Novel Polyketide-Terpenoid Hybrid Metabolites from a Potent Nematicidal Mutant Δ.

Here, we reported that detailed investigation on trace targeted metabolites from nematode-trapping fungus mutant with deletion of P450 gene led to isolation of 9 new polyketide-terpenoid hybrid derivatives, including four new glycosides of the key precursor farnesyl hydrotoluquinol () and, surprisingly, four new sesquiterpenyl epoxy-cyclohexenoids (SECs) analogues. Among them, two major target metabolites and displayed moderate nematode inhibitory ability. Moreover, the mutant lacking could form far more nematode-capturing traps within 6 h in contact with nematodes and show rapid potent nematicidal activity with killing 93.7% preys, though deletion of the P450 gene resulted in dramatic decrease in fungal colony growth and failure to produce fungal conidia. The results unequivocally revealed that gene should be involved in not only the SEC biosynthetic pathway in the nematode-trapping fungus but also fungal conidiation and nematicidal activity.