Fatty acid composition of Streptomyces hygroscopicus strains producing antibiotics.

The fatty acid composition from mycelia of Streptomyces hygroscopicus strains was studied. A significant proportion of C18:2 was found in cultures. High levels of C16:0, iso-C18:0 and C18:1 were also detected in all S. hygroscopicus strains. The different representatives of S. hygroscopicus had almost the same proportion of unsaturated fatty acids. Certain shifts in the amount of iso, anteiso and straight-chain fatty acids in some cultures were revealed. This might be explained by the adaptation capability of strains belonging to one species to form a variety of available fatty acids determined by particular cell membrane composition favouring certain antibiotic biosynthesis.