# Vitroprocines, new antibiotics against Acinetobacter baumannii, discovered from marine Vibrio sp. QWI-06 using mass-spectrometry-based metabolomics approach

## TL;DR

Researchers discovered new antibiotics called vitroprocines from a marine bacterium, which could help combat Acinetobacter baumannii infections.

## Contribution

The study introduces vitroprocines A-J, new amino-polyketide antibiotics from Vibrio sp. QWI-06, using an integrated metabolomics approach.

## Key findings

- Vitroprocines A-J were identified as amino-polyketide derivatives with antibacterial activity against Acinetobacter baumannii.
- A pyridoxal 5′-phosphate-dependent mechanism is involved in the biosynthesis of vitroprocines, revealed through 13C-labeled precursor experiments.
- This is the first time amino-polyketide derivatives have been elucidated from a marine bacterial species.

## Abstract

A robust and convenient research strategy integrating state-of-the-art analytical techniques is needed to efficiently discover novel compounds from marine microbial resources. In this study, we identified a series of amino-polyketide derivatives, vitroprocines A-J, from the marine bacterium Vibrio sp. QWI-06 by an integrated approach using imaging mass spectroscopy and molecular networking, as well as conventional bioactivity-guided fractionation and isolation. The structure-activity relationship of vitroprocines against Acinetobacter baumannii is proposed. In addition, feeding experiments with 13C-labeled precursors indicated that a pyridoxal 5′-phosphate-dependent mechanism is involved in the biosynthesis of vitroprocines. Elucidation of amino-polyketide derivatives from a species of marine bacteria for the first time demonstrates the potential of this integrated metabolomics approach to uncover marine bacterial biodiversity.