Cephamycin C biosynthesis in Streptomyces cattleya: nitrogen source regulation.

The production of cephamycin C by Streptomyces cattleya varies with the use of asparagine, glutamine or ammonium as nitrogen sources. Hydroxylase and expandase activities were demonstrated for the first time with this species. A study of the biosynthetic regulation of these enzymes by two different nitrogen sources, glutamine and asparagine, was carried out. Asparagine proved to be a better nitrogen source, both for enzymatic biosynthesis and production of cephamycin C. Moreover, an excess of asparagine in the culture environment provokes, simultaneously, a reduction in cephamycin C production and a decrease in the biosynthesis of expandase and hydroxylase.