Discovery and Characterization of the Tuberculosis Drug Lead Ecumicin

Abstract

The new tuberculosis (TB) lead ecumicin (<b>1</b>), a cyclic tridecapeptide, was isolated from <i>Nonomuraea sp.</i> MJM5123, following a high-throughput campaign for anti-TB activity. The large molecular weight of 1599 amu detected by LC-HR-MS precluded the initial inference of its molecular formula. The individual building blocks were identified by extensive NMR experiments. The resulting two possible planar structures were distinguished by LC-MS². Determination of absolute configuration and unambiguous structural confirmation were carried out by X-ray crystallography and Marfey’s analysis