| Abstract: | A growing culture of Streptomyces lydicus converted biotin-14C to α-dehydrobiotin-14C. The conversion was demonstrated by isolating crystalline α-dehydrobiotin-14C from fermentation liquors supplemented with biotin-14C. The addition of pimelic acid-14C to the growing culture did not produce any radioactive α-dehydrobiotin. α-Dehydrobiotin did not substitute for biotin in Lactobacillus plantarum or in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Antimicrobial activity of α-dehydrobiotin was abolished by avidin. α-Dehydrobiotin appears to be different from several biotin vitamers described in the literature. It is concluded that α-dehydrobiotin is a product of biotin catabolism in S. lydicus. |
