Stalobacin: Discovery of Novel Lipopeptide Antibiotics with Potent Antibacterial Activity against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria

J Med Chem. 2020 Jun 11;63(11):6090-6095. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00295. Epub 2020 May 19.

Abstract

A novel lipopeptide antibiotic, stalobacin I (1), was discovered from a culture broth of an unidentified Gram-negative bacterium. Stalobacin I (1) had a unique chemical architecture composed of an upper and a lower half peptide sequence, which were linked via a hemiaminal methylene moiety. The sequence of 1 contained an unusual amino acid, carnosadine, 3,4-dihydroxyariginine, 3-hydroxyisoleucine, and 3-hydroxyaspartic acid, and a novel cyclopropyl fatty acid. The antibacterial activity of 1 against a broad range of drug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria was much stronger than those of "last resort" antibiotics such as vancomycin, linezolid, and telavancin (MIC 0.004-0.016 μg/mL). Furthermore, compound 1 induced a characteristic morphological change in Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains by inflating the bacterial cell body. The absolute configuration of a cyclopropyl amino acid, carnosadine, was determined by the synthetic study of its stereoisomers, which was an essential component for the strong activity of 1.

MeSH terms

  • Aminoglycosides / pharmacology
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / drug effects*
  • Gram-Negative Bacteria / drug effects
  • Gram-Positive Bacteria / drug effects
  • Lipoglycopeptides / pharmacology
  • Lipopeptides / chemistry*
  • Lipopeptides / pharmacology
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests

Substances

  • Aminoglycosides
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Lipoglycopeptides
  • Lipopeptides
  • telavancin