[Naphthoquinone antibiotics from Streptomyces lateritius. I Fermentation, isolation and characterization of granatomycins A, C, and D].

The fermentation and isolation procedures of the antibiotic granatomycin produced by Streptomyces lateritius are described. Furthermore, the producing strain ZIMET 43 627 and the main constituents of granatomycin will be characterized. Granatomycin is a red-violet pigment antibiotic of the naphthoquinone type. The physicochemical properties of granatomycin resemble those of granaticin. The antibiotic can be isolated from culture filtrates and from the mycelium by extraction with lower aliphatic alcohols. It can be purified by gel filtration methods. Granatomycin displays antimicrobial activity, particularly against grampositive and gramnegative bacteria, and antiviral activity against fowl-plaque-virus in mammalian cells. Granatomycin is useful in selection of resistant mutants of bacteria and viruses with decreased virulence but high immunogenity suitable for use as life vaccines against infection diseases. The physicochemical properties of the main constituents of granatomycin studied confirm the identity of granatomycin C with granaticin and the identity of granatomycin D with dihydrogranaticin Granatomycin A is identical with the well-known semisynthetic methylester of dihydrogranaticin. Therefore, the production of granatomycin A is the first possibility to produce this derivative of granaticin biosynthetically.