ASP2397: a novel antifungal agent produced by Acremonium persicinum MF-347833

• Published in: Journal of antibiotics Vol. 70; no. 1; pp. 45 - 51
• Main Authors: Nakamura, Ikuko, Yoshimura, Seiji, Masaki, Teruhisa, Takase, Shigehiro, Ohsumi, Keisuke, Hashimoto, Michizane, Furukawa, Shigetada, Fujie, Akihiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 2017; Springer Nature; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 101/28; 101/58; 631/154/436; 631/535/1266; Acremonium - metabolism; Aluminum; Aluminum - chemistry; Antifungal agents; Antifungal Agents - chemistry; Antifungal Agents - isolation & purification; Antifungal Agents - pharmacology; Bacteriology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Bioorganic Chemistry; Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology; Chelates; Coordination Complexes - chemistry; Coordination Complexes - isolation & purification; Coordination Complexes - pharmacology; Ferrichrome - pharmacology; Immunology; Leaf litter; Life Sciences; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Malaysia; Medicinal Chemistry; Microbiology; Organic Chemistry; original-article; Peptides, Cyclic - chemistry; Peptides, Cyclic - isolation & purification; Peptides, Cyclic - pharmacology; Pharmacology & Pharmacy; RNA, Ribosomal, 28S - genetics; Science & Technology
• ISSN: 0021-8820; 1881-1469
• DOI: 10.1038/ja.2016.107

The novel antifungal agent ASP2397 (Vical’s compound ID VL-2397) is produced by the fungal strain MF-347833 that was isolated from Malaysian leaf litter and is identified here as an Acremonium species based on its morphology, physiological properties and 28S ribosomal DNA sequence. Because of its potential importance for producing novel antifungal agents, we determined the taxonomic and biologic properties of MF-347833. We show here that ASP2397 is a cyclic hexapeptide that chelates aluminum ion and is therefore similar to ferrichrome, a hydroxamate siderophore. However, ASP2397 differs structurally from licensed antifungal agents such as amphotericin B, triazoles and echinocandins. To understand the relationship between chemical structure and biological function, we isolated certain ASP2397 derivatives from the culture broth, and we further chemically converted the metal-free form to other derivatives.