The biological transformation of the bioactive dihydroisocoumarin, (-)-mellein, isolated from the marinederived fungus Cladosporium sp., was studied. The preparativescale culture of (-)-mellein with a marine isolate of a bacterium Stappia sp. resulted in the isolation of its oxidized metabolite, (3R,4S)-4-hydroxymellein. The stereostructure of the metabolite obtained was assigned on the basis of detailed physicochemical data analyses.