Andrastin C

A biosynthetic gene cluster similar to that for andrastin A (1) was discovered in Emericella variecolor NBRC 32302. Ctr-P450, a cytochrome P450 uniquely present in the cluster, was coexpressed with the andrastin A biosynthetic genes, leading to the production of the antifeedant agent citreohybridonol (4), along with four new andrastin derivatives. The results revealed the unusual multifunctionality of Ctr-P450 and indicated that this approach can be applied for further natural product diversification.

Penicillium spp. are known to harbor a wide array of secondary metabolites with cryptic bioactivities. However, the metabolomics of these species is not well-understood in terms of different fermentation models and conditions. The present study involved metabolomics profiling and transcriptomic analysis of Penicillium expansum 40815 under solid-state fermentation (SSF) and submerged fermentation (SmF). Metabolite profiling was carried out using ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry with multivariate analysis, followed by transcriptomic analyses of differentially expressed genes. In principal component analysis, the metabolite profiling data was studied under different experimental sets, including SSF and SmF. The significantly different metabolites such as polyketide metabolites (agonodepside B, rotiorin, verrucosidin, and ochrephilone) and corresponding gene transcripts (polyketide synthase, aromatic prenyltransferase, and terpenoid synthase) were primarily detected under SmF conditions. In contrast, the meroterpenoid compounds (andrastin A and C) and their genes transcripts were exclusively detected under SSF conditions. We demonstrated that the metabolite production and its corresponding gene expression levels in P. expansum 40815 were significantly influenced by the varying growth parameters and the immediate environment. This study further provides a foundation to produce specific metabolites by regulating fermentation conditions.

An efficient approach to generate a fully functionalized cyclopenta[a]phenanthrene 34, the basic carbon framework of andrastin C (1c), is described. The present synthetic route features a stereoselective intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of triene 12 and an intramolecular carbonyl ene reaction of 3-phenanthrenyl-2-(methoxymethoxy)propanal 31.