EM2487, a novel anti-HIV-1 antibiotic, produced by Streptomyces sp. Mer-2487: Taxonomy, fermentation, biological properties, isolation and structure elucidation

Article abstract of DOI:10.7164/antibiotics.52.971

For the purpose of discovering novel agents that inhibit HIV-1 replication at the transcriptional level, we have established cell lines reflecting the HIV-1 long terminal repeat-driven gene expression. Using these cell lines, we have screened approximately 10,000 microorganism products and found that the culture supernatant of Streptomyces sp. Mer-2487 suppresses the HIV-1 Tat-induced gene expression without affecting the basal or tumor necrosis factor-α-induced transcription. The purified active component has a unique structure. This compound has an inhibitory effect on HIV-1 replication in chronically infected cells as well as acutely infected cells, suggesting that the inhibition occurs at a postintegration step of HIV-1 proviral DNA in the HIV-1 replication cycle.