The role of monic acid A in pseudomonic acid A biosynthesis in Pseudomonas fluorescens.
The putative role of monic acid A as a biosynthetic intermediate of the antibiotic pseudomonic acid A, providing a C17 moiety requiring only esterification with a C9 fatty acid, has been tested by administration of [14C]monic acid A early in the pseudomonic acid A idiophase of a Pseudomonas fluorescens fermentation. [14C]Monic acid A was not taken up by the cells and the pseudomonic acid A subsequently accumulated was not radiolabelled. Experimental demonstration of the biosynthetic role of monic acid A and the potential use of monate analogues in biotransformations will require unexpectedly elaborate strategies to ensure the uptake of these compounds into bacterial protoplasts. The impermeability to monic acid A explains for the first time why it is not an antibiotic.
Department of Biochemistry, Imperial College, London, UK.
P G
PG
Mantle
K M
KM
Macgeorge
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005285:Fermentation; D016712:Mupirocin; D011523:Protoplasts / Q000378:metabolism; D011551:Pseudomonas fluorescens / Q000378:metabolism*; D011714:Pyrans / Q000378:metabolism
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D005227:Fatty Acids; D011714:Pyrans; C056341:monic acid A; D016712:Mupirocin