Genetic regulation of secondary metabolic pathways in Streptomyces

Microbial secondary metabolism: a new theoretical frontier for academia, a new opportunity for industry

Microbial secondary metabolites are the low molecular mass products of secondary metabolism. They include antibiotics, pigments, toxins, effectors of ecological competition and symbiosis, pheromones, enzyme inhibitors, immunomodulating agents, receptor antagonists and agonists, pesticides, antitumour agents and growth promoters of animals and plants. They have a major effect on the health, nutrition and economics of our society. They have unusual structures and their formation is regulated by nutrients, growth rate, feedback control, enzyme inactivation and induction. Regulation is influenced by unique low molecular mass compounds, transfer RNA, sigma factors and gene products formed during post-exponential development. The synthases of secondary metabolism are often coded by clustered genes on chromosomal DNA and infrequently on plasmid DNA. The pathways of secondary metabolism are still not understood to a great degree and thus provide a new frontier for basic investigations of enzymology, control and differentiation. Cloning and expression of genes in industrial microorganisms offer new opportunities for strain improvement and discovery. Microbial metabolites have already established themselves as coccidiostats, immunosuppressants, antihelminthic agents, herbicides and cholesterol-reducing drugs. Great potential exists for the discovery of antiviral, antiparasitic, antitumour and pharmacological compounds and new agricultural products. The future for natural products is bright indeed.

Interspecies DNA microarray analysis identifies WblA as a pleiotropic down-regulator of antibiotic biosynthesis in Streptomyces

Using Streptomyces coelicolor microarrays to discover regulators of gene expression in other Streptomyces species, we identified wblA, a whiB-like gene encoding a putative transcription factor, as a down-regulator of doxorubicin biosynthesis in Streptomyces peucetius. Further analysis revealed that wblA functions pleiotropically to control antibiotic production and morphological differentiation in streptomycetes. Our results reveal a novel biological role for wblA and show the utility of interspecies microarray analysis for the investigation of streptomycete gene expression.

Recruitment of terminal protein to the ends of Streptomyces linear plasmids and chromosomes by a novel telomere-binding protein essential for linear DNA replication

Bidirectional replication of Streptomyces linear plasmids and chromosomes from a central origin produces unpaired 3'-leading-strand overhangs at the telomeres of replication intermediates. Filling in of these overhangs leaves a terminal protein attached covalently to the 5' DNA ends of mature replicons. We report here the essential role of a novel 80-kD DNA-binding protein (telomere-associated protein, Tap) in this process. Biochemical studies, yeast two-hybrid analysis, and immunoprecipitation/immunodepletion experiments indicate that Tap binds tightly to specific sequences in 3' overhangs and also interacts with Tpg, bringing Tpg to telomere termini. Using DNA microarrays to analyze the chromosomes of tap mutant bacteria, we demonstrate that survivors of Tap ablation undergo telomere deletion, chromosome circularization, and amplification of subtelomeric DNA. Microarray-based chromosome mapping at single-ORF resolution revealed common endpoints for independent deletions, identified amplified chromosomal ORFs adjacent to these endpoints, and quantified the copy number of these ORFs. Sequence analysis confirmed chromosome circularization and revealed the insertion of adventitious DNA between joined chromosome ends. Our results show that Tap is required for linear DNA replication in Streptomyces and suggest that it functions to recruit and position Tpg at the telomeres of replication intermediates. They also identify hotspots for the telomeric deletions and subtelomeric DNA amplifications that accompany chromosome circularization.

Production of Bacteriolytic Enzymes by Streptomyces globisporus Regulated by Exogenous Bacterial Cell Walls

Mutanolysin biosynthesis and pigment production in Streptomyces globisporus ATCC 21553 were stimulated by adding bacterial cell walls to the medium. The increased bacteriolytic activity in the supernatant correlated with an increased de novo synthesis of mutanolysin and was between 4- and 20-fold higher than in cultures grown without bacterial cell walls. The increase in mutanolysin synthesis was brought about by enhanced transcription of the mutanolysin gene. The stimulation was only observed in medium which contained dextrin or starch as the carbon source. Glucose abolished the stimulation and also inhibited the low constitutive synthesis of mutanolysin. The induction of lytic activity was observed to require minimally 0.4 mg of bacterial cell walls per ml, whereas 0.6 mg of bacterial cell walls per ml yielded maximal lytic activity. Further supplements of bacterial cell walls did not result in enhanced lytic activity. The stimulation could be achieved independently of the phase of growth of the Streptomyces strain. Cultures grown in the presence of bacterial cell walls exhibited a higher growth yield. However, the accelerated growth was not the reason for the increased amount of mutanolysin produced. The growth of cultures with peptidoglycan monomers added to the medium instead of cell walls was similarly increased, but an effect on the biosynthesis of mutanolysin was not observed. All bacterial cell walls tested were capable of eliciting the stimulation of lytic activity, including cell walls of archaea, which contained pseudomurein.