Phenalenones and Polyesters from and Structure Revision of Talaromycesone A.

Investigation of the secondary metabolites of the filamentous fungus led to the isolation of two new phenalenone dimers, talarohemiketal A () and talaroazasone A (), and one new macrolide polyester, talaromacrolactone A (), along with the reported oxyphenalenone dimers talaromycesone A (), bacillisporin A (), bacillisporin B (), bacillisporin C (), -bacillisporin F (), and bacillisporin J (), the phenalenone monomer funalenone (), the polyesters 15G256α () and 15G256ν (), and 6-hydroxymellein (). Detailed analysis of 2D NMR correlations, supported by TDDFT calculations, led to the structural revision of talaromycesone A as from previously reported structure . In addition, the previously misassigned NMR spectra of compound have been corrected.

The aquastatin biosynthetic gene cluster encodes a versatile polyketide synthase capable of synthesising heteromeric depsides with diverse alkyl side chains.

Depsides have garnered substantial interest due to the diverse biological activities exhibited by members of this class. Among these are the antibacterial aquastatins, glycosylated heteromeric depsides formed through the condensation of orsellinic acid with corticiolic acid. In this work, we isolated aquastatins and the recently described geministatins, along with several novel aquastatin-related depsides with different alkyl side chains from the fungus MST-FP2131.

Self-Resistance Gene-Guided Discovery of the Molecular Basis for Biosynthesis of the Fatty Acid Synthase Inhibitor Cerulenin.

Cerulenin (1) is the first reported natural fatty acid synthase inhibitor and has been intensively researched for its antifungal, anticancer and anti-obesity properties. However, the molecular basis for its biosynthesis has remained a mystery for six decades. Here, we have identified the polyketide biosynthetic gene cluster (cer) responsible for the biosynthesis of 1 from two Sarocladium species using a self-resistance gene mining approach, which we validated via heterologous reconstitution of cer cluster in an Aspergillus nidulans host.

Geministatins: new depside antibiotics from the fungus Austroacremonium gemini.

Two new depside antibiotics, geministatins A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the fungus Austroacremonium gemini MST-FP2131 (Sordariomycetes, Ascomycota), which was recovered from rotting wood in the wet tropics of northern Australia. The structures of the geministatins were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic analysis, chemical degradation and comparison with literature values. Chemical degradation of 1 and 2 yielded three new analogues, geministatins C-E (3-5), as well as a previously reported compound dehydromerulinic acid A (6).