Seco-Tetracenomycins from the Marine-Derived Actinomycete Saccharothrix sp. 10-10

Discovering the secondary metabolic potential of Saccharothrix

Rare actinomycetes are highly valued as potential sources of novel bioactive secondary metabolites. Among these rare actinomycetes, the genus Saccharothrix is particularly noteworthy due to its ability to produce a diverse range of bioactive secondary metabolites. With the continuous sequencing of bacterial genomes and the rapid development of bioinformatics technologies, our knowledge of the secondary metabolic potential of Saccharothrix can become more comprehensive, but this space has not been reviewed or explored. This review presents a detailed overview of the chemical structures and bioactivities of 138 Saccharothrix-derived secondary metabolites, which are classified into five distinct groups based on their biosynthetic pathways. Furthermore, we delve into experimentally characterized biosynthetic pathways of nine bioactive metabolites. By utilizing a combination of cheminformatic and bioinformatic approaches, we attempted to establish connections between the metabolite families and the biosynthetic gene cluster families encoded by Saccharothrix strains. Our analysis provides a comprehensive perspective on the secondary metabolites that can be linked to corresponding BGCs and highlights the underexplored biosynthetic potential of Saccharothrix. This review also provides guidance for the targeted discovery and biosynthesis of novel natural products from Saccharothrix.

Marine natural products

This review covers the literature published between January and December in 2018 for marine natural products (MNPs), with 717 citations (706 for the period January to December 2018) referring to compounds isolated from marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, green, brown and red algae, sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, molluscs, tunicates, echinoderms, mangroves and other intertidal plants and microorganisms. The emphasis is on new compounds (1554 in 469 papers for 2018), together with the relevant biological activities, source organisms and country of origin. Reviews, biosynthetic studies, first syntheses, and syntheses that led to the revision of structures or stereochemistries, have been included. The proportion of MNPs assigned absolute configuration over the last decade is also surveyed.

Potashchelins, a Suite of Lipid Siderophores Bearing Both L-threo and L-erythro Beta-Hydroxyaspartic Acids, Acquired From the Potash-Salt-Ore-Derived Extremophile Halomonas sp. MG34

Four new lipid siderophores bearing both L-threo- and L-erythro-β-hydroxyaspartic acids, potashchelins A-D (1-4), were isolated from the potash-salt-ore-derived extremophile Halomonas sp. MG34. The planar structures of 1-4 were elucidated on the basis of extensive 1D and 2D NMR studies and MS/MS data. Potashchelins 1-4 contain a hydrophilic nonapeptide headgroup sequentially consisting of β-hydroxyaspartic acid, serine, glycine, serine, serine, β-hydroxyaspartic acid, threonine, serine, and cyclic N(δ)-hydroxy-ornithine, which is appended by one of a series of fatty acids ranging from dodecanoic acid to tetradecanoic acid. The absolute configurations of the amino acids of potashchelins 1-4 were determined by C₃ and advanced Marfey's reaction, partial hydrolysis, and bioinformatics analysis, which revealed that potashchelins 1-4 bear both L-threo- and L-erythro-β-hydroxyaspartic acid. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the stand-alone β-hydroxylase, PtcA, and the fused domain with β-hydroxylase activity in PtcB are expected to be responsible for the formation of L-erythro and L-threo diastereomers, respectively. Additionally, utilizing a comparative genomics approach, we revealed an evolutionary mechanism for lipid siderophores in Halomonas involving horizontal transfer. Bioassays showed that potashchelin A and D had weak antibacterial activity against B. subtilis CPCC 100029 with an MIC value of 64 μg/mL.

Raistrickindole A, an Anti-HCV Oxazinoindole Alkaloid from Penicillium raistrickii IMB17-034

Raistrickindole A (1), a new indole diketopiperazine alkaloid containing an unusual pyrazino[1',2':2,3][1,2]oxazino[6,5- b]indole tetraheterocyclic ring system, a new benzodiazepine derivative, raistrickin (2), and the known haenamindole (3) and sclerotigenin (4) were isolated from the marine-derived fungus Penicillium raistrickii IMB17-034. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses and TDDFT calculations of the NMR and ECD data. Compounds 1 and 2 showed inhibitory activities against the hepatitis C virus.

Tetracenomycin X Exerts Antitumour Activity in Lung Cancer Cells through the Downregulation of Cyclin D1

Tetracenomycin X (Tcm X) has been reported to have antitumour activity in various cancers, but there have not been any studies on its activity with respect to lung cancer to date. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the anti-lung cancer activity of Tcm X. In this study, we found that tetracenomycin X showed antitumour activity in vivo and selectively inhibited the proliferation of lung cancer cells without influencing lung fibroblasts. In addition, apoptosis and autophagy did not contribute to the antitumour activity. Tetracenomycin X exerts antitumour activity through cell cycle arrest induced by the downregulation of cyclin D1. To explore the specific mechanism, we found that tetracenomycin X directly induced cyclin D1 proteasomal degradation and indirectly downregulated cyclin D1 via the activation of p38 and c-JUN proteins. All these findings were explored for the first time, which indicated that tetracenomycin X may be a powerful antimitotic class of anticancer drug candidates for the treatment of lung cancer in the future.