Isolation and Identification of a Myxobacterium Producing Myxothiazol and Althiomycin from Iran Soil

Myxobacteria are soil bacteria that move by gliding and have an astonishing life cycle culminating in fruiting body formation. The myxobacterial strain no.118 was isolated from unexplored soil of Koohrang County, Chaharmahal-o-Bakhtiari Province and tested for potential antimicrobial activity against various human pathogens. On the basis of results, strain 118 significantly inhibited growth of E. coli andM. luteus therefore was used for further characterization. Analysis of morphological, biochemical and 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that this strain belongs to the genus Myxococcus. In addition, neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree confirmed the relationships of this strain to other members of Myxococcus genera. In order to explore the potential bioactivities, extract of the fermented broth culture was prepared with organic solvent extraction method. The methanol extract was subjected to HPLC fractionation against sensitive pathogens. LC/MS analysis resulted in the identification of Myxothiazol and Althiomycinantibiotics in methanol extract of the strain no. 118.