Effect of pamamycin-607 on secondary metabolite production by Streptomyces spp.

The effect of the aerial mycelium-inducing compound, pamamycin-607, on antibiotic production by several Streptomyces spp. was examined. Exposure to 6.6 µM pamamycin-607 stimulated by 2.7 fold the puromycin production by Streptomyces alboniger NBRC 12738, in which pamamycin-607 had first been isolated, and restored aerial mycelium formation. Pamamycin-607 also stimulated the respective production of streptomycin by S. griseus NBRC 12875 and that of cinerubins A and B by S. tauricus JCM 4837 by approximately 1.5, 1.7 and 1.9 fold. The antibiotic produced by Streptomyces sp. 91-a was identified as virginiamycin M(1), and its synthesis was enhanced 2.6 fold by pamamycin-607. These results demonstrate that pamamycin-607 not only restored or stimulated aerial mycelium formation, but also stimulated secondary metabolite production.