Discovery of a Cyclic Depsipeptide from <i>Chaetomium mollipilium</i> by the Genome Mining Approach

Abstract

Genome mining and bioinformatics analyses allowed us to rationally find a candidate biosynthetic gene cluster for a new cyclic depsipeptide of <i>Chaetomium mollipilium</i>. A heterologous reconstitution of the identified biosynthetic pathway predictably afforded a new cyclic depsipeptide composed of l-leucine, l-tryptophan, and a polyketide moiety. Interestingly, the 10-membered macrocycle structure generated equilibrium to an unprecedented cyclol structure. This study demonstrates the advantage of a synthetic biology method in achieving rational access to new natural products.