Metabolites produced by actinomycetes--antiviral antibiotics and enzyme inhibitors

Abstract

In 1995, we discovered new antiherpetic antibiotics, called fattiviracins. The producing organism was classified as a strain belonging to Streptomyces microflavus. The strain produced at least 13 fattiviracin derivatives (FV-1 to FV-13). Fattiviracins were obtained as a white amorphous powder, and their molecular weights are in the range of 1400 to 1500. They are readily soluble in water, methanol, pyridine, and DMSO, but insoluble in other organic solvents. Fattiviracins have macrocyclic diesters formed by the binding of two trihydroxy fatty acids and two D-glucose residues in the molecule, and they can be divided into five families according to the length of the fatty acid moiety. Fattiviracins have potent activity against enveloped DNA viruses such as the herpes family, HSV-1, and VZV and enveloped RNA viruses such as influenza A and B viruses, and three strains of HIV-1, with EC(50) values on the order of a few micrograms per milliliter. The biosynthetic pathway of fattiviracins is also becoming clearer. Using bacitracin-resistant strains, enhanced and astringent production of fattiviracin was achieved. Fattiviracin FV-13, which has the longest fatty acid chains in the molecule, was dramatically enhanced by a C(55)-isoprenyl phosphate metabolism. In addition, we have screened various inhibitors of enzymes such as alkaline protease, glucosyltransferase, glucuronidase, phospholipase, deoxyribonuclease, DNA methyltransferase, and DNA topoisomerase. All the inhibitors we discovered are briefly summarized in this paper.