Incorporation of acetate into cephalosporin C

Abstract

Cephalosporin-C was produced by fermentations of a Cephalosporium sp. in shaken flasks containing a complex culture medium. It was isolated from small volumes of culture fluid by chromatography on ion-exchange resins. Cephalosporin-C formed in the presence of [1-14C] acetate was radioactive. About 90% of its radioactivity was localized in the [alpha]-aminoadipoyl and ace-toxy groups of the molecule. The radioactivity of C-1 of D-[alpha]-amino-adipic acid from labelled cephalosporin-C was similar to that of the labelled-C of acetic acid. Radioactivity of C-l and C-6 of [alpha]-amino-adipic acid accounted for most of the total radioactivity of the molecule. The results confirm that the C skeleton of [alpha]-aminoadipic acid is formed in the Cephalosporium sp. from acetyl-coenzyme-A and the succinate moiety of [alpha]-oxoglutarate.