Microbial transformation of antibiotics. VI. Acylation of chloramphenicol by Streptomyces coelicolor.

Previous papers in this series have described the microbial transformation of clindamycin to clindamycm-S-phosphate1^ Ndemethylclindamycin2), clindamycin sulfoxide2) or clindamycin ribonucleotides3) by Streptomyces species. We have extended our observations on the ability of these organisms to transform antibiotics, to chloramphenicol (I, Fig. 1) which, like clindamycin, binds at the 50S ribosomal subunit in bacteria and inhibits protein synthesis. The present communication describes the transformation of chloramphenicol by Streptomyces coelicor Muller. Addition of chloramphenicol (100~500 mcg/ml) to cultures of S. coelicolor grown