Penicillium notatum Westling

From fermentation solutions of Penicillium notatum Westling or Penicillium chrysogenum Thom by addition of phenylacetic acid as precursor. 

Compounds containing the isocyano group have fascinated natural products chemists ever since the first isocyanide xanthocillin was isolated from the fungus Penicillium notatum Westling in 1950 [1]. The existence of sesquiterpene isocyanides was first reported from the Mediterranean sponge Axinella cannabina in 1973 [2], closely followed by sesquiterpene isocyanides from the Mediterranean sponge Acanthella acuta by Minale et al. [3] and the Hawaiian sponge Halichondria sp. by Scheuer et al. [4]. These early reports also documented the presence of isothiocyanate [2] and formamide [4] functionality attached to the same carbon nucleus as the... 

Fig. 1. Concentration of xanthocillin in cultures of Penicillium notatum Westling...

For the fermentation of Penicillium notatum Westling a medium according to Czapek-Dox with some yeast extract added has been found suitable (Rothe, 1953) The cultivation is performed on rotatory shakers at 23—25 C. Synthesis of xanthocillin starts approximately 4 days after inocculation and increases as shown in Fig. 1. Obviously there is some relation between the observation of autolysis in the mycelium and the increase in the formation of xanthocillin. On approximately the 9 day the concentration of xanthocillin reaches its climax. Yields above 1 mg antibiotic per milliliter of fermentation broth are possible. 

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