Streptomyces longisporus ruber

Prodigiosins.—The tripyrrole skeleton found in prodigiosin (202), produced by Serratia marescens, is also found in (203) and (204), produced by Streptomyces longisporus ruber. As a result of feeding experiments with C-labelled precursors a unique pathway to (202) was revealed, for which the building blocks are acetate, alanine, serine, and proline. Similar experiments in S. longisporus ruber have indicated clearly that the pathway used for the elaboration of (203) and (204) in vivo is closely related to that which affords (202). 

Metacycloprodigiosin is a red pigment from Streptomyces longisporus ruber. 

Wasserman, H. H., j. Keggi, F. Bohlmann u. W. Luders Struktur eines prodigio-sin-ahnlichen Pilzfarbstoffs aus Streptomyces longisporus ruber. Angew. Chem. 72, 779 (1960a). 

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