Biosynthesis of longianone from Xylaria longiana: a metabolite with a biosynthetic relationship to patulin

Longianone, a metabolite of Xylaria longiana, is an isomer of the well known fungal toxin, patulin; it is demonstrated that longianone is biosynthesised from 6-methylsalicylic acid in a pathway closely related to that found in patulin biosynthesis.