Intracellular Accumulation of Phenazine Antibiotics Produced by an Alkalophilic Actinomycete. I. Taxonomy, Isolation and Identification of the Phenazine Antibiotics

Abstract

An alkalophilic actinomycete, strain OPC-15, which was isolated from a soil sample, produced phenazine antibiotics in the mycelium. From the results of taxonomic studies, this strain was designated as Nocardiopsis dassonvillel OPC-15. N. dassonvillei OPC-15 produced different phenazine antibiotics under different culture conditions (incubation period, incubation temperature and temperature shift). 1,6-Dihydroxyphenazine (III) was obtained from the mycelium on incubation for 6~8 days at 27°C, while 1,6-dihydroxyphenazine 5,10-dioxide (I, iodinin) was isolated on incubation for 6 days at 27°C followed by further incubation for 2 days at 4°C.

1,6-Dihydroxyphenazine 5-monooxide (II) was purified from the mycelium cultured under both these two sets of cultural conditions. These results suggest that the N-oxidation of III was catalyzed enzymatically with the temperature shift from 27°C to 4°C.