A new approach to studying ion uptake by actinomycetes

Genome based characterization of Kitasatospora sp. MMS16-BH015, a multiple heavy metal resistant soil actinobacterium with high antimicrobial potential

An actinobacterial strain designated Kitasatospora sp. MMS16-BH015, exhibiting high level of heavy metal resistance, was isolated from soil of an abandoned metal mining site, and its potential for metal resistance and secondary metabolite production was studied. The strain was resistant to multiple heavy metals including zinc (up to 100 mM), nickel (up to 2 mM) and copper (up to 0.8 mM), and also showed antimicrobial potential against a broad group of microorganisms, in particular filamentous fungi. The genome of strain MMS16-BH015 was 8.96 Mbp in size with a G + C content of 72.7%, and contained 7270 protein-coding genes and 107 tRNA/rRNA genes. The genome analysis revealed presence of at least 121 metal resistance related genes, which was prominently higher in strain MMS16-BH015 compared to other genomes of Kitasatospora. The genes included those for proteins representing various families involved in the transport of heavy metals, for example dipeptide transport ATP-binding proteins, high-affinity nickel transport proteins, and P-type heavy metal-transporting ATPases. Additionally, 43 biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) for secondary metabolites, enriched with those for non-ribosomal peptides, were detected in this multiple heavy metal resistant actinobacterium, which was again the highest among the compared genomes of Kitasatospora. The pan-genome analysis also identified higher numbers of unique genes related to secondary metabolite production and metal resistance mechanism in strain MMS16-BH015. A high level of correlation between the biosynthetic potential and heavy metal resistance could be observed, thus indicating that heavy metal resistant actinobacteria can be a promising source of bioactive compounds.

Resistance to and accumulation of heavy metals by actinobacteria isolated from abandoned mining areas

Accumulation of high concentrations of heavy metals in environments can cause many human health risks and serious ecological problems. Nowadays, bioremediation using microorganisms is receiving much attention due to their good performance. The aim of this work is to investigate heavy metals resistance and bioaccumulation potential of actinobacteria strains isolated from some abandoned mining areas. Analysis of mining residues revealed that high concentration of zinc “Zn” was recorded in Sidi Bouatman, Arbar, and Bir Nhass mining residues. The highest concentration of lead “Pb” was found in Sidi Bouatman. Copper “Cu,” cadmium “Cd,” and chromium “Cr” were found with moderate and low concentrations. The resistance of 59 isolated actinobacteria to the five heavy metals was also determined. Using molecular identification 16S rRNA, these 27 isolates were found to belong to Streptomyces and Amycolatopsis genera. The results showed different levels of heavy metal resistance; the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) recorded was 0.55 for Pb, 0.15 for Cr, and 0.10 mg·mL⁻¹ for both Zn and Cu. Chemical precipitation assay of heavy metals using hydrogen sulfide technic (H2S) revealed that only 27 isolates have a strong ability to accumulate Pb (up to 600 mg of Pb per g of biomass for Streptomyces sp. BN3).

Tetroazolemycins A and B, two new oxazole-thiazole siderophores from deep-sea Streptomyces olivaceus FXJ8.012

Two new oxazole/thiazole derivatives, named tetroazolemycins A (1) and B (2), have been isolated from the acetone extract of the mycelium of Streptomyces olivaceus FXJ8.012 derived from deep-sea water, together with three known compounds, spoxazomicins A–C (3–5), isolated from the fermentation supernatant. The planar structure and relative configuration of tetroazolemycins were elucidated by a combination of spectroscopic analyses, including 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques, and showed to be new pyochelin-type antibiotics. Both compounds showed metal ion-binding activity and their Zn²⁺ complexes exhibited weak activity against pathogenic bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae.