title: [Polymorphism of a culture of Streptomyces olivocinereus, the producer of heliomycin].
abstract: Polymorphism of the heliomycin-producing organism S. olivocinereus was studied and not less than 5 stable spontaneous variants differing in their differentiation levels were detected. Variant I (the main type) had the most developed cultural and morphological features characteristic of the whole population: abundant aerial mycelium with all specific subsequent stages of the development terminated by heavy sporulation and formation of long spiral spore chains. The other variants markedly differed from variant I. In variant III grey aerial mycelium (the final stage of differentiation) formed only at the colony margin. In variant IV it formed with a significant delay as a thin layer. In variant II it was very scanty and in variant V it differed by its pigmentation. Sporulation in variants II, III, IV and V was scanty and the character of the spore chains differed from that of the main type. Capacity for heliomycin production in the variants correlated with the level of morphological differentiation: the antibiotic activity of the highly differentiated variant I was the highest, while the low differentiated variant II was practically inactive.
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D010641:Phenotype; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology; D013302:Streptomyces / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds; C007912:heliomycin
vernacular_title: Polimorfizm kul'tury Streptomyces olivocinereus, produtsenta geliomitsina.