Peptide antibiotics

The primary structure of alamethicin

Alamethicin, an antibiotic that can transport cations and induce action potentials in synthetic membranes, is shown to be a cyclic peptide with 18 residues including 7-alpha-aminoisobutyric acid residues, two glutamine residues and one free carboxyl group. The composition indicates microheterogeneity. Alamethicin itself and many peptides derived from it are immune to enzymic digestion, but specific partial acid cleavages have allowed determination of the complete sequence. Diborane reduction has shown that the alpha-carboxyl group of glutamine-18 is free, but the ring is formed by a peptide bond between the imino group of proline-1 and the gamma-carboxyl group of glutamic acid-17. The structure is contrasted with that of other cation-transporting antibiotics. Model building allows a structure that could stack to form a tunnel with a lipophilic exterior and hydrophilic interior and flexible internal arms formed by the pendant C-terminal glutamine residue.

Partial characterization of the factor responsible for tryptophanless death in Bacillus subtilis

The decline in colony-forming ability observed during tryptophan starvation of Bacillus subtilis auxotrophs is a concentration-dependent phenomenon. It does not manifest itself when the initial cell concentration is 10(6) cells/ml or lower. This property has been used to test the killing activity of different fractions of the dying cells. Most of the activity recovered is found in the supernatant fluid of the starved culture. Sensitive and resistant strains can be identified. Active supernatant fluids can only be isolated from tryptophan auxotrophs sensitive to tryptophanless death. Resistant cells neither produce nor respond to the factor, and sensitive cells respond only when deprived of tryptophan. The killing activity is continuously produced and released into the medium at least up to 4 hr after removal of tryptophan from the culture. The killing activity is deoxyribonuclease-, ribonuclease-, and heat-resistant.