BIOCONVERSION CAPACITY OF STREPTOMYCES SP GE44282, A PRODUCER OF THE ANTIBIOTICS HENEICOMYCIN AND AURODOX

Streptomyces sp GE44282 was isolated in the course of a screening prog ram for novel antibiotics. It co-produces heneicomycin and aurodox, tw o kirromycin-type antibiotics, which differ by the presence of an hydr oxyl group at C30 position of aurodox. Heneicomycin is converted into aurodox both by growing and resting cells of Streptomyces sp GE44282 a nd by the producer of aurodox, Streptomyces goldiniensis ATCC 21386, T his bioconversion of heneicomycin is substrate-specific and is not obs erved using the producer of heneicomycin, Streptomyces filippiniensis NRRL 11044, The three strains show very similar taxonomic characterist ics. These results suggest that heneicomycin is a precursor of aurodox , the production of which depends on the bioconversion capability expr essed by strain.