Metabolism of p-aminobenzoic acid by a chloramphenicol-producing Streptomyces sp.

Abstract

Small amounts of p-nitrobenzyl alcohol were isolated from chloramphenicol fermentations with Streptomyces sp. 3022a. Cultures supplemented with p-aminobenzoic acid also yielded p-nitrobenzoic acid also yielded p-nitrobenzoic acid. Radioactivity from p-aminobenzoic-ring-14C acid was incorporated more efficiently into p-nitrobenzoic acid than into the alcohol; relatively little appeared in chloramphenicol. A large proportion of the radioactivity was found in the mycelium, from which bound forms of labeled p-nitrobenzoic acid and p-nitrobenzyl alcohol were obtained. P-aminobenzoic acid is oxidized to p-nitrobenzoic acid as a covalent complex. Part of the p-nifrobenzoic acid produced is converted further to p-nitrobenzyl alcohol.