Type selective inhibition of microbial fatty acid synthases by thiolactomycin.

The antibiotic, thiolactomycin, is known to selectively inhibit the Type II straight-chain fatty acid synthase (monofunctional enzyme system, e.g. Escherichia coli enzyme) but not Type I straight-chain fatty acid synthase (multifunctional enzyme system, e.g. Saccharomyces cerevisiae enzyme). We have studied the effect of thiolactomycin on the branched-chain fatty acid synthases from Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, and Bacillus insolitus. Fatty acid synthase from all three Bacilli was not inhibited or only slightly inhibited by thiolactomycin. E. coli synthase, as expected, was strongly inhibited by thiolactomycin. Branched-chain fatty acid synthase from Bacillus species is a monofunctional enzyme system but, unlike Type II E. coli synthase, it is largely insensitive to thiolactomycin.