Cupin-domain-containing oxidoreductase; part of the gene cluster that mediates the biosynthesis of sordarial, a salicylic aldehyde structurally related to the phytotoxin pyriculol (PubMed:19277664, PubMed:28485098, PubMed:30908040). The most interesting aspect of this pathway is formation of an aromatic product from the highly reducing polyketide synthase srdA (PubMed:30908040). SrdA synthesizes a reduced polyketide chain from one molecule of acetyl-CoA and five molecules of malonyl-CoA (PubMed:30908040). The polyketide chain is then reductively released as an aldehyde (PubMed:30908040). The oxidoreductases srdC, srdD and srdE then oxidize one of the hydroxy groups to facilitate the intramolecular aldol condensation, followed by dehydration to yield a salicylic aldehyde (PubMed:30908040). This aldehyde can undergo facile reduction by endogenous reductases to yield the alcohol 1-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-3-pent-1,3-dienylbenzene (PubMed:30908040). The flavin-dependent srdI counteract against the propensity of the aldehydes to be reduced under physiological conditions and is responsible for reoxidizing 1-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-3-pent-1,3-dienylbenzene back to the salicylic aldehyde (PubMed:30908040). This salicylic aldehyde is then selectively epoxidized by the cupin-domain-containing oxidoreductase srdB to yield the epoxide, which can be hydrolyzed stereoselectively by the hydrolase srdG to give the final product sordarial (PubMed:30908040). Expression is up-reglated during sexual development (PubMed:19277664). Expression is also up-reglated during confrontation with the arthropod fungivore Drosophila melanogaster (PubMed:28485098). Belongs to the virC family. A recent genetics report associated srdA and its cluster with the biosynthesis of furanocoumarin neurosporin A, a metabolite produced by N.crassa for chemoresistance against predation by arthropod fungivores (PubMed:28485098). However, based on the gene cluster organization and predicted gene functions, this cluster is unlikely to be involved in neurosporin A biosynthesis, but instead produces compounds similar to pyriculol (PubMed:30908040).