Tunicamycin E (1), featuring a methyl substitution at C-10', was isolated from marine-derived Streptomyces xinghaiensis SCSIO S15077 originated from the South China Sea sediment together with six known compounds, tunicamycin B (2), tunicamycin X (3), tunicamycin A (4), streptovirudin D2 (5), tunicamycin C (6), and tunicamycin C3 (7). The structure of compound 1 was elucidated by detailed spectroscopic data analyses. All the compounds exhibited strong to moderate antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis BT01 and B. thuringiensis W102 with MIC values ranging from 0.008 to 2 μg/mL. Moreover, compounds 1-7 exhibited moderate antifungal activity against Candida albicans ATCC 96901 and C. albicans CMCC (F) 98001 with MIC values ranging from 2 to 32 μg/mL. This is the first report that tunicamycins exhibit antimicrobial activities against B. thuringiensis, C. albicans CMCC (F) 98001 and a fluconazole resistant strain C. albicans ATCC 96901.
Keywords: Streptomyces xinghaiensis; Tunicamycin; antimicrobial activity; nucleotide antibiotics.