Sphaerostilbellins, New Antimicrobial Aminolipopeptide Peptaibiotics from Sphaerostilbella toxica

TR Number
Date
2020-09-26
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract

Sphaerostilbella toxica is a mycoparasitic fungus that can be found parasitizing wood-decay basidiomycetes in the southern USA. Organic solvent extracts of fermented strains of S. toxica exhibited potent antimicrobial activity, including potent growth inhibition of human pathogenic yeasts Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans, the respiratory pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, and the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. Bioassay-guided separations led to the purification and structure elucidation of new peptaibiotics designated as sphaerostilbellins A and B. Their structures were established mainly by analysis of NMR and HRMS data, verification of amino acid composition by Marfey’s method, and by comparison with published data of known compounds. They incorporate intriguing structural features, including an N-terminal 2-methyl-3-oxo-tetradecanoyl (MOTDA) residue and a C-terminal putrescine residue. The minimal inhibitory concentrations for sphaerostilbellins A and B were measured as 2 μM each for C. neoformans, 1 μM each for A. fumigatus, and 4 and 2 μM, respectively, for C. albicans. Murine macrophage cells were unaffected at these concentrations.

Description
Keywords
antifungals, Hypocreaceae, mycoparasite, nonribosomal peptide, putrescine, secondary metabolite
Citation
Perlatti, B.; Nichols, C.B.; Alspaugh, J.A.; Gloer, J.B.; Bills, G.F. Sphaerostilbellins, New Antimicrobial Aminolipopeptide Peptaibiotics from Sphaerostilbella toxica. Biomolecules 2020, 10, 1371.