The Novel Hybrid Antitumor Compound Premithramycinone H Provides Indirect Evidence for a Tricyclic Intermediate of the Biosynthesis of the Aureolic Acid Antibiotic Mithramycin

Abstract

Gene recombination experiments are not only useful for the generation of novel hybrid natural products, but can also be helpful in intercepting unstable biosynthetic intermediates to allow conclusions to be made about their structures. Premithramycinone H (1), a biologically active hybrid which results from a mixture of mithramycin and tetracenomycin biosynthetic genes, is a good example of this strategy.