title: Action mechanism of a selective anti-cyanobacterial compound, argimicin A.
abstract: Argimicin A is a potent anti-cyanobacterial compound produced by one of algae-lysing bacteria, Sphingomonas sp. M-17. Since the compound seemed to exhibit selective activities against cyanobacteria and such selectivity were considered to be quite rare, the mode of action of argimicin A was investigated. Argimicin A showed a unique delayed action, i.e., the cyanobacterial cell division continued until at least 36 hours treatment even though the decrement of oxygen evolution has been observed at 24 hours treatment. The compound is concluded to be a photosynthetic inhibitor which interrupts electron transport chain prior to photosystem II. From the preliminary fluorescent spectrum of argimicin A treated cyanobacterial cells, the site of action was speculated to be photo energy transfer from a cyanobacterial specific complex of accessory protein pigments, phycobilisome, to photosystem II.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Noji-higashi, Kusatsu 525-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryou
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hibayashi
authors.forename: Nobutaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Imamura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D004579:Electron Transport; D007700:Kinetics; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D010455:Peptides; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex; D045524:Phycobilisomes; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes; D010455:Peptides; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins; D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex; D045524:Phycobilisomes; D011506:Proteins; C420732:argimicin A; D010100:Oxygen