Streptomyces is the largest genus of Actinomycetota and the type genus of the family Streptomycetaceae. Over 500 species of Streptomyces bacteria have been described. As with the other Actinomycetota, streptomycetes are gram-positive, and have genomes with high GC content. Found predominantly in soil and decaying vegetation, most streptomycetes produce spores, and are noted for their distinct "earthy" odor that results from production of a volatile metabolite, geosmin.
Streptomyces achromogenes is a species of gram-positive bacterium that belongs in the genus Streptomyces. S. achromogenes can be grown at 28 °C in a medium of yeast and malt extract with glucose.
Hitachimycin, also known as stubomycin, is a cyclic polypeptide produced by Streptomyces that acts as an antibiotic. It exhibits cytotoxic activity against mammalian cells, Gram-positive bacteria, yeast, and fungi, as well as hemolytic activity; this is mediated by changes at the cell membrane and subsequent lysis. Owing to its cytotoxic activity against mammalian cells and tumors, it was first proposed as an antitumor antibiotic.
Rhizoxin is an antimitotic agent with anti-tumor activity. It is isolated from a pathogenic plant fungus which causes rice seedling blight.
Pseudomonas acidophila is a Gram-negative soil bacterium that produces the beta-lactam antibiotic, sulfazecin, as well as bulgecins. It was first isolated in Japan. Because this organism is patented, it is not officially recognized as a legitimate Pseudomonas species, and therefore has no type strain. It is available, however, through the American Type Culture Collection.
Acremonium is a genus of fungi in the family Hypocreaceae. It used to be known as Cephalosporium.
Ascofuranone is an antibiotic produced by various ascomycete fungi including Acremonium sclerotigenum that inhibits the Trypanosoma brucei alternative oxidase and is a lead compound in efforts to produce other drugs targeting this enzyme for the treatment of sleeping sickness. The compound is effective both in vitro cell culture and in infections in mice.
Acremonium strictum is an environmentally widespread saprotroph species found in soil, plant debris, and rotting mushrooms. Isolates have been collected in North and Central America, Asia, Europe and Egypt. A. strictum is an agent of hyalohyphomycosis and has been identified as an increasingly frequent human pathogen in immunosuppressed individuals, causing localized, disseminated and invasive infections. Although extremely rare, A. strictum can infect immunocompetent individuals, as well as neonates. Due to the growing number of infections caused by A. strictum in the past few years, the need for new medical techniques in the identification of the fungus as well as for the treatment of human infections has risen considerably.
The genus Lysobacter belongs to the family Xanthomonadaceae within the Gammaproteobacteria and includes at least 46 named species, including: Lysobacter enzymogenes, L. antibioticus, L. gummosus, L. brunescens, L. defluvii, L. niabensis, L. niastensis, L. daejeonensis, L. yangpyeongensis, L. koreensis, L. concretionis, L. spongiicola, and L. capsici. Lysobacter spp. were originally grouped with myxobacteria because they shared the distinctive trait of gliding motility, but they uniquely display a number of traits that distinguish them from other taxonomically and ecologically related microbes including high genomic G+C content and the lack of flagella. The feature of gliding motility alone has piqued the interest of many, since the role of gliding bacteria in soil ecology is poorly understood. In addition, while a number of different mechanisms have been proposed for gliding motility among a wide range of bacterial species, the genetic mechanism in Lysobacter remains unknown. Members of the Lysobacter group have gained broad interest for production of extracellular enzymes. The group is also regarded as a rich source for production of novel antibiotics, such as β-lactams containing substituted side chains, macrocyclic lactams and macrocyclic peptide or depsipeptide antibiotics like the katanosins.
The calphostins are a class of closely related chemical compounds isolated from the fungus Cladosporium cladosporioides. The known calphostins include calphostin A, calphostin B, calphostin C, calphostin D, and calphostin I. The calphostins are inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC). The most potent member of the series, calphostin C, has found use as a biochemical tool because of this activity.
Calphostin C is a natural chemical compound. It is one of the calphostins, isolated from the fungus Cladosporium cladosporioides. Calphostin C is a potent inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC).
Penicillium chrysogenum is a species of fungus in the genus Penicillium. It is common in temperate and subtropical regions and can be found on salted food products, but it is mostly found in indoor environments, especially in damp or water-damaged buildings. It has been recognised as a species complex that includes P. notatum, P. meleagrinum, and P. cyaneofulvum, but molecular phylogeny established that it is a distinct species and that P. notatum is P. rubens. It has rarely been reported as a cause of human disease. It is the source of several β-lactam antibiotics, most significantly penicillin. Other secondary metabolites of P. chrysogenum include roquefortine C, meleagrin, chrysogine, 6-MSA YWA1/melanin, andrastatin A, fungisporin, secalonic acids, sorbicillin, and PR-toxin.
Callystatin A is a polyketide natural product from the leptomycin family of secondary metabolites. It was first isolated in 1997 from the marine sponge Callyspongia truncata which was collected from the Goto Islands in the Nagasaki Prefecture of Japan by the Kobayashi group. Since then its absolute configuration has been elucidated and callystatin A was discovered to have anti-fungal and anti-tumor activities with extreme potency against the human epidermoid carcinoma KB cells (IG50 = 10 pg/ml) and the mouse lymphocytic leukemia Ll210 cells (IG50 = 20 pg/ml).
Penicillium rubens is a species of fungus in the genus Penicillium and was the first species known to produce the antibiotic penicillin. It was first described by Philibert Melchior Joseph Ehi Biourge in 1923. For the discovery of penicillin from this species Alexander Fleming shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945. The original penicillin-producing type has been variously identified as Penicillium rubrum, P. notatum, and P. chrysogenum among others, but genomic comparison and phylogenetic analysis in 2011 resolved that it is P. rubens. It is the best source of penicillins and produces benzylpenicillin (G), phenoxymethylpenicillin (V) and octanoylpenicillin (K). It also produces other important bioactive compounds such as andrastin, chrysogine, fungisporin, roquefortine, and sorbicillins.
Ascochyta blights occur throughout the world and can be of significant economic importance. Three fungi contribute to the ascochyta blight disease complex of pea. Ascochyta pinodes causes Mycosphaerella blight. Ascochyta pinodella causes Ascochyta foot rot, and Ascochyta pisi causes Ascochyta blight and pod spot. Of the three fungi, Ascochyta pinodes is of the most importance. These diseases are conducive under wet and humid conditions and can cause a yield loss of up to fifty percent if left uncontrolled. The best method to control ascochyta blights of pea is to reduce the amount of primary inoculum through sanitation, crop-rotation, and altering the sowing date. Other methods—chemical control, biological control, and development of resistant varieties—may also be used to effectively control ascochyta diseases.
Trachyspic acid is a fungal isolate that can inhibit heparanase.
Actinoplanes friuliensis is a species of bacteria that produces lipopeptide antibiotics with peptidoglycan synthesis-inhibiting activity, called friulimicins.
Anicequol is a naturally occurring ergostane or lanostane steroid produced by Acremonium sp. TF-0356 which has nerve growth factor-like neurotrophic activity. It was under investigation by Taisho Pharmaceutical in Japan for the treatment of cognitive disorders in the 1990s, but development was discontinued and the drug was never marketed.
The phomoxanthones are a loosely defined class of natural products. The two founding members of this class are phomoxanthone A and phomoxanthone B. Other compounds were later also classified as phomoxanthones, although a unifying nomenclature has not yet been established. The structure of all phomoxanthones is derived from a dimer of two covalently linked tetrahydroxanthones, and they differ mainly in the position of this link as well as in the acetylation status of their hydroxy groups. The phomoxanthones are structurally closely related to other tetrahydroxanthone dimers such as the secalonic acids and the eumitrins. While most phomoxanthones were discovered in fungi of the genus Phomopsis, most notably in the species Phomopsis longicolla, some have also been found in Penicillium sp.
Sarocladium kiliense is a saprobic fungus that is occasionally encountered as a opportunistic pathogen of humans, particularly immunocompromised and individuals. The fungus is frequently found in soil and has been linked with skin and systemic infections. This species is also known to cause disease in the green alga, Cladophora glomerata as well as various fruit and vegetable crops grown in warmer climates.
