Lowdenic acid (1), a new antifungal metabolite with an unusual structure and a mixed biogenetic origin, has been obtained from nonsporulating cultures of a previously undescribed Verticillium sp. (MYC-406 = NRRL 29280) that was isolated as a colonist of polypore basidiomata. The gross structure of 1 was proposed by analysis of NMR data and confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis, which enabled assignment of relative stereochemistry. Compound 1 occurs as an equilibrium E/Z mixture. The known antifungal metabolite canescin A (2) was also isolated.

Five new phenopicolinic acid analogues (1-5) have been isolated from solid-substrate fermentation cultures of Verticillium lecanii. The most abundant component (vertilecanin A; 1) displays antiinsectan activity against Helicoverpa zea. These compounds were obtained by chromatographic fractionation of the EtOAc culture extract and identified by analysis of NMR and MS data. The known fungal metabolites 2-decenedioic acid and 10-hydroxy-8-decenoic acid were also isolated from these cultures.

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