Microbial Transformation of Trichostatin A to 2,3-Dihydrotrichostatin A

A new reduced hydroxamate, 2,3-dihydrotrichostatin A, was created from trichostatin A by employing a recombinant strain of Streptomyces venezuelae as a microbial catalyst. Compared with trichostatin A, 2,3-dihydrotrichostatin A showed similar antifungal activity against Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but, interestingly, approximately twice the cytostatic activity against human small-cell lung cancer cells. The production of 2,3-dihydrotrichostatin A via microbial biotransformation demonstrates that the regiospecific and substrate-flexible hydrogenation by S. venezuelae provides a new approach for creating natural product analogues with improved bioactive properties.