BIOSYNTHESIS AND PROPERTIES OF ANTIBIOTIC BATUMIN

Biosynthesis of antistaphylococcal antibiotic batumin under periodic conditions of Pseudomonas batumici growth has been studied. Antibiotic synthesis in fermenter occurred across the culture growth and achieved its maximal value after 50–55 hours. The active oxygen utilization by the producing strain was observed during 20–55 hours of fermentation with maximum after 40–45 hours. Antibiotic yield was 175–180 mg/l and depended on intensity of aeration. In contrast to «freshly isolated» antibiotic after fermentation the long-term kept batumin has shown two identical by molecular mass peaks according to the chromato-mass spectrometric analysis. Taking into account of batumin molecule structure the conclusion has been made that the most probable isomerization type is keto-enolic tautomerism. At the same time batumin is diastereoisomer of kalimantacin A which has the same chemical structure. The optic rotation angle is []d 25 = +56.3 for kalimantacin and []d 25 = –13.5 for batumin. The simultaneous P. batumici growth and antibiotic biosynthesis and the ability of this molecule to optical isomerisation and keto-enolic forms formation allow us to suppose that batumin plays a certain role in metabolism of the producing strain.