Unusual enniatins produced by the insect pathogenic fungus Verticillium hemipterigenum: isolation and studies on precursor-directed biosynthesis

Two new enniatins H () and I (), whose substituents on 2-hydroxycarboxylic acid moieties were different from those of known compounds, were isolated, together with known enniatins B () and B4 (), from the insect pathogenic fungus Verticillium hemipterigenum BCC 1449. Structures of these compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic means. Studies on precursor-directed biosynthesis with strain BCC 1449 led to the production and identification of three analogs, enniatins G (), C () and MK1688 (), as well as the stereochemical elucidation of and . Enniatins were evaluated for their antiplasmodial and antimycobacterial activities.