Three new ɑ-pyrone derivatives induced by chemical epigenetic manipulation of Penicillium herquei, an endophytic fungus isolated from Cordyceps sinensis.

Chemical epigenetic manipulation was applied to explore secondary metabolite of an endophytic fungus Penicillium herquei, which was obtained from the fruiting body of Cordyceps sinensis, and three previously undescribed polyketides with pyran-2-one scaffold were isolated from its fermentation broth containing 10 mg/L 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine (a frequently-used DNA methyltransferase inhibitor). The structures of these new compounds were identified by extensive spectroscopic analyses, and their absolute configurations were elucidated by quantum chemical ECD calculations.