Isolation of Imaqobactin, an Amphiphilic Siderophore from the Arctic Marine Bacterium Variovorax Species RKJM285

The amphiphilic siderophore imaqobactin was isolated from the Arctic bacterium Variovorax sp. RKJM285, a strain isolated from marine sediment collected from an inlet near Clyde River, Nunavut, Canada. The 2D structure of imaqobactin was determined by a combination of LC-HRMS, MS/MS, and NMR spectroscopic methods. The absolute configuration of the depsipeptide core was determined by Marfey’s analysis, and the relative configuration of the 4,7-diamino-3-hydroxy-2-methylheptanoic acid moiety was determined by NOESY and selective NOE experiments. The photoreductive properties of imaqobactin were tested and are discussed. Initial tests for antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of imaqobactin were also performed, identifying moderate antimicrobial activity.