New anticancer antibiotics pelagiomicins, produced by a new marine bacterium Pelagiobacter variabilis

In the course of our screening for new anticancer compounds produced by marine bacteria, we found that a new genus marine bacterium Pelagiobacter variabilis produced new phenazine antibiotics, pelagiomicins A, B and C. Those compounds were labile in water and alcohols. The absolute structure of the main component, pelagiomicin A, and the structures of the minor ones were determined from the spectroscopic data and by synthesis. Pelagiomicin A exhibits activity against Gram-positive and -negative bacteria and antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo.