase beta lyase activity with IC(50) values of 43.6, 43.3, and 72.4 microM, respectively. Compounds 1 and 2 were found capable of potentiating the action of bleomycin in cultured human tumor cells, consistent with the possibility that lyase inhibitors may find utility in vivo.

Microbial metabolism of pseudoprotodioscin.

Microbial transformation of the furostanol saponin pseudoprotodioscin ( 1) using Aspergillus fumigatus resulted in the isolation of two new steroidal metabolites, 3- O-[bis- alpha- L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2 and 1-->4)- beta- D-glucopyranosyl]-22 R,25 R-spirost-5-ene-3 beta,20 alpha-diol ( 2) and 3- O-[bis- alpha- L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2 and 1-->4)- beta- D-glucopyranosyl]-25 R-furost-5-ene-3 beta,22 alpha,26-triol ( 3), in addition to the previously reported steroidal saponins: dioscin ( 4) and progenin II ( 5). The structure elucidation of these metabolites was based primarily on 1D and 2D NMR analyses. Metabolites 2 - 5 showed significant cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines A375, L929, and HeLa with IC (50) values ranging from 1.18 microM to 17.88 microM.

Three new triterpenoid saponins from Ixeris sonchifolia and their cytotoxic activity.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of an active n-BuOH extract of the whole plant of Ixeris sonchifolia, using a cytotoxicity assay, resulted in the isolation of three new triterpenoid saponins, ixeris saponins A (1), B (2), and C (3). On the basis of chemical evidence and extensive spectral studies, their structures were established as echinocystic acid 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->3)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->3)-alpha- L-arabinopyranoside (1), 3-O-[bis[beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->2 and 1-->3)-alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl]]echinocystic acid 28-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (2), and 3- O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->3)-beta- D-glucopyranosyl(1-->3)-alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl]-16alpha, 23-dihydroxyolean-12-ene 28-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (3). Compounds 2 and 3 showed significant cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines A375, L929, and HeLa with IC50 values ranging from 8.83 microM to 15.83 microM, while compound 1 was inactive against these three cell lines.

A new ursane triterpene from Monochaetum vulcanicum that inhibits DNA polymerase beta lyase.

Bioassay-directed fractionation of a butanone extract of Monochaetum vulcanicum resulted in the isolation of a new triterpene (1) and four known compounds, ursolic acid (2), 2alpha-hydroxyursolic acid (3), 3-(p-coumaroyl)ursolic acid (4), and beta-sitosteryl-beta-d-galactoside (5). The structure of the new compound 1 was established as 3beta-acetoxy-2alpha-hydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid on the basis of extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic interpretation and chemical derivatization. Compounds 1-3 and 5 exhibited polymerase beta lyase activity.

New neolignans that inhibit DNA polymerase beta lyase.

Bioassay-directed fractionation of a methyl ethyl ketone extract of the roots of Endlicheria aff. resulted in the isolation of four new neolignans (1-4) and eight known compounds, namely, canellin A (5), canellin C (6), 3'-methoxyguianin (7), (7S,8R,1'S,5'S,6'R)-Delta(2',8')-3',6'-dihydroxy-5'-methoxy-3,4-methylenedioxy-4'-oxo-8.1',7.5'-neolignan (8), armenin-B (9), dillapiole (10), 1-allyl-2,6-dimethoxy-3,4-methylenedioxybenzene (11), and omega-hydroxyisodillapiole (12). The structures of the new compounds (1-4) were established as (7S,8R,1'S,5'S,6'R)-Delta(2',8')-5',6'-dihydroxy-3'-methoxy-3,4-methylenedioxy-4'-oxo-8.1',7.5'-neolignan, (7S,8R,1'S,5'S,6'R)-Delta(2',8')-3',5',6'-trihydroxy-3,4-methylenedioxy-4'-oxo-8.1',7.5'-neolignan, 2,4-dimethoxy-5,6-methylenedioxy-1-(2-propenyl)benzene, and 2,6-dimethoxy-3,4-methylenedioxycinnamyl alcohol, respectively, on the basis of spectroscopic interpretation.