Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Cornell Research Foundation Inc.

Haiyin He

Jon C Clardy

Jo E Handelsman

Laura Silo-Suh

A biocontrol bacteria, Bacillus cereus ATCC 53522, has been found to naturally synthesize two antibiotics, here designated zwittermicin A and antibiotic B. Zwittermicin A is a 396 dalton linear aminopolyol, a class of metabolite previously unknown in B. cereus. Antibiotic B is an aminoglycoside. Both antibiotics exhibit inhibitory activity on many fungal and bacterial pathogens.

Fungicidal toxins from biocontrol bacteria

Cytotoxic metabolites are isolated by extraction and chromatography from a marine sponge of the same species as that deposited in the Zoological Museum of the University of Amsterdam under reg. no. ZMA POR. 10883. The isolated compounds belong to the genus of compounds having the structure: ##STR1## wherein R is C.sub.6 -C.sub.12 alkyl or C.sub.6 -C.sub.12 alkenyl having 1 or 2 double bonds, which may be interrupted with one or more imino groups and which may be substituted with one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of amino, carboxyl, hydroxy, imino and oxo.

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Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America

Haiyin He