39^ Polypeptides and Related Compounds 



The bacitracins, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1957, pp. 

 1-30. (A review which also covers the earlier work) 



815 Subtilin, amorphous white powder, [a],,-' —29° to —35° 



Subtilin is a basic polypeptide, molecular weight 3188, 

 which yields 11 common amino acids, lanthionine: 



HOOC— CH— CH2— S— CH.— CH— COOH 

 NH.> NH^ 



and a new S-amino acid, probably yS-methyllanthionine : 

 (0 CH3(d) 



HOOC— CH— CH.— S— CH— CH— COOH 

 NH. NH., 



The common amino acids identified are: glycine, ala- 

 nine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, proline, phenylalanine, 

 tryptophan, lysine, asparagine and glutamic acid. 

 Bacillus subtilis 



Eugene F. Jansen and Doris J. Hirschmann, Arch. Biochem 

 4 297 (1944). 



A. J. Salle and Gregory J. Jann, Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. 60 60 

 (1945). 



W. Steenken, Jr. and E. Wolinsky, /. Bad. 57 453 (1949). 



J. C. Lewis and N. S. Snell, /. Am. Chem. Soc. 73 4812 

 (1951). 



Gordon Alderton, ibid. 75 2391 (1953). 



Nisins, nearly white needles. 



Consist of four active cyclic polypeptides. All contain 

 lanthionine and yS-methyllanthionine. These amino acids 

 also occur in the antibiotics, subtilin, cinnamycin and 

 duramycin. 



816, 817, 818 Nisins A, B and C contain leucine and/or isoleucine, val- 

 ine, alanine, glycine, proline, aspartic acid, histidine, 

 lysine and methionine. 



819 Nisin D contains glutamic acid, but no valine or methionine. 



Nisin A has a molecular weight of --7000 and also 

 I contains serine. 



I Streptococcus lactis, S. cremoris 



N. J. Berridge, G. G. F. Newton and E. P. Abraham, 

 Biochem. J. 52 529 (1952). 

 I G. G. F. Newton and E. P. Abraham, Nature 171 606 (1953). 



