[Spontaneous variability of antibiotic biosynthesis in relation to morphogenetic processes in Actinomyces chromogenes...

Available data on possible relationship between the antibiotic activity of actinomycetes and the level of their differentiation, especially with their spore-formation ability, present certain interest with respect to possible relationship between the synthesis of antibiotics and the formation of secondary structures. The study of spontaneous stable variants of Actinomyces chromogenes var. trienicus demonstrates that all sporogenous variants produce the same complex of antibiotics as does the original population. The loss of the ability to synthesize antibiotics is observed only in the phenotypically different dwarf variant (VI). The impaired differentiation (the loss of spore-formation ability) is accompanied by disturbances in the antibiotic synthesis: asporogenous variants are either inactive or produce only 1 antibiotic from the complex synthesized by the original population. Changes in the structure of spore chains do not probably correlate with qualitative and quantitative measurable changes in the antibiotic synthesis. The statistic evidence is suggestive of the fact that the variant with a more complex profile and topography of aerial mycelium displays a higher activity.