• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.5-8
• /
• 1999

We isolated a sphingonyelinase (SMase) inhibitor, which would be a potential reagent to regulate cell proliferation, oncogenesis, and inflammation, from a strain of Streptomyces sp.. In this paper, we report the optimal conditions for the production of SMase inhibitor, designed as sphinin, from Streptomyces sp. F50970. The optimal carbon and nitrogen source were 1% soluble starch and 0.05%-0.15% trypton. Most of monosaccharides and high concentration of soluble starch above 1.0% caused falling of pH and sphinin production. Zn2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Mn2+, and Co2+inhibited cell growth and the production of sphinin. Inorganic phosphate promoted the sphinin production. Optimal initial pH for the production of sphinin was 7.5-8.0. Addition of CaCO3 to the medium resulted in an increase of inhibitor production. Based on these results, we designed a fermentation medium for the production of a SMase inhibitor, sphinin, from Streptomyces sp. F50970.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.9 no.5
• /
• pp.655-660
• /
• 1999

Sphingomyelinase (SMase EC:3.l.4.l2) has been suggested to play important roles in the cell cycle, differentiation, apoptosis, inflammation, and the regulation of eukaryotic stress responses. SMase inhibitors may be a powerful tool to elucidate and regulate these cellular responses in which SMase involves. We first isolated an SMase inhibitor, named sphinin, from a strain of soil actinomycetes, F50970. Sphinin inhibited Mg/sup 2+/ -dependent neutral SMase from chicken embryo at 1.2 ㎍/㎖ of IC/sub 50/ Sphinin also inhibited acidic SMase, but it had no inhibitory activity on PI-PLC and PC-PLC, suggesting that sphinin is a specific inhibitor of SMase. The strain F50970 was identified as a Streptomyces sp. by its spiral spore chain, LL-diaminopimelic acid, menaquinone patterns of MK-9 (H'6) and MK-9 (H'8), FA-2c type of fatty acid pattern, and other morphological, physiological, and cultural characteristics.