Influence of the composition of the medium and the duration of cultivation on the growth of Actinomyces spheroides and their biosynthesis of intracellular proteases and novobiocin

: The growth of Actinomyces spheroides 35 under different conditions and the biosynthesis of biomass, proteases and the antibiotic were studied with two types of growth medium: a control one and an optimized one. The rate of biomass accumulation was by 5--7 per cent higher on the latter medium than on the former one. The dynamics of accumulation was studied with novobiocin and proteases which hydrolyzed fibrin and casein. Fibrin hydrolyzing proteases were found to be synthesized under conditions that were unfavourable for the production of novobiocin. If the production of the antibiotic was supressed, the concentration of fibrinolytic proteases in the cultural broth increased almost proportionally. Such a relation has not been found for caseinolytic proteases.