Etnangien, a macrolide-polyene antibiotic from Sorangium cellulosum that inhibits nucleic acid polymerases

Etnangien (1), a new macrolide antibiotic active against Gram-positive bacteria, was isolated from the culture broth of the myxobacterium Sorangium cellulosum, strains So ce750 and So ce1045. Spectroscopic structure elucidation of 1 revealed a complex macrocyclic lactone bearing a modified C-21 carboxylic acid side chain. The latter contains two allylic hydroxyl groups and an all-E hexaene unit, which provides the characteristic UV chromophore of 1. Initial studies toward the mechanism of action showed that bacterial and viral nucleic acid polymerases are inhibited by etnangien (1).