Glysperin A

Structures of glysperins A, B and C were determined on the basis of chemical degradation studies in conjunction with spectroscopic analyses. Glysperin A consisted of L-alanine, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, a C11-alkyl tetramine and four sugar moieties, three of which were identified as D-ribose, D-galactose and 2,4-diamino-2,4,6-trideoxy-D-galactose. The fourth sugar was a novel exoenose, 6-deoxy-D-xylo-hex-5-enose. Structural difference between glysperins A and B resided solely in the terminal polyamine moiety which was spermidine in glysperin B. Glysperin C contained D-glucose in place of the exoenohexose moiety of glysperin A. Glysperins A, B and C are, in some respects, structurally related to the glycocinnamoylspermidine antibiotics, LL-BM 123 beta, gamma 1 and gamma 2.

Strains of Bacillus cereus produced a complex of new antibiotics, glysperins A, B and C. They are basic, water-soluble antibiotics and active against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria including aminoglycoside-resistant organisms. Glysperin A is a major component of the antibiotic complex and approximately two to four times more active than components B and C.

The inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reverse transcriptase by certain antibiotics and related compounds was studied in comparison with that of avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV) reverse transcriptase and cellular DNA polymerases alpha and beta. In general, compounds that inhibited HIV reverse transcriptase also inhibited AMV reverse transcriptase. For example, 10 micrograms/ml of the isoquinoline quinones used in this study inhibited approximately 80% of the activity of reverse transcriptases of HIV and AMV, but did not inhibit the activity of DNA polymerases alpha and beta even at 50 micrograms/ml. AMV enzyme was more sensitive than HIV enzyme to colistin, enduracidins A and B, janiemycin, glysperin A, and thielavins A and B. The streptonigrin alkyl esters, however, inhibited HIV reverse transcriptase only. Sakyomicin A, luzopeptins, ellagic acid and suramine inhibited the activities of reverse transcriptases and cellular DNA polymerases.