Promomycin, a polyether promoting antibiotic production in Streptomyces spp

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Sho-ichi Amano1, Tatsuya Morota, Yu-ki Kano

  • 1Life Science Research Center, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kameino, Japan.

The Journal of Antibiotics
|June 24, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Researchers discovered promomycin, a substance that stimulates antibiotic production in multiple Streptomyces bacteria strains, even at low concentrations. This finding highlights a widespread interspecific communication mechanism in Streptomyces.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Streptomyces species are known to influence each other's antibiotic production through diffusible substances, a phenomenon previously studied as the cross-feeding effect.
  • Interspecific communication plays a significant role in microbial communities, impacting the production of secondary metabolites like antibiotics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To isolate and characterize a novel diffusible substance from Streptomyces that stimulates antibiotic production in other strains.
  • To investigate the chemical nature and biological activity of the isolated substance, named promomycin.
  • To determine the prevalence of this antibiotic production-stimulating effect within Streptomyces.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation of a novel substance from a Streptomyces strain (related to S. scabrisporus) that induced antibiotic production in another strain (related to S. griseorubiginosus).
  • Chemical characterization of the isolated substance, identifying it as promomycin, a polyether structurally related to lonomycin.
  • Testing the antibiotic activity of promomycin and its ability to stimulate antibiotic production in various Streptomyces strains at sub-inhibitory concentrations.

Main Results:

  • A new substance, promomycin, was successfully isolated and identified as a polyether related to lonomycin.
  • Promomycin exhibits its own antibiotic activity.
  • Promomycin significantly stimulated antibiotic production in multiple Streptomyces strains, even at concentrations below those that inhibit growth.

Conclusions:

  • Promomycin is a novel compound that acts as a potent stimulator of antibiotic production in Streptomyces.
  • The observed stimulation effect of promomycin suggests a widespread mechanism of interspecific communication and regulation of antibiotic biosynthesis within the Streptomyces genus.
  • This discovery opens avenues for understanding and potentially manipulating microbial interactions to enhance antibiotic discovery.

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