Copy number mutants of the broad-host-range Streptomyces plasmid pMG200

A beta-lysine adenylating enzyme and a beta-lysine binding protein involved in poly beta-lysine chain assembly in nourseothricin synthesis in Streptomyces noursei

Nourseothricins (syn. Streptothricins), a group of nucleoside peptides produced by several streptomycete strains, contain a poly beta-lysine chain of variable length attached in amide linkage to the amino sugar moiety gulosamine of the nucleoside portion. We show that the nourseothricin-producing Streptomyces noursei contains an enzyme (NpsA) of an apparent M(r) 56,000 that specifically activates beta-lysine by adenylation but does not bind to it as a thioester. Cloning and sequencing of npsA from S. noursei including its flanking DNA regions revealed that it is closely linked to the nourseothricin resistance gene nat1 and some other genes on the chromosome possibly involved in nourseothricin biosynthesis. The deduced amino-acid sequence revealed that NpsA is a stand-alone adenylation domain with similarity to the adenylation domains of nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS). Further analysis revealed that S. noursei contains a beta-lysine binding enzyme (NpsB) of about M(r) 64,100 which can be loaded by NpsA with beta-lysine as a thioester. Analysis of the deduced amino-acid sequence from the gene (npsB) of NpsB showed that it consists of two domains. The N-terminal domain of approximately 100 amino-acid residues has high similarity to PCP domains of NRPSs whereas the 450-amino-acid C-terminal domain has a high similarity to epimerization (E)-domains of NRPSs. Remarkably, in this E-domain the conserved H-H-motif is changed to H-Q, which suggests that either the domain is nonfunctional or has a specialized function. The presence of one single adenylating beta-lysine activating enzyme in nourseothricin-producing streptomycete and a separate binding protein suggests an iteratively operating NRPS-module catalyses synthesis of the poly beta-lysine chain.

Analysis of the nourseothricin-resistance gene (nat) of Streptomyces noursei

A gene (nat) conferring resistance to the streptothricin antibiotic nourseothricin (Nc) was cloned from the producer Streptomyces noursei into Streptomyces lividans on the vector pIJ702 to form pNAT1. The nat gene was localized on a 1-kb SalI-MboI fragment, which also carries the nat promoter. Divergent promoter activity from the nat promoter region was identified on the cloned fragment using promoter probe plasmids pIJ486 and pIJ487. The nat gene is not expressed from its own promoter in Escherichia coli as shown by its failure to promote cat expression in promoter-less plasmid pBB100 and by the expression of NcR in only one orientation, when cloned in pUC19. In S. lividans 7A, harbouring plasmid pNAT1, an Nc-acetylating activity (NAT) was associated with the cloned resistance gene. The substrate specificity of NAT correlated well with the substrate range of the acetyltransferase in S. noursei and Tn1825-determined streptothricin resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, an extract of S. lividans carrying pNAT1 showed specific serological cross-reactivity with an extract of E. coli carrying Tn1825.

Characterization of the incompatibility region of Streptomyces plasmid pSL1

The incompatibility region of the Streptomyces plasmid pSL1 was identified as a 240-bp segment, though some other function from the vector plasmid was also necessary. A 540-bp fragment including the 240-bp region was enough for full expression of incompatibility. Inserted mutation analysis led to a more detailed location of the region essential for replication.