BIOCHEMISTRY OF THE USTILAGINALES: I. PRELIMINARY CULTURAL STUDIES OF USTILAGO ZEAE

Abstract

A program of screening a wide range of fungi for ability to "ferment" glucose and various agricultural wastes and surpluses in submerged culture revealed that species of Ustilago were capable of rapid dissimilation of carbohydrates with the production of (1) a complex substance appearing as long needlelike optically active crystals in the culture mixture, (2) fats and sterols, and (3) a range of new antibiotic substances designated as Ustizeain A, B, etc. The yields of (1) and (2) are closely related and together they constitute the major portion of the by-products of metabolism of the smut. The antibiotics (3) are stable and effective in vitro against Gram-positive bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis and Mycobacterium smegmatis; against Gram-negative Brucella bronchiseptica; and against many fungi including species of Aspergillus niger and A. flavus groups, certain penicillia, Verticillium, and many other Fungi Imperfecti.