James P. Scannell

ANTIMETABOLITES PRODUCED BY MICROORGANISMS. V1) L-2-AMINO-4-METHOXY-TRANS-3-BUTENOIC ACID

L-2-Amino-4-methoxy-trans-3-butenoic acid was isolated from a fermentation broth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC-7700. This substance inhibited the growth of Bacillus species 1283 B in a chemically defined medium. The growth inhibition was reversed by a variety of amino acids.

Antimetabolites from Microorganisms

Publisher Summary The purpose of this chapter is to describe screening methods, to catalog anti-metabolites, and to summarize what is known about the biochemistry of these anti-metabolites. It discusses biosynthesis, mechanism of action, and basis of selective activity of this group of compounds. An antimetabolite is a structural analog of an essential metabolite, vitamin, hormone, or amino acid, which is able to cause signs of deficiency of the essential metabolite in some living thing or in some biological reaction. The chapter reviews the techniques to demonstrate antimetabolite reversibility. The techniques stem primarily from studies on synthetic antimetabolites. Reversible inhibition would be relieved by the addition of either the product or an excess of substrate to the test system. A method has been described to detect antimetabolite activity in the antitumor compounds that inhibit the growth of one or more microorganisms in minimal agar medium. The chapter also discusses the chemotherapeutic uses of antimetabolites.