Retamycin is an anthracyclinic antitumoral complex produced by Streptomyces olindensis ICB20. In this work the influence of different glucose concentrations in the feed medium on the production of retamycin was studied. Chemostat cultures employing glucose concentration varying between 10 g/L and 25 g/L showed that use of high glucose concentration resulted in catabolite repression of the biosynthesis of the antitumoral. The highest specific retamycin production rate, qRTM = 7.8 mg/g.h, was obtained when glucose concentration was 10 g/L. The lowest value of qRTM, 2.5 mg/g.h, was observed when glucose concentration was 20 and 25 g/L. The residual glucose concentration varied from 0 to 13 g/L, as the glucose concentration in the feed was increased from 10 to 25 g/L.
Streptomyces; anthracyclines; carbon catabolite repression
