The pamamycins: developmental autoregulators and antibiotics from Streptomyces alboniger. A review and update

A brief review and update of current studies on the pamamycins is presented. The pamamycins are a group of macrolides isolated from Streptomyces alboniger which function as autoregulators in streptomycetes. At low concentrations, they stimulate the formation of aerial mycelium and, at higher concentrations, they inhibit the growth of these organisms. In addition, the pamamycins have potent antibiotic activity against gram-positive bacteria, fungi and mycobacteria. The possible mode of action of these compounds is discussed, together with their possible value against multiple antibiotic-resistant M. tuberculosis.