Screening and some properties of new macromolecular peptide antibiotics.

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Abstract
In searching for macromolecular antitumor antibiotics of microbial origin, 2875 kinds of actinomycete culture fluids were applied to a newly developed test system which consisted of antimicrobial assay using a macromolecule permeable mutant, DNA damage assay and mutagenicity test. As a result, 78 macromolecular antibiotics were found. Among them, 15 antibiotics precipitable with ammonium sulfate were macromolecular peptide antibiotics (protein antibiotics), of which MW ranged from 10,000-14,000. Macromolecular peptide antibiotics AN-1, -5 and -15, termed type I antibiotics, showed a stronger growth inhibitory effect on the uvrA and recA [Escherichia coli] mutants, as compared to the effect on their parent, MP2. They also had mutagenic activity. AN-7, -9, -16, -18, -20, -22, -23, -25 and -26, termed type II, exhibited an increased inhibitory activity to a recA mutant but did not to an uvrA mutant. They all showed mutagenicity. AN-3, -11 and -13, type III antibiotics gave similar infleunce on the DNA repair mutants and on their parent, MP2. They had no mutagenic activity. Except for AN-11 and -13 of type III antibiotics, all antibiotics were inhibitory to the cell growth of a cancer cell, L1210 [murine leukemia].