Inducers of both cytodifferentiation and anthracycline biosynthesis of Streptomyces griseus and their occurrence in actinomycetes and other microorganisms.

Many taxonomically different strains of actinomycetes as well as several other procaryotic and eucaryotic microorganisms were shown to produce inducers of cytodifferentiation and anthracycline biosynthesis being active towards blocked mutant ZIMET 43682 of Streptomyces griseus. 37 out of 40 strains of the species of S. griseus (92.5%) yielding different kinds of antibiotics were able to induce both the formation of aerial mycelium in the indicator strain ZIMET 43682 concomitant with the biosynthesis of anthracycline antibiotics. 80 (26.3%) out of 304 strains belonging to 94 different Streptomyces species were also producers of inducing agents. Among 77 strains of actinomycetes belonging to 28 different genera being apart from Streptomyces, 12 strains displayed inducing activity (15.6%). The results obtained so far support the conclusion that the formation of inducing agents was neither associated with a particular species of Streptomyces nor its capacity to produce a given antibiotic. The occurrence of inducers has been observed even with members of other genera. Few strains were capable of inducing only one of the differentiation-associated functions. Some strains of Streptomyces species produced at least two different kinds of inducers discernible by their Rf values on TLC.