Main observation and conclusion
Four new chlorinated carbazole alkaloids,chlocarbazomycins (CCBs) A-D,were isolated from sponge associated bacterium Strepto-myces diacarni LHW51701.Their structures were elucidated via spectroscopic techniques (including HRESIMS,1D & 2D NMR),and X-ray crystallographic analysis.Structurally,the 4-chloro coupled with 3-methoxyl substituents in the tricycle nucleus of CCBs A-D and the N-methoxyl group of CCB-D are rare in naturally occurred tricyclic carbazole alkaloids.Moreover,CCBs A-D do not bear the typical C1 para-alkyl and C2 meta-methyl side chains of bacterial tricycle carbazoles,suggesting a novel mechanism of aromatic ring formation in biosynthesis.The biological evaluation showed that CCB-C possessed inhibitory activities against pathogenic microor-ganisms including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA),Mycobacterium smegmatis,Bacillus mycoides,and Candida al-bicans.