Myomycin, a new antibiotic.

From a soil-screening program in our laboratories an organism belonging to the Nocardia genus was discovered which produces a novel, broad-spectrum antibiotic. This compound, which we have named myomycin, is an unusual member of the large family of water soluble, basic (WSB) antibiotics that are derivatives of cyclohexane polyols. Manyof these WSBantibiotics are glycosides of aminocyclitols such as streptamine and 2-deoxystreptamine. However, to date, only one WSB antibiotic (kasugamycin,15 which contains d-inositol) has been reported to contain an inositol moiety, i.e., a cyclitol in which nitrogen is not directly attached to the cyclohexane ring. Myomycinwas found to be a derivative of rajtf-inositol and thus it represents a new example ofa WSBcyclitol antibiotic.**