] - 1( 5 CARBON' METABOLISM HI 



steroids have been identified (522, 524, 526), but most of the pathway 

 of steroid oxidation is unknown. 



Specific microbiological transformations of steroids, i.e., reactions at 

 single specific points on particular steroid molecules, have been studied 

 extensivelv, first with bacteria and yeast (364. 532), later with actino- 

 mvcetes (271, 329, 330, 555) and fungi (423). The pharmacological 

 importance of these processes has stimulated since 1952 a very large 

 volume of experimental work, for which the fungi and actinomycetes 

 have been the best material. The known processes mav be classified 

 as follows ^557): 



1. H\droxylations, specific introduction of the — OH group. Ex- 

 amples are shown in Table 2: it will be noted that among the most 

 frequent positions of attachment are 6/?, 11a, 11/3, and 17a. 



Table 2. The Hvdroxvlation of Steroids by Fungi and Actinomycetes* 



Or^anU::. Steroid Position Hydroxylatedf 



rgillus spp. 68, 11a, 17a, 21 

 -halothecium roseum -". 11a, la 



Colletotrichum antirrhini 15a 



Coniothyrium sp. 11.8 



Cunninghamella blakesleeana 118 



Curvularia spp. "a, 88 (?), 11/3, 14a 



Dactylium dendroid, I Ha, l~a 



Didymella todakii 16a 



Gibberella baccata 15a 



Hdicostylum piriform 68, 8£, 11a, 14a 



Lenzites abietina 6,8, 150 



Mucor spp. 68, 88 (?), 14a 



X-rurospora crassa 38 or 9a 



Ophiobolus herpoirk 21 



Pinicillium spp. § 11a 



Peziza spp. a 

 Phycomyces blakesleeanus :■ 15/3 



ProactinomyccS roseus $ 



Rhizopus spp. 68, 7/3, 8|, 11a 



".ptomyces spp. 68, 8£ or 9| (?), 118, 16a 



Trichotfucium roseum 68, 17a 



* Except as noted, from Wettstein (557). A more complete list appears in the 

 review of Eppstein et al. (182a). 



f The specific compounds attacked, and often the yield of product, are given 

 in the original papers cited by Wettstein (557). 



| Dulaney et al. (1~3). 



5 Dulaney et al. (172). 



