Branched-chain fatty acids produced by mutants of Streptomyces fradiae, putative precursors of the lactone ring of tylosin.

Three branched-chain fatty acids (7-hydroxy-4,6-dimethylnona-2,4-dienoic acid [compound 1], its 7-epimer [compound 2], and 7-keto-4,6-dimethylnona-2,4-dienoic acid [compound 3]) and a ketone (9-hydroxy-6,8-dimethylundeca-4,6-dien-3-one [compound 4]) were isolated from the culture broth of mutants of Streptomyces fradiae which were blocked in the biosynthesis of the macrolide antibiotic tylosin. Two phenotypic classes of mutants of this organism which were blocked in the addition of mycaminose to tylactone (compound 6) accumulated these compounds. These compounds were not produced by mutants which were blocked in lactone synthesis, in steps beyond mycaminose addition, or by the wild-type strain. Synthesis of these compounds, like synthesis of tylosin, was inhibited by the addition of cerulenin. Compounds 1, 2, and 3 were partially interconvertible by these mutants; but they were not produced from the degradation of tylactone and they were not directly incorporated into tylosin by intact cells. The structures of compounds 1 and 2 were equivalent to that of a predicted intermediate (S. Yue, J. S. Duncan, Y. Yamamoto, and C. R. Hutchinson, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 109:1253-1255, 1987) in the biosynthesis of tylactone. The ketone (compound 4) reported previously (N. D. Jones, M. O. Chaney, H. A. Kirst, G. M. Wild, R. H. Baltz, R. L. Hamill, and J. W. Paschal, J. Antibiot. 35:420-425, 1982) appears to be the decarboxylation product of the intermediate following that represented by compound 1. This represents the first report of the isolation of putative precursors of tylactone from tylosin-producing organisms.