GEPHYRONIC ACID, A NOVEL INHIBITOR OF EUKARYOTIC PROTEIN-SYNTHESIS FROM ARCHANGIUM-GEPHYRA (MYXOBACTERIA) - PRODUCTION, ISOLATION, PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES, AND MECHANISM OF ACTION
A new antibiotic compound, gephyronic acid was isolated from the culture broth of the myxobacterium, Archangium gephyra strain Ar 3895. Up to 3 mg/liter was produced during the logarithmic and stationary growth phase. The compound is an aliphatic acid, which tends to form a hemiacetal. Both forms inhibited growth of yeasts and molds (MIC 1 similar to 25 mu g/ml) and had a cytostatic effect on mammalian cell cultures (IC50 10 similar to 60 ng/ml). Gephyronic acid is a specific inhibitor of eukaryotic protein sythesis showing an IC50 of 1 similar to 2 x 10(-7) mol/liter in an in vitro translation assay.