IDENTIFICATION OF SOME INDUSTRIALLY IMPORTANT ACTINOPLANES SPECIES

Three actinomycetes designated A294, A385 and A448 all produced novel inhibitors of an enzyme involved in the regulation of mammalian choles terol metabolism. The organisms were identified as members of the genu s Actinoplanes using morphological and chemotaxonomic characters. Nume rical phenetic data obtained for clusters defined at the 77.5% S-sm si milarity level in the taxonomic study of Actinoplanes and related taxa by Goodfellow et al. [6], was used to construct a probabilistic ident ification matrix for the genus Actinoplanes. This was in an attempt to characterise the producing strains to species level. Identification s cores for the three organisms, together with two type strains, were de termined using the MATIDEN program of Sneath [36]. Strains A294 and A3 85 did not identify correctly with any cluster. Strain A448 was identi fied as Actinoplanes derwentensis. The two type strains identified wit hin acceptable statistical limits to their correct clusters. Due to th e absence of other taxonomic criteria with which to speciate members o f the genus Actinoplanes we recommend that the two unidentified produc ing strains should be considered novel until such time as further tech niques become available.