Antibiotic GE2270 a: a novel inhibitor of bacterial protein synthesis. I. Isolation and characterization

A novel antibiotic, GE2270 A, was isolated from the fermentation broth of a strain of Planobispora rosea. The product was found to inhibit bacterial protein synthesis. Structural characteristics showed similarities between GE2270 A and thiazolyl peptides such as micrococcin which is known to inhibit protein synthesis by acting directly on the ribosome. Despite this similarity GE2270 A showed functional analogy to kirromycin-like antibiotics and pulvomycin, as its molecular target was found to be elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu). GE2270 A is active against Gram-positive microorganism and anaerobes and differs from the other EF-Tu inhibitors in its spectrum of antimicrobial activity.