Alcohol Dehydrogenase-Mediated Generation of Cytotoxic Thiophene-Containing Eremophilane Sesquiterpenes

Organic Letters 2026

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Authors: Hengyi Xu, Xiaonan Deng, Yawen Zhang, Xiaomin Zhang, Qian Che, Tianjiao Zhu, Dehai Li, Guojian Zhang
DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.6c00640
Cited by: 1
References: 22

Abstract

Sulfur-containing heterocyclic natural products are valued for their bioactivity and unique biosynthesis. By reconstituting the jan cluster derived from the marine fungus Penicillium janthinellum H7-4, we discovered two thiophene-bearing cytotoxic eremophilanes, janthiophenes A and B ( 1 and 2 ), together with ten unreported congeners. Biosynthetic studies demonstrated that JanH, a key alcohol dehydrogenase, is responsible for the formation of the janthiophene structures. These findings enrich the oxidoreductase toolbox for the biosynthesis of sulfur-containing architectures.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Plant biochemistry and biosynthesis Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis Synthetic Organic Chemistry Methods

Publication details

Journal / source
Organic Letters
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Volume
28
Issue
14
Pages
4446–4451
Publication date
27 March 2026
Language
EN