Studies on the biosynthesis of bialaphos (SF-1293) Part 3. Production of phosphinic acid derivatives, MP-103, MP-104 and MP-105, by a blocked mutant of Streptomyces hygroscopicus SF-1293 and their roles in the biosynthesis of bialaphos.

During biosynthetic studies on bialaphos to reveal the formation mechanisms of carbon-phosphorous bonds in detail, three new metabolites containing a H-P-C bond structure were isolated from the fermentation broth of a mutant of Streptomyces hygroscopicus SF-1293. Based on the spectroscopic analysis, the structures of these compounds have been determined as shown in Fig. 1. Transformation experiments of these metabolites to bialaphos suggested that the reduction of the phosphorous atom in phosphate will take place at an early biosynthetic stage.