Epelmycin D

New anthracycline antibiotics, identified as epsilon-rhodomycinone glycosides, were isolated from the culture broth of a blocked mutant of beta-rhodomycin-producing Streptomyces violaceus A262. They were designated as epelmycins A, B, C, D and E, and assayed for their in vitro cytotoxicities against murine leukemic L1210 cell culture and the antimicrobial activities in comparison with known anthracycline antibiotics.

A new hybrid anthracycline antibiotic was produced by heterologous expression of dnrK encoding carminomycin 4-O-metyltransferase in an epelmycin-producing Streptomyces violaceus. pMK100 was constructed by insertion of Steptomyces peucetius dnrK gene in Steptomyces-expression vector pIJ6021 and introduced to the epelmycin producer. The transformant produced a hybrid anthracycline antibiotic together with host epelmycins when cultured in antibiotic production medium in the presence of thiostrepton. The hybrid anthracycline was determined to be 7-O-L-rhodosaminyl-4-O-methyl-epsilon-rhodomycinone (4-O-methylepelmycin D). However, the attempts on production of hybrid 4-O-methylaclarubicin and 4-O-methyl-1-deoxyobelmycin by the transformants of aclarubicin and 1-deoxyobelmycin producers with pMK 100 were unsuccessful.