Studies on the metabolic function of the ferrichrome compounds.

Ferrichrome is a representative member of a group of microbial products which show very intense growth factor activity when tested with a small number of selected fungal and bacterial species (1). Some of the members of this group of compounds, e.g. aspergillic acid (2), nocardamin (3), and grisein (albomycin) (4), are potent antibiotics against certain strains of microorganisms. Although the ultimate physiological function of the ferrichrome compounds is unknown, there is considerable evidence that would implicate them as catalysts for the transport and metabolism of iron. The available information relevant to this point of view has been discussed elsewhere (1). In the present communication we wish to describe the natural distribution and some of the nutritional aspects of ferrichrome. In addition, results will be reported for certain studies on the physiology of a bacterial species which requires ferrichrome for growth. These experiments offer the first tangible evidence in support of the theory that ferrichrome functions as an irontransporting agent in microbial metabolism.