Kei-Ichi Numata

New Genus of the Actinomycetales: Streptoalloteichus hindustanus gen. nov., nom. rev.; sp. nov., nom. rev.

Streptoalloteichus hindustanus was originally described in 1978 as a genus and species of the family Actinoplanaceae. However, the taxonomic position of this organism should be transferred to a taxon that includes the genera Nocardiopsis, Actinosynnema, and Saccharothrix, based on the lowering of the taxonomic significance of sporangiumlike vesicles bearing flagellate spores and on a cell chemistry profile comprising the following: cell wall type III; a whole-cell sugar composition that is a variant of pattern C (presence of galactose, mannose, and rhamnose); menaquinones MK9(H6) and MK10(H6) as the major menaquinones; and phospholipid type P-II (presence of phosphatidylethanolamine). Chemotaxonomically, this organism is related to Saccharothrix australiensis, while it is differentiated by its Streptomyces-type morphology; i.e., spore chain formation at the tip of aerial hyphae, formation of two distinct types of spore chains, lack of mycelial fragmentation, and the capricious formation of sporangiumlike vesicles bearing flagellate spores. The type strain is C677-91T (ATCC 31217).

Bispolides, novel 20-membered ring macrodiolide antibiotics from microbispora.

Seven new related compounds named bispolides A1, A2, A3, B1, B2a, B2b and B3, have been found in a culture of Microbispora sp. A34030, isolated from a Malaysian soil sample. The planar structures were elucidated to be new 20-membered ring macrodiolide antibiotics on the basis of MS and NMR spectroscopic analyses. These antibiotics showed a good anti-MRSA activity in vitro.