Three New and Eleven Known Unusual C25 Steroids: Activated Production of Silent Metabolites in a Marine-Derived Fungus by Chemical Mutagenesis Strategy using Diethyl Sulphate

Three new (1–3) and 11 known (4–14) C25 steroids with an unusual bicyclo[4.4.1]A/B ring system were isolated by tracing newly produced metabolites in the EtOAc extract of an antitumor mutant AD-1-2 obtained by the diethyl sulphate (DES) mutagenesis of a marine-derived Penicillium purpurogenum G59. HPLC-PDAD-UV and HPLC-ESI-MS analyses indicated that the G59 strain did not produce these metabolites and the production of 1–14 in the mutant AD-1-2 extract was caused by the activation of silent metabolites in the original G59 strain by DES mutagenesis. The structures of the new compounds, named antineocyclocitrinols A (1) and B (2) and 23-O-methylantineocyclocitrinol (3), including their absolute configurations were determined by various spectroscopic methods, especially the NMR and Mo₂-induced CD analyses. Compounds 1–3 provide the first examples of the C25 bicyclo[4.4.1]A/B ring steroids with the Z-configuration of 20,22-double bond. All of 1–14 weakly inhibited several human cancer cell lines to varying extents. These results provided additional examples for the successful application of the chemical mutagenesis strategy using DES to discover new compounds by activating silent metabolites in fungal isolates and supported also the effectiveness and usefulness of this new strategy.     

Seven New and Two Known Lipopeptides as well as Five Known Polyketides: The Activated Production of Silent Metabolites in a Marine-Derived Fungus by Chemical Mutagenesis Strategy Using Diethyl Sulphate

AD-2-1 is an antitumor fungal mutant obtained by diethyl sulfate mutagenesis of a marine-derived Penicillium purpurogenum G59. The G59 strain originally did not produce any metabolites with antitumor activities in MTT assays using K562 cells. Tracing newly produced metabolites under guidance of MTT assay and TLC analysis by direct comparison with control G59 extract, seven new (1–7) and two known (8–9) lipopeptides were isolated together with five known polyketides 10–14 from the extract of mutant AD-2-1. Structures of the seven new compounds including their absolute configurations were determined by spectroscopic and chemical evidences and named as penicimutalides A–G (1–7). Seven known compounds were identified as fellutamide B (8), fellutamide C (9), 1′-O-methylaverantin (10), averantin (11), averufin (12), nidurufin (13), and sterigmatocystin (14). In the MTT assay, 1–14 inhibited several human cancer cell lines to varying extents. All the bioassays and HPLC-photodiode array detector (PDAD)-UV and HPLC-electron spray ionization (ESI)-MS analyses demonstrated that the production of 1–14 in the mutant AD-2-1 was caused by the activated production of silent metabolites in the original G59 fungal strain. Present results provided additional examples for effectiveness of the chemical mutagenesis strategy using diethyl sulphate mutagenesis to discover new compounds by activating silent metabolites in fungal isolates.     

Activation of the Silent Secondary Metabolite Production by Introducing Neomycin-Resistance in a Marine-Derived Penicillium purpurogenum G59

Introduction of neomycin-resistance into a marine-derived, wild-type Penicillium purpurogenum G59 resulted in activation of silent biosynthetic pathways for the secondary metabolite production. Upon treatment of G59 spores with neomycin and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a total of 56 mutants were obtained by single colony isolation. The acquired resistance of mutants to neomycin was testified by the resistance test. In contrast to the G59 strain, the EtOAc extracts of 28 mutants inhibited the human cancer K562 cells, indicating that the 28 mutants have acquired the capability to produce bioactive metabolites. HPLC-photodiode array detector (PDAD)-UV and HPLC-electron spray ionization (ESI)-MS analyses further indicated that diverse secondary metabolites have been newly produced in the bioactive mutant extracts. Followed isolation and characterization demonstrated that five bioactive secondary metabolites, curvularin (1), citrinin (2), penicitrinone A (3), erythro-23-O-methylneocyclocitrinol (4) and 22E-7α-methoxy-5α,6α-epoxyergosta-8(14),22-dien-3β-ol (5), were newly produced by a mutant, 4-30, compared to the G59 strain. All 1–5 were also not yet found in the secondary metabolites of other wild type P. purpurogenum strains. Compounds 1–5 inhibited human cancer K562, HL-60, HeLa and BGC-823 cells to varying extents. Both present bioassays and chemical investigations demonstrated that the introduction of neomycin-resistance into the marine-derived fungal G59 strain could activate silent secondary metabolite production. The present work not only extended the previous DMSO-mediated method for introducing drug-resistance in fungi both in DMSO concentrations and antibiotics, but also additionally exemplified effectiveness of this method for activating silent fungal secondary metabolites. This method could be applied to other fungal isolates to elicit their metabolic potentials to investigate secondary metabolites from silent biosynthetic pathways.