PHOSALACINE, A NEW HERBICIDAL ANTIBIOTIC CONTAINING PHOSPHINOTHRICIN FERMENTATION, ISOLATION, BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY AND MECHANISM OF ACTION

• Published in: Journal of antibiotics Vol. 37; no. 8; pp. 829 - 835
• Main Authors: OMURA, SATOSHI, MURATA, MASATSUNE, HANAKI, HIDEAKI, HINOTOZAWA, KIYOIZUMI, OIWA, RUIKO, TANAKA, HARUO
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo JAPAN ANTIBIOTICS RESEARCH ASSOCIATION 01.01.1984; Japan Antibiotics Research Association
• Subjects: Actinomyces - analysis; Amino Acids - pharmacology; Aminobutyrates; Anti-Bacterial Agents - isolation & purification; Antibiotics; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Cobalt - pharmacology; Dipeptides - isolation & purification; Dipeptides - metabolism; Dipeptides - pharmacology; Fermentation; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; fungi; gram-negative bacteria; gram-positive bacteria; Health. Pharmaceutical industry; Herbicides - isolation & purification; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Kitasatosporia phosalacinea; Medical sciences; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Miscellaneous. Antibiotics with multiple activities; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; phosalacine; Plants - drug effects; Production of active biomolecules; Spectrophotometry, Infrared; Time Factors; Antibiotic; Peptides; Pesticides; Production; Tripeptide; Isolation; Fermentation; Mechanism of action; Biological activity; Antimicrobial agent; Herbicide
• ISSN: 0021-8820; 1881-1469
• DOI: 10.7164/antibiotics.37.829

Phosalacine, a new herbicidal antibiotic containing phosphinothricin was isolated from the culture filtrate of a soil isolate Kitasatosporia phosalacinea KA-338. It was a water soluble, amphoteric compound obtained as an amorphous powder (C14H28N3O6P, MW 365). The antibiotic exhibited antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and some fungi on a minimal medium and the activity was reversed by L-glutamine. It also showed herbicidal activity against alfalfa. It is suggested that phosalacine was decomposed to provide phosphinothricin after its incorporation into microbial or plant cells, and exhibited the antimicrobial and herbicidal activities by inhibiting glutamine synthetase with phosphinothricin although phosalacine itself hardly inhibited the enzyme.