Abstract
The antibiotic, thiolactomycin, is known to selectively inhibit the Type II straight-chain fatty acid synthase (monofunctional enzyme system, e.g. Escherichia coli enzyme) but not Type I straight-chain fatty acid synthase (multifunctional enzyme system, e.g. Saccharomyces cerevisiae enzyme). We have studied the effect of thiolactomycin on the branched-chain fatty acid synthases from Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, and Bacillus insolitus. Fatty acid synthase from all three Bacilli was not inhibited or only slightly inhibited by thiolactomycin. E. coli synthase, as expected, was strongly inhibited by thiolactomycin. Branched-chain fatty acid synthase from Bacillus species is a monofunctional enzyme system but, unlike Type II E. coli synthase, it is largely insensitive to thiolactomycin.
References
Alberts AW, Greenspan MD (1984) Animal and bacterial fatty acid synthase: structure, function and regulation. In: Numa S (ed) Fatty acid metabolism and its regulations Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 29–58
Alberts AW, Bell RM, Vagelos PR (1972) Acyl carrier protein. XV. Studies of β-keto acyl-acyl carrier protein synthetase. J Biol Chem 247: 3190–3198
Brindley DN, Matsumura S, Bloch K (1969) Mycobacterium phlei fatty acid synthetase—a bacterial multienzyme complex. Nature 224: 666–669
Butterworth PHW and Bloch K (1970) Comparative aspects of fatty acid synthesis in Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. Eur J Biochem 12: 496–501
Greenspan MD, Alberts AW, Vagelos PR (1969) Acyl carrier protein. XIII. β-Ketoacyl acyl carrier protein synthetase from Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem 224: 6477–6485
Hayashi T, Yamamoto O, Sasaki H, Kawaguchi A, Okazaki H (1983) Mechanism of action of the antibiotic thiolactomycin inhibition of fatty acid synthesis of Escherichia coli. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 115: 1108–1113
Jackowski S, Murphy CM, Cronan JE, Rock CO (1989) Acetoacetyl-acyl carrier protein synthase—a target for the antibiotic thiolactomycin. J Biol Chem 264: 7624–7629
Jensen SE, Westlake DWS, Wolfe S (1982) Cyclization of (l-aminoadipyl)-l-cystinyl-d-valine to penicillins by cell-free extracts of Streptomyces clavuligerus. J Antibiotics 35: 483–490
Kaneda T (1969) Fatty acids in Bacillus larvae, Bacillus lentimorbus, and Bacillus popilliae. J Bacteriol 98: 143–146
Kaneda T (1973) Biosynthesis of branched long-chain fatty acids from the related short-chain α-keto acid substrates by a cell-free system of Bacillus subtilis. Can J Microbiol 19: 87–96
Kaneda T (1977) Fatty acids in the genus Bacillus: an example of branched-chain preference. Bacteriol Rev 41: 371–418
Kaneda T, Smith EJ (1980) Relationship of primer specificit of fatty acid de novo synthetase to fatty acid composition in 10 species of bacteria and yeasts. Can J Microbiol 26: 893–898
Kaneda T, Smith EJ, Naik DN (1983) Fatty acid composition and primer specificity of de novo fatty acid synthetase in Bacillus globispores, Bacillus insolitus and Bacillus psychrophilus. Can J Microbiol 29: 1634–1641
Kaneda T (1991) Iso-and anteiso-fatty acids in bacteria: biosynthesis, function, and taxonomic significance. Microbiol Rev 55: 288–302
Noto T, Miyakawa S, Oishi H, Endo H, Okazaki H (1982) Thiolactomycin, a new antibiotic. III. In vitro antibacterial activity. J Antibiotics 35: 401–410
Oku H, Kaneda T (1988) Biosynthesis of branched-chain fatty acids in Bacillus subtilis. A decarboxylase is essential for branchedchain fatty acid synthetase. J Biol Chem 263: 18386–18396
Seyama Y, Kawaguchi A (1987) Fatty acid synthesis and the role of pyridine nucleotides. In: Dolphin D, Poulson R, Auramovic O (eds) Pyridine nucleotide coenzymes: chemical, biochemical, and medical aspects, vol 2B. John Wiley and Sons, New York, pp 381–431
Volpe JJ, Vagelos PR (1976) Mechanisms and regulation of biosynthesis of saturated fatty acids. Physiol Rev 56: 339–417
Wakil SJ, Stoops JK, Joshi VC (1983) Fatty acid synthesis and its regulation. Annu Rev Biochem 52: 537–579
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Arimura, N., Kaneda, T. Type selective inhibition of microbial fatty acid synthases by thiolactomycin. Arch. Microbiol. 160, 158–161 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00288719
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00288719