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Title: AKANTHOMYCIN, A NEW ANTIBIOTIC PYRIDONE FROM THE ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGUS AKANTHOMYCES GRACILIS

Author
item WAGENAAR, M - CORNELL UNIVERSITY
item Gibson, Donna
item CLARDY, J - CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Organic Letters
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/5/2002
Publication Date: 4/1/2002
Citation: WAGENAAR, M.M., GIBSON, D.M., CLARDY, J. AKANTHOMYCIN, A NEW ANTIBIOTIC PYRIDONE FROM THE ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGUS AKANTHOMYCES GRACILIS. ORGANIC LETTERS. 2002. v. 2 p. 671-673.

Interpretive Summary: Fungi are known to be prolific producers of structurally diverse, biologically active compounds, especially those fungi that are found in close association with other organisms, such as insect pathogenic fungi. We detected antimicrobial activity in an extract of Akanthomyces gracilis, a fungus originally isolated from ants. Three active compounds were identified as having potent activity against a bacterium, including one novel structure which we have named akanthomycin. This manuscript provides additional evidence that the insect pathogenic fungi have untapped potential as producers of novel, biologically active compounds.

Technical Abstract: Organic extracts of the entomopathogenic fungus Akanthomyces gracilis ARS 2910 contained antibiotics active against Staphlococcus aureus. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the CH2Cl2 extract yielded the antibacterial compound akanthomycin as a mixture of atropisomers along with the closely related compounds 8-methyl-pyridoxatin and cordypyridone C. Akanthomycin was characterized using X-ray crystallography and NMR.