ABSTRACT To address the ongoing Staphylococcus aureus drug resistance, we screened marine fungal extracts against a multidrug‐resistant strain and performed a metabolome analysis to identified new antibiotics with larger molecular size. Targeted isolation yielded eight merocytochalasans, including four new compounds ( 1 , 4 ‐ 6 ), structurally characterized by MS, NMR, and x‐ray single‐crystal diffraction data analysis. Compound 1 possessing a unique cage‐like symmetrical skeleton, effectively suppressed growth, adhesion, and virulence of methicillin‐resistant S. aureus (MRSA), demonstrated potent efficacy in reducing bacterial burden in a mouse skin infection model, and exhibited low resistance development potential. Mechanistically, 1 binds the transmembrane component of the ABC transporter TarGH, and inhibiting its ATPase activity.
Zhang et al. (2026) studied this question.