Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to U Gräfe.
By the use of an artificial lipid membrane model we have shown that the antibiotic oxazolomycin (Streptomyces albus) is an effective protonophore at pH < 7.0 but conveys both protons and monovalent cations such as potassium at pH > 7.5 as a passive carrier. The ionophoric properties are suggested to be correlated with its antibacterial, antiviral, and cytotoxic activities.
The effect of the beta-lactone antibiotic diffusomycin (oxazolomycin) was investigated against vaccinia (Lister), herpes simplex type 1 (Kupka), influenza A (WSN; H1N1), and Coxsackie A9 viruses. Diffusomycin reduced significantly the plaque formation of enveloped DNA and RNA viruses by more than 90% in the range of the maximally tolerated dose. As could be shown with vaccinia virus, the antiviral action was not caused by virucidal effect on virions or by interaction with virus adsorption and penetration. In one-step growth cycle assays diffusomycin prevented the replication of herpes simplex type 1, vaccinia and influenza A viruses in a dose-dependent manner. The replication of influenza A viruses was blocked immediately after addition of the compound during zero to six hr p.i. Partial reversibility of the antiviral action was established by washing off the antibiotic from chicken embryo cells (CEC) infected with influenza A virus. Finally, replication of Coxsackie A9 virus was not inhibited by diffusomycin. Electron-optical studies revealed a reduced synthesis of HSV-1 nucleocapsids in dependence on the concentration of the compound.
3H-26-deoxylaidlomycin (I) was fed to growing cultures of Streptoverticillium olivoreticuli IMET 43782 producing both I and laidlomycin (II). The incorporation of labelled I into laidlomycin II was neglible showing a role of I as precursor of II to be at variance. Otherwise, a measurable conversion was achieved by the use of sonicated 48 hrs mycelium suggesting that final oxidation of I to II could be mediated by a compartmentized oxidoreductase.
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The capacity of laidlomycin (I) and the new 26-deoxylaidlomycin (II) to facilitate passive fluxes of cations through a layer of organic solvent (CHCl3/n-heptane) was estimated in comparison to monensin A (III). While II displayed a 10fold higher transport rate for sodium as compared to calcium, laidlomycin (I) was distinguishable by mediating approx. 100 times lower conveyance of the divalent cations.
Using the semi-continuous cultivation technique we could establish that specifically in Streptomyces noursei JA 3890b during growth on a medium supplied with D,L-alanine, NH4+, and maize starch there are two different phenotypes of the organism and stationary states of metabolism, respectively. The expression of either the metabolic state I with an enhanced capacity to oxidative deamination of alanine via the NAD+-dependent alanaine dehydrogenase or the metabolic state 2 which may be characterized by the preferred use of ammonium ions via the NADP+-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase was shown to depend strongly on the conditions of inoculum cultivation. When the amino acid permeases were derepressed by cultivating the inoculum cells on amino acid media, probably due to the defective mechanism of negative feedback control of amino acid influx in this strain an abnormously high uptake of alanine was observed that, consequently, was correlated to the enhanced oxidation of this amino acid as well as to the intensive production of ammonia within the cell. This overproduction of cellular NH4+ seems to bring about the subsequent repression of biosynthetic glutamate dehydrogenase and so on the accumulation of ammonia autocatalytically may rise up (metabolic state I). On the other hand, if the influx of alanine was kept low and the NADH oxidation was less efficient, respectively, or when there was high cellular activity of glutamate dehydrogenase the level of ammonia never did exceed the respressory limit and, accordingly, the expression of the metabolic state 2 was observed. Switching-over of metabolic flux from the state 2 towards the state 1 can be brought about either by increasing the level of nitrogen sources in the medium or by adding buffers pH greater than 7.5. In contrast, decrease of cellular level of NH4+ was shown to induce the transition of metabolic state 1 into the state 2. This can be achieved not only by limitation of nitrogen source but also by adding different aminobenzoic acids and, alternatively, effectors of membrane function (short-chain alcohols), inhibitors of cytochrome oxidases (sodium azide, potassium cyanide), heavy metal (Fe++)-chelating agents (catechol, 2,5'-dipyridyl, o-phenanthroline), beta-alanine, and buffers pH less than 7. This suggests that these effectors are capable of preventing the abnormously high influx of amino acids as well as its wasteful catabolism within the cell of S. noursei JA 3890b. Therefore, it seems likely that by this way the aminobenzoic acids and similar effectors can diminish the catabolite repression or inhibition of secondary metabolism by cellular excess of some nitrogen compounds in good agreement with its well-known stimulatory action on the biosynthesis of the antibiotic nourseothricin in this strain.
Short-chain alcohols, benzyl alcohol and Tween 20 were found capable of switching over the metabolic flux in Streptomyces noursei JA 3890b from the preference of oxidative deamination of alanine towards the reinforced acquisition of NH4+. These changes were correlated to the decrease of the ratio of saturated to olefinic fatty acids in the mycelium, suggesting that alcohols and other polar lipophilic compounds can interfere with the biosynthesis and the function of the cytoplasmic membrane in Streptomyces.
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o-Aminobenzoic acid (OABA, anthranilic acid) and related compounds which are known to stimulate the biosynthesis of streptothricin-type antibiotic nourseothricin by Streptomyces noursei JA 3890b were found to increase strongly the NADH/NAD+ ratio in growing mycelium of this strain suggesting that these effectors are capable of interfering with the function of the respiratory chain. In parallel, a complex shift of metabolism was induced shown by simultaneous alteration of mycelial activities of alanine dehydrogenase, glutamine synthetase, and glutamate dehydrogenase. These changes may be responsible for the observed delay of amino acid catabolism and may improve the precursor supply of the secondary metabolism.
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The incorporation of uniformly 14C-labeled compounds into the streptothricin-type antibiotic nourseothricin was studied with a strain of Streptomyces noursei JA 3890b. 6.5% of radioactivity from U-14C-L-arginine was incorporated into the antibiotic, while glutamic acid, aspartic acid, alanine, proline, glycine and leucine displayed much lower incorporations. Furhtermore, 95% of the activity incorporated from arginine was located in the streptolidine moiety supporting the suggestion that this subunit of streptothricin antibiotics is formed via the dehydroarginine pathway.
The possible role of some metabolic systems producing acetyl-CoA, and methylmalonyl-CoA as initial precursors in the biosynthesis of the macrolide antibiotic A 6599 by Streptomyces hygroscopicus JA 6599 was studied. The activities of pyruvate decarboxylase exceeded in two higher producing strains about twofold those found in the mycelium of a lower producing one suggesting that in this organism an enhanced production of acetyl-CoA should be one of the prerequisites necessary for an improved antibiotic biosynthesis. No clear interrelationship was established, however, between the biosynthesis of the secondary metabolite A 6599 on the one hand and the acetate and propionate kinase content on the other hand. In S. hygroscopicus JA 6599 the carboxylation of acetyl-CoA or propionyl-CoA seems to be the major pathway giving malonyl-CoA or methylmalonyl-CoA, respectively. Thus, the activities of acetyl-CoA and propionyl-CoA carboxylases corresponded with both the levels of antibiotic production in several strains and with variations observed in the specific antibiotic production rate during the cultivation. Some other pathways synthesizing these precursors, e.g. via oxaloacetate, are assumed to be negligible since even in the mycelium of the lower producing strain increased activities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase were present.
The excessive production of pyruvic and 2-oxoglutaric acid by S. hygroscopicus JA 6599 grown on a medium rich in complex carbon and nitrogen sources was studied. Towards the end of the first day of batch cultivation a maximum level of both keto acids in the medium was observed. By diluting the complete culture with water at 22nd hour, however, a further increase in 2-oxoglutarate concentration was induced and the antibiotic production was slightly stimulated. In diluted cultures the oxygen saturation was found to be distinctly higher than in non-diluted ones and, on the other hand, the mycelial activities of both pyruvate and 2-oxoglutarate decarboxylases were decreased. Since the 2-oxoglutarate level was strongly influenced by inhibitors of glycolysis and of citric acid cycle, it is suggested that the metabolite accumulation in diluted cultures is mainly caused by modifications of the metabolic control of carbohydrate catabolism due to an improved aeration. Furthermore, the macrolide antibiotic A 6599 produced by S. hygroscopicus JA 6599 itself was shown to interfere with the accumulation of 2-oxoglutaric acid.