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J Bacteriol. 1962 February; 83(2): 309-313
Copyright © 1962, The Williams & Wilkins Company. All Rights Reserved.

SOME PRODUCTS OF THE BACTERIAL DISSIMILATION OF STREPTOMYCIN¹

^a Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Rutgers, The State University, New Brunswick, New Jersey

ABSTRACT

KLEIN, DOLPH (Rutgers, The State University, New Brunswick, N. J.) AND DAVID PRAMER. Some products of the bacterial dissimilation of streptomycin. J. Bacteriol. 83:309–313. 1962.—Bacterial dissimilation of streptomycin resulted in products detectable with Folin-Ciocalteu's phenol reagent, ninhydrin, and Ehrlich's reagent; these products absorbed ultraviolet light, with a maximum at 265 mµ. Evidence was also obtained for the production of a volatile base, possibly methylamine.

Urea and streptamine were formed by growing cultures and washed-cell suspensions supplied with streptomycin. More than 90% of the amidine-nitrogen of the antibiotic was recovered as urea-nitrogen in culture filtrates. It was evident that the bacterial dissimilation of streptomycin involved hydrolysis of the guanido groups of the streptidine moiety of the antibiotic molecule. The site of action was the bond between the amidine group and the secondary amino-nitrogen of each guanido group, and the products of the reaction were urea and streptamine.

² Present address: Organic Chemicals Division, Monsanto Chemical Co., St. Louis, Mo.

¹ Paper of the Journal Series, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Rutgers, The State University, Department of Agricultural Microbiology, New Brunswick, N. J. This investigation was supported in part by Research Grant E1919 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, U. S. Public Health Service.