Synthesis and biological evaluation of truncated derivatives of abyssomicin C as antibacterial agents

The synthesis and antibacterial activity of two new highly truncated derivatives of the natural product abyssomicin C are reported. This work outlines the limits of structural truncation of the natural product and consequently provides insights for further structure–activity relationship studies towards novel antibiotics targeting 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate (ADC) synthase. Specifically, it is demonstrated that the synthetically challenging bicyclic motif is essential for activity towards methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).