Four new indolediketopiperazine derivatives (1–4), along with nine known congeners (5–13), were isolated and identified from the culture extract of Eurotium cristatum EN-220, an endophytic fungus obtained from the marine alga Sargassum thunbergii. The structures of thesecompounds were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis and the absolute configurations of compounds 1–4 were established by NOESY experiments and by chiral HPLC analyses of their acid hydrolysates. The absolute configuration of C-8 (a quaternary carbon substituted with a hydroxyl group) in 5 of preechinulin class was firstly determined by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. All these compounds were evaluatedfor brine shrimp (Artemia salina) lethality and nematicidal activity as well as antioxidativeand antimicrobial potency.

Three new cyclohexadepsipeptides of the isaridin class including isaridin G (1), desmethylisaridin G (2), and desmethylisaridin C1 (3), along with three related known metabolites (4-6), were isolated and identified from the marine bryozoan-derived fungus Beauveria felina EN-135. The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, and the structures and absolute configurations of compounds 1-3 were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystal structures showed the presence of β-turns for the Tyr(3)/N-Me-Val(4) and Phe(3)/N-Me-Val(4) amide bonds in compounds 2 and 3, respectively, in the cis conformations, which were opposite other reported isaridins. The conformations of the HMPA(1)-Pro(2) amide bond in compound 2 are different in the solution and in the crystal structures, which showed trans and cis geometries, respectively, while compounds 1 and 3 do not exhibit this phenomenon. Each of the isolated compounds was evaluated for antimicrobial activity and brine shrimp lethality. Compound 3 exhibited antibacterial activity against E. coli with an MIC value of 8 μg/mL.

Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans, human-pathogenic fungi found worldwide, are receiving increasing attention due to high morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. In the present work, 110 fungus pairs were constructed by coculturing 16 wood-decaying basidiomycetes, among which coculture of Trametes robiniophila Murr and Pleurotus ostreatus was found to strongly inhibit pathogenic fungi through bioactivity-guided assays. A combination of metabolomics and molecular network analysis revealed that 44 features were either newly synthesized or produced at high levels in this coculture system and that 6 of the features that belonged to a family of novel and unusual linear sesterterpenes contributed to high activity with MICs of 1 to 32 g/ml against pathogenic fungi. Furthermore, dynamic 13 C-labeling analysis revealed an association between induced features and the corresponding fungi. Unusual sesterterpenes were 13 C labeled only in P. ostreatus in a time course after stimulation by the coculture, suggesting that these sesterterpenes were synthesized by P. ostreatus instead of T. robiniophila Murr. Sesterterpene compounds 1 to 3 were renamed postrediene A to C. Real-time reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis revealed that transcriptional levels of three genes encoding terpene synthase, farnesyl-diphosphate farnesyltransferase, and oxidase were found to be 8.2-fold, 88.7-fold, and 21.6-fold higher, respectively, in the coculture than in the monoculture, indicating that biosynthetic gene cluster 10 was most likely responsible for the synthesis of these sesterterpenes. A putative biosynthetic pathway of postrediene A to postrediene C was then proposed based on structures of sesterterpenes and molecular network analysis.

Three new indolediketopiperazine alkaloids of the isoechinulin type, rubrumazines A-C (1-3), each possessing an oxygenated prenyl group either at C-7 (1 and 2) or at C-5 (3), along with 13 related analogues (4-16), were isolated and identified from a culture extract of Eurotium rubrum MA-150, a fungus obtained from mangrove-derived rhizospheric soil collected from the Andaman Sea coastline, Thailand. Their structures were established by detailed interpretation of NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometry data analysis. The structure and absolute configuration of compound 1 were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis, thus providing the first characterized crystal structure of an isoechinulin-type alkaloid. All isolated compounds were evaluated for brine shrimp lethality and antibacterial activity.

Chemical investigation of the mycelial extract of a mixed culture of two marine alga-derived fungal strains of the genus Aspergillus has yielded one new cyclotripeptide, psychrophilin E (1), the recently reported oxepin-containing alkaloids, protuboxepin A (2) and oxepinamide E (3), together with three other polyketide derivatives (4-6). The chemical structure and relative and absolute configurations of psychrophilin E (1) were unambiguously established based on HRMS, 1D, 2D NMR and chiral-phase HPLC analysis of its hydrolysate. All the isolated compounds were assessed for their anti-proliferative activity against four different human cancer cell lines and some of them revealed selective activities.

Soil-borne pathogens, including phytopathogenic fungi and root-knot nematodes, could synergistically invade vegetable roots and result in serious economic losses. The genus of Trichoderma has been proven to be a promising reservoir of biocontrol agents in agriculture. In this study, the search for antagonistic metabolites from a marine-derived fungus, Trichoderma longibrachiatum, obtained two structural series of sesquiterpenes 1–6 and cyclodepsipeptides 7–9. Notably, the novel 1 was a rare norsesquiterpene characterized by an unprecedented tricyclic-6/5/5-[4.3.1.01,6]-decane skeleton. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses, while the absolute configuration of novel 1 was determined by the comparison of experimental and calculated ECD spectra. The novel 1 and known 2 and 3 showed significant antifungal activities against Colletotrichum lagrnarium with MIC values of 8, 16, and 16 μg/mL respectively, even better than those of the commonly used synthetic fungicide carbendazim with 32 μg/mL. They also exhibited antifungal potential against carbendazim-resistant Botrytis cinerea. Cyclodepsipeptides 7–9 showed moderate nematicidal activities against the southern root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita). This study constitutes the first report on the antagonistic effects of metabolites from T. Longibrachiatum against soil-borne pathogens, also highlighting the integrated antagonistic potential of marine-derived T. Longibrachiatum as a biocontrol agent.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of a culture extract of Beauveria felina EN-135, an entomopathogenic fungus isolated from a marine bryozoan, led to the isolation of a new cyclodepsipeptide, iso-isariin D (1); two new O-containing heterocyclic compounds that we have named felinones A and B (2 and 3); and four known cyclodepsipeptides (4–7). The structures were elucidated via spectroscopic analysis, and the absolute configurations of 1 and 2 were determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and CD, respectively. All isolated compounds were evaluated for antimicrobial activity and brine-shrimp (Artemia salina) lethality.

The co-culture of Trametes versicolor and Ganoderma applanatum is a model of intense basidiomycete interaction, which induces many newly synthesized or highly produced features. Currently, one of the major challenges is an identification of the origin of induced features during the co-culture. Herein, we report a 13C-dynamic labeling analysis used to determine an association of induced features and corresponding fungus even if the identities of metabolites were not available or almost nothing was known of biochemical aspects. After the co-culture of T. versicolor and G. applanatum for 10 days, the mycelium pellets of T. versicolor and G. applanatum were sterilely harvested and then mono-cultured in the liquid medium containing half fresh medium with 13C-labeled glucose as carbon source and half co-cultured supernatants collected on day 10. 13C-labeled metabolome analyzed by LC-MS revealed that 31 induced features including 3-phenyllactic acid and orsellinic acid were isotopically labeled in the mono-culture after the co-culture stimulation. Twenty features were derived from T. versicolor, 6 from G. applanatum, and 5 features were synthesized by both T. versicolor and G. applanatum. 13C-labeling further suggested that 12 features such as previously identified novel xyloside [N-(4-methoxyphenyl)formamide 2-O-beta-D-xyloside] were likely induced through the direct physical interaction of mycelia. Use of molecular network analysis combined with 13C-labeling provided an insight into the link between the generation of structural analogs and producing fungus. Compound 1 with m/z 309.0757, increased 15.4-fold in the co-culture and observed 13C incorporation in the mono-culture of both T. versicolor and G. applanatum, was purified and identified as a phenyl polyketide, 2,5,6-trihydroxy-4, 6-diphenylcyclohex-4-ene-1,3-dione. The biological activity study indicated that this compound has a potential to inhibit cell viability of leukemic cell line U937. The current work sets an important basis for further investigations including novel metabolites discovery and biosynthetic capacity improvement.