Nitroxyl Compounds in Bacteria: Search for Functions

摘要

A method was developed for incorporation of two deuterium atoms into the reactive group of a new type of nitroxyl compounds from Micrococcus luteus (a lysodektose which can be transformed into a long-living free radical). This compound was found to persist in the cells treated with gentamycin and chloramphenicol, while treatment with gramicidin C, arnpicillin, benzyl viologen, furadonin, and mercury chloride resulted in a drastic decrease of its intracellular content. Cultivation of M. luteus in a medium with EDTA resulted in accumulation of much higher amounts of lysodektose (up to 300%), and this phenomenon is interpreted as an indication of the possible siderophore function of the compound. Since the M. luteus genome was recently sequenced, this may help to understand the fate and role of lysodektose in bacterial metabolism.