Side-ring-modified thiostrepton (TSR) derivatives that vary in their quinaldic acid (QA) substitution possess more potent biological activities and better pharmaceutical properties than the parent compound. In this work, we sought to introduce fluorine onto C-7′ or C-8′ of the TSR QA moiety via precursor-directed mutational biosynthesis to obtain new TSR variants. Unexpectedly, instead of the target product, the exogenous chemical feeding of 7-F-QA into the ΔtsrT mutant strain resulted in a unique TSR analog with an incomplete side-ring structure and an unoxidized QA moiety (1). Accordingly, two cytochrome P450 genes, tsrP and tsrR, were in-frame deleted to elucidate the candidate responsible for the monooxidation of the QA moiety in TSR. The unfluorinated analog of compound 1 that was thus isolated from ΔtsrP (2) and the abolishment of TSR production in ΔtsrR revealed not only the biosynthetic logic of the TSR side-ring but also the essential checkpoint in TSR maturation before macro-ring closure.

The double-mutant strain Streptomyces laurentii ΔtsrB/T was designed and constructed based on a recent understanding regarding the structure–activity relationship of thiostrepton (TSR) against prokaryotic pathogens. Five new C-terminally methylated TSR (CmTSR) derivatives that varied in the side-ring structure were obtained via the chemical feeding of quinaldic acid (QA) analogs. These derivatives provide new insights into the tolerance of QA incorporation in TSR biosynthesis. Certain members of the tested TSR derivatives, meanwhile, exhibited much better antibacterial activities than all currently known thiopeptide antibiotics.