Genetics of antibiotic production.

INTRODUCTION .............................................................. 596 INCIDENCE OF ANTIBIOTIC PRODUCTION ............ .. ................... 596 General...................................................................... 596 Fungi........................................................................ 597 Actinomycetes ............................................................... 597 Eubacteria .................................................................. 598 GENETIC SYSTEMS AVAILABLE IN ANTIBIOTIC-PRODUCING MICROORGANISMS ............................................................... 598 General..................................................................... 598 Fungi........................................................................ 599 Actinomycetes ............................................................... 601 Transformation in Thermoactinomyces ......... ............................. 601 Conjugation in other genera ................................................ 601 Conjugation and its consequences in Streptomyces ....... .................... 602 Linkage analysis in Streptomyces ........... ................................ 602 Heteroclones in Streptomyces ............ .................................. 604 Heterokaryons in Streptomyces ........... .................................. 604 Plasmids in Streptomyces ............... ................................... 605 Interspecific recombination in Streptomyces ........ ......................... 605 Recombination in N. mediterranei .......... ................................ 605 Recombination in Micromonospora .......... ................................ 605 Recombination by protoplast fusion......................................... 605 Eubacteria.................................................................. 605 SOME REMARKS ON THE PHYSIOLOGY OF ANTIBIOTIC PRODUCTION ... 606 Primary and Secondary Metabolites .......... ................................ 606 Regulation of Secondary Metabolic Pathways .................................. 606 Pleiotropic Effects of Mutations on Antibiotic Production ........ .............. 607 The Adaptive Significance of Antibiotics ................ ...................... 607 "Low Specificity" of Secondary Metabolic Enzymes ........ ................... 607 Chemical Classes of Antibiotics ............................................... 608 Why "Biogenesis"?.................................................. 608 MUTATIONAL STUDIES OF ANTIBIOTIC SYNTHESIS ......... .............. 608 Fungi....................................................................... 608 P. chrysogenum ..................... ............................ 608 A. nidulans ................................................ 610 C. acremonium ................... .............................. 611 P. griseofulvum ..................... ............................ 613 P. patulum ............. .................................... 614 0. mucida ............. .................................... 614 Actinomycetes .................................................. 614 Tetracyclines.............................................................. 614 Macrolides ............. .................................... 615 Aminocyclitols (aminoglycosides)........................................... 615 Novobiocin ............. .................................... 616 Rifamycins .................................................. 616 Actinorhodin ................ ................................. 616 Zorbamycin, etc .................................................. 617 Plasmid involvement in antibiotic synthesis ........... ...................... 617 Eubacteria ........... ...................................... 619 Peptide antibiotics of bacilli ................................................ 619 Butirosin................................................... 619 Nisin.................................................. 619 Prodigiosin .................................................. 620 QUANTITATIVE GENETICS OF ANTIBIOTIC PRODUCTION ...... ........... 620 General Principles of Polygenic Control of Quantitative Characters ..... ....... 620