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Biomedical subjects

H Zähner

Publications and source records attributed to H Zähner.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Metabolic products of microorganisms. 200 Isolation and characterization of niphithricins A, B, and elaiophylin, antibiotics produced by Streptomyces violaceoniger.

Fermentations of Streptomyces violaceoniger TU 905 produce the antifungal antibiotics niphithricins A, B, elaiophylin and nigericin. The niphithricins have been characterized as new macrolide antibiotics, and the previously unknown structure of elaiophylin was determined to be a macrodiolide. The niphithricins were biologically active against Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. The mode of action is attributed to an alteration of the membrane permeability.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1980

Metabolic products of microorganisms. 185. The anthraquinones of the Aspergillus glaucus group. I. Occurrence, isolation, identification and antimicrobial activity.

The occurrence of emodin, erythroglaucin, physcion, physcion-9-anthrone, questin, catenarin, and catenarin-8-methyl ether in different species of the Aspergillus glaucus group (genus Eurotium) was investigated. So far catenarin-8-methyl ether (1, 4, 6-trihydroxy-8-methoxy-3-methylanthraquinone) has not been described as a natural product; it was therefore given the name rubrocristin. The chemical and physical properties of rubrocristin are reported. In addition a new violet pigment (C16H12O5) was isolated and characterized by its MS-, IR- and UV-spectra. The antimicrobial properties of all substances were examined in the agar diffusion assay. Gram-positive bacteria were the most sensitive organisms and catenarin was the most active naturally occurring substance. Synthetically obtained 1, 4, 6, 8-tetrahydroxyanthraquinone was slightly more active than catenarin, whereas rubrocristin showed no antibacterial activity.

Anthraquinones↗
PubMed1979

[Metabolic products of microorganisms. 175. Tetracenomycin C (author's transl)].

Streptomyces glaucescens, strain Tü 49 = ETH 22794, produces hydroxystreptomycin as well as the tetracenomycins, a mixture of several lipophilic antibiotics. The main component and the most active one is tetracenomycin C. Tetracenomycin C has a molecular formula C23H20O11 and is chemically related to tetracyclines and anthracyclinones. The pale yellow antibiotic is active against some gram-positive bacteria, especially against streptomycetes. Gram-negative bacteria and fungi are not inhibited. In considering the differences of biological activity and the functional groups of the molecule, tetracenomycin C is not a member of the tetracycline or anthracyclinone group of antibiotics.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1979

Phosphorylation of streptozotocin during uptake via the phosphoenolpyruvate: sugar phosphotransferase system in Escherichia coli.

Mutants of Escherichia coli K-12, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis defective in the general components (enzyme I, or HPr, or both) of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system are shown to be resistant to the antibiotic streptozotocin. It is shown here, employing 32P-labeled phosphoenolpyruvate, that wild-type cells of E. coli phosphorylate streptozotocin, whereas with a phosphotransferase system-defective mutant of E. coli the drug is recovered in an unaltered, free form. The internal accumulation of streptozotocin at the steady-state level was about 70 times that of the concentration in the external medium. The antibacterial action of streptozotocin, as well as the uptake of the drug, was inhibited by N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. The uptake of the antibiotic was extremely sensitive to p-chloromercuribenzoate. It is concluded that streptozotocin is taken up by E. coli via the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system and consequently accumulates in the cell at first as streptozotocin-phosphate.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1979

[Mechanism of antimicrobial active components (author's transl)].

The extreme chemical heterogeneity of antimicrobial inhibitors may be compared with the large heterogeneity of the sites of attack. From the host of questions regarding the mechanism of action three problems are selected at random for discussion: 1. Penetration or transport of inhibitors into the cell. At least some of the inhibitors must penetrate into the cell and find their way to very specific points of action; and it does not go without saying that the antibiotics reach their targets without previously reacting with other cell components or without being "trapped" by the cytoplasmic membrane. In some instances an active transport, i.e. a "misuse" by antibiotics of a transport system for a substrate can be demonstrated. 2. Distribution of the targets in the cell. Distribution of the inhibitors over the possible targets is not uniform. The question why this is so remains unanswered. 3. The membrane as the point of attack for inhibitors. The probability that an inhibitor has a bactericidal effect also on resting cells is greatest with substances that act on the membrane. The question as to the function of the antibiotics for the active cell arises and the "defence function" of the antibiotics is called in question.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1978

Metabolic products of microorganisms. 170. On the antibiotic activity of cladosporin.

Cladosporin was isolated from the cultures of three species of the genus Eurotium. Cladosporin inhibited the growth of several fungi and at very low concentrations the growth of Bacillus brevis and Clostridium pasteurianum. Bacillus subtilis and most other Gram-positive bacteria were not sensitive. Gram-negative bacteria and yeasts were not affected by concentrations up to 100 microgram/ml. Dimethyl cladosporin showed only week activity against Bacillus brevis with the minimal inhibitory concentrations being a 100 times higher than of cladosporin. The incorporation of leucine and uracil into acid insoluble material in Bacillus brevis cells was completely inhibited by concentration of 0.5 microgram/ml cladosporin. The incorporation of thymidine was not affected at this concentration.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed1977

[Metabolic products of microorganisms. 166. Optimization of the desferri-ferricrocin production by Aspergillus viridi-nutans Ducker & Thrower (author's transl)].

At low iron(III)-concentrations (less than 10(-5) M) the fungus Aspergillus viridi-nutans Ducker & Thrower excretes desferri-ferricrocin as the main sideramine into the culture medium. While this compound accounts for 95% of the sideramines produced, small amounts of additional sideramines may also be detected. In a search for an inexpensive nutrient medium for optimum production of desferri-ferricrocin, experiments using shake flasks with good aeration were undertaken initially. The best medium conditions were then employed in a fermentor system. In a 20-1 fermentor with "intensor" system, it was shown that at certain growth rates there was an inverse correlation between rate of growth and rate of sideramine production. A defined nutrient medium of glucose plus acetate as carbon sources, and urea or ammonium acetate as nitrogen sources was used. Two different feeding regimens were used in response to changes of pH or to changes of partial pressure of oxygen in the submerged culture: acetic acid/urea or acetic acid/ammonium acetate additions regulated these conditions. The rate of sideramine production under such feeding achieved a maximum of 20 mg 1(-1) h-1 over a period of several days.

Acetates↗
PubMed1976

On the transport of tripeptide antibiotics in bacteria.

The two tripeptide antibiotics L-2-amino-4-methylphosphinobutyryl-alanyl-alanyl-alanine (L-phosphinothricyl-alanyl-alanine) and L-(N5-phosphono)methionine-S-sulfoximinyl-alanyl-alanine, both inhibitors of the glutamine synthetase, are transported into the cell of Escherichia coli K 12 via the oligopeptide transport system. The uptake by this system is proved first of all by cross-resistance with tri-L-ornithine using oligopeptide-transport-deficient mutants, and secondly by antagonism tests demonstrating competitive reversal of the action of the antibiotic by several peptides which have been shown to be transported via the oligopeptide transport system, e.g. tri-L-alanine, tetra-L-alanine, tri-L-lysine, tri-L-serine, tri-glycine, glycyl-glycyl-L-alanine and the synthetic tripeptide L-azadenyl-aminohexanoyl-alanyl-alanine. On the other hand, there is no effect on the action of the antibiotic in antagonism tests with compounds which use different transport systems, such as L-alanyl-alanine, L-lysyl-lysine, glutathione and the synthetic amino acid azaadenylaminohexanoic acid, i.e. 2-amino-6-(7-amino-3H-v-triazolo-[4,5-d]-pyrimidin-3-yl)hexanoic acid. Another inhibitor of the glutamine synthetase, L-methionine-S-dioxide (methioninesulfone) could be converted into a tripeptide form by linkage to L-alanyl-alanine analogously to the tripeptide antibiotics described above. Whereas the free L-methionine-S-dioxide seems to be transported via the methionine transport system, the tripeptide form is transported via the oligopeptide transport system. Thus, this glutamine synthetase inhibitor can be taken up by the cell via two different transport mechanisms. Our results indicate that this could provide a synergistic effect. The syntheses of the new tripeptides L-azaadenylaminohexanoyl-alanyl-alanine and L-methionine-S-dioxidyl-alanyl-alanine were performed by dicyclohexylcarbodiimide couplings of the unusual N-protected L-alpha-amino acids azaadenylaminohexanoic acid and L-methionine-S-dioxide to L-alanyl-alanine-tert-butyl ester followed by common deprotection steps. Tri-L-ornithine was synthesized without carboxyl protection via two successive couplings of hydroxybenzotriazol esters of Nalpha-butoxycarbonyl-Ndelta-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-ornithine.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1976

[Metabolic products of microorganisms. 156. Synthesis and biosynthesis of substituted tryptanthrins (author's transl)].

Candida lipolytica synthesizes the antibiotic tryptanthrin from 1 mole tryptophan and 1 mole anthranilic acid. When feeding tryptophan and substituted anthranilic acids, or substituted tryptophans and anthranilic acid, we could isolate and identify the expected derivatives of tryptanthrin. The enzymes of the biosynthesis of tryptanthrin, with the exception of bromotryptophan, had no specifity for these substrates. In addition to these experiments substituted tryptanthrines were chemically synthesized. We checked them for antibiotic action; the halogen compounds turned out to be especially effective.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1976

Stoffwechselprodukte von mikroorganismen. 154. Mitteilung. Nikkomycin, ein neuer hemmstoff der chitinsynthese bei pilzen.

From the fermentation broth of Streptomyces tendae Tü 901 a substance was isolated which inhibits the growth of several fungi. The new antibiotic affects the chitchin biosynthesis. Its structure was identified by mass spectrometry of the products obtained after chemical degradation. Nikkomycin is a nucleoside-peptide antibiotic consisting of uracil, an amino hexuronic acid and a new amino acid containing a pyridin ring.

Aminoglycosides↗