262
MAURICE WELSCH
II. Comparative Study of Individual Antibiotics
Owing to the difficulties mentioned above, we shall not undertake
a separate study of each one of the main points of interest described.
Instead, we shall endeavor to stress the structural and biogenetic (established or assumed) similarities of various antibiotics, pointing out
whenever possible the other known facts of interest to comparative
biochemistry.
Antibiotic will be understood in agreement with Waksman's definition, slightly extended to include natural substances with antiviral or
anticancer properties. However, occasional reference will be made to
antibiotic agents not having a microbial origin and to metabolites possessing no antibiotic activities.
The complexity of the subject as well as the limited space available
will suffice to explain that our review has not the ambition of being
exhaustive. Lack of space also forbids us to cite in each case the complete
list of producing organisms and the numerous synonyms in more or less
current use. Similarly, we have been compelled to curtail direct reference
to the original literature and shall refer the reader to standard treatises
(13, 29-35) and recent reviews (36-45a) for complementary bibliographical information.*
A. ANTIBIOTICS WHOLLY OR PARTIALLY DERIVABLE FROM SUGARS
Sugars and sugar derivatives are present in many antibiotics, some of
which, all produced by streptomycetes, are in fact wholly made up of
such substances and therefore akin to the oligosaccharides.
1. Oligosaccharide Antibiotics
Trehalosamine (I) is a typical disaccharide produced by a strain
resembling Streptomyces lavenduhe. Kanamycin (45b) and kanamycin
Β (II), from S. kanamyceticus; streptomycin (III), from S. griseus, S.
bikiniensis, S. olivaceus, and S. mashuensis; dihydrostreptomycin, from
S. humidus; and hydroxystreptomycin (reticulin), from S. rubrireticuli
and S. griseocarneus, are trisaccharides. Streptomycin Β (mannosidostreptomycin), from S. griseus, and paromomycin (IV), from S. rimosus
f. paromomyceticus, are tetrasaccharides.
Numerous biochemical modifications have been reported in microorganisms submitted to the action of antibiotics from the streptomycin
group. The fundamental mode of action of these agents remains, however, unknown. Recent work of Erdös and collaborators (46, 47) indi* The survey of literature pertaining to this essay was concluded in August, 1962.
MAURICE WELSCH
II. Comparative Study of Individual Antibiotics
Owing to the difficulties mentioned above, we shall not undertake
a separate study of each one of the main points of interest described.
Instead, we shall endeavor to stress the structural and biogenetic (established or assumed) similarities of various antibiotics, pointing out
whenever possible the other known facts of interest to comparative
biochemistry.
Antibiotic will be understood in agreement with Waksman's definition, slightly extended to include natural substances with antiviral or
anticancer properties. However, occasional reference will be made to
antibiotic agents not having a microbial origin and to metabolites possessing no antibiotic activities.
The complexity of the subject as well as the limited space available
will suffice to explain that our review has not the ambition of being
exhaustive. Lack of space also forbids us to cite in each case the complete
list of producing organisms and the numerous synonyms in more or less
current use. Similarly, we have been compelled to curtail direct reference
to the original literature and shall refer the reader to standard treatises
(13, 29-35) and recent reviews (36-45a) for complementary bibliographical information.*
A. ANTIBIOTICS WHOLLY OR PARTIALLY DERIVABLE FROM SUGARS
Sugars and sugar derivatives are present in many antibiotics, some of
which, all produced by streptomycetes, are in fact wholly made up of
such substances and therefore akin to the oligosaccharides.
1. Oligosaccharide Antibiotics
Trehalosamine (I) is a typical disaccharide produced by a strain
resembling Streptomyces lavenduhe. Kanamycin (45b) and kanamycin
Β (II), from S. kanamyceticus; streptomycin (III), from S. griseus, S.
bikiniensis, S. olivaceus, and S. mashuensis; dihydrostreptomycin, from
S. humidus; and hydroxystreptomycin (reticulin), from S. rubrireticuli
and S. griseocarneus, are trisaccharides. Streptomycin Β (mannosidostreptomycin), from S. griseus, and paromomycin (IV), from S. rimosus
f. paromomyceticus, are tetrasaccharides.
Numerous biochemical modifications have been reported in microorganisms submitted to the action of antibiotics from the streptomycin
group. The fundamental mode of action of these agents remains, however, unknown. Recent work of Erdös and collaborators (46, 47) indi* The survey of literature pertaining to this essay was concluded in August, 1962.