Isolation, Physico-chemical Properties, and Biological Activity of New Thiopeptide Antibiotics, Kimorexins

An isolate 90-GT-302, identified as Kitasatosporia kimorexae, was found to produce antibiotics that induce mycelial swelling in Magnaporthe grisea, and Fusarium solani. The strain produced at least 5 antibiotics. Among them, the main active compound designated as kimorexin A was isolated and its physico-chemical properties and biological activities were examined, and as a result was found to be of the thiopeptide antibiotic. A comparison between the properties of kimorexin A and those of the known thiopeptide antibiotics led us to conclude that kimorexin A was a new thiopeptide polythiazolyl antibiotic. Kimorexin A showed a narrow antimicrobial spectrum against very limited genus of phytopathogenic fungi. It prevented host plants from infections of Rhizoctonia solani and absolute parasitic fungi, such as Sphaerotheca fuliginea and Puccinia recondita, almost completely at the treatment concentration of approximately 20 ppm.