Isolation of streptomycin-nonproducing mutants deficient in biosynthesis of the streptidine moiety or linkage between streptidine 6-phosphate and dihydrostreptose.

Eight streptidine idiotrophic mutants (SD20, SD81, SD141, SD189, SD245, SD261, SD263, and SD274) which required streptidine to produce streptomycin were derived from Streptomyces griseus ATCC 10137 by UV mutagenesis. By both the characterization of intermediates accumulated by the idiotrophs and the assay of enzymes involved in streptidine biosynthesis, the biochemical lesions of the mutants were deduced as follows: SD20 and SD263, transamination; SD81, SD261, and SD274, phosphorylation; SD141, transamidination; SD189, dehydrogenation; SD245, linkage between streptidine 6-phosphate and dihydrostreptose. An accumulation of streptidine 6-phosphate was found in SD245 to impair its aminotransferase activity. This finding suggests that aminotransferase activity might have been negatively controlled by the end product, streptidine 6-phosphate, of the streptidine biosynthetic pathway.