<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>A moderately thermophilic actinomycete strain, which was identified as <jats:italic>Thermoactinomyces</jats:italic> strain TA66‐2, was isolated from hot‐spring water. Fermentation, followed by solvent partition and chromatographic separations, resulted in the isolation of two new and two known molecules. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated as 2‐(1‐Propionylaminoethyl)thiazole‐4‐carboxylic acid [2‐(1H‐indol‐3‐yl)ethyl]amide and 2‐(1‐Acetylaminoethyl)thiazole‐4‐carboxylic acid [2‐(1H‐indol‐3‐yl)‐ethyl]amide by using spectral methods (1D‐, 2D‐NMR and LC–ESI–MS). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.