Biosynthesis and the isolation of the new anthracyclin antibiotics, violamycins A, BI, BII and their aglycones]

The conditions of fermentation, isolation and some of the physico-chemical properties of the new anthracycline antibiotics, i. e. viomycin A, BI, BII and their aglycones, produced by a strain of Streptomyces violaceus IMET JA 6844 are described. Violamycin A is mainly a complex of aminoglycosides of epsilon- and dzeta-isorhodomycinone, beta-rhodomycinone and (alpha)2-rhodomycinone. The sugar component is rhodosamine. Violomycin BI is mainly a complex of trisaccharides of the same aglycones mentioned above. The sugar components are rhodosamine, 2-desoxy-L-fucose and rhodinose. Violomycin BII is mainly a rhodosaminyl-2-desoxy-L-fucosyl-derivative of epsilon- and dzeta-isorhodomycinone, beta- and epsilon-rhodomycinone and (alpha)2-rhodomycinone. Violamycin complexes A, BI, BII mainly consist of 6 aglycone components which are similar to the other members of anthracyline antibiotics but can be diferentiated from them by physico-chemical and biological properties. Epsilon- and dzeta-isorhodomycinone, epsilon- and (alpha)2-rhodomycinone and dzeta-rhodomycinone one of the 8 minor components contained in the mixture of the aglycones of the violomycin complex so far has been determined as constituents of an antibiotic.