A finely balanced order-disorder equilibrium sculpts the folding-binding landscape of an antibiotic sequestering protein

TipA, a MerR family transcription factor from Streptomyces lividans, promotes antibiotic resistance by sequestering broad-spectrum thiopeptide-based antibiotics, thus counteracting their inhibitory effect on ribosomes. TipAS, a minimal binding motif which is expressed as an isoform of TipA, harbors a partially disordered N-terminal subdomain that folds upon binding multiple antibiotics. The extent and nature of the underlying molecular heterogeneity in TipAS that shapes its promiscuous folding-function landscape is an open question and is critical for understanding antibiotic-sequestration mechanisms. Here, combining equilibrium and time-resolved experiments, statistical modeling, and simulations, we show that the TipAS native ensemble exhibits a pre-equilibrium between binding-incompetent and binding-competent substates, with the fully folded state appearing only as an excited state under physiological conditions. The binding-competent state characterized by a partially structured N-terminal subdomain loses structure progressively in the physiological range of temperatures, swells on temperature increase, and displays slow conformational exchange across multiple conformations. Binding to the bactericidal antibiotic thiostrepton follows a combination of induced-fit and conformational-selection-like mechanisms, via partial binding and concomitant stabilization of the binding-competent substate. These ensemble features are evolutionarily conserved across orthologs from select bacteria that infect humans, underscoring the functional role of partial disorder in the native ensemble of antibiotic-sequestering proteins belonging to the MerR family.

Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescent methodologies to characterize the conformational landscape of the selectivity filter of K+ channels

A variety of equilibrium and non-equilibrium methods have been used in a multidisciplinary approach to study the conformational landscape associated with the binding of different cations to the pore of potassium channels. These binding processes, and the conformational changes resulting therefrom, modulate the functional properties of such integral membrane properties, revealing these permeant and blocking cations as true effectors of such integral membrane proteins. KcsA, a prototypic K+ channel from Streptomyces lividans, has been extensively characterized in this regard. Here, we revise several fluorescence-based approaches to monitor cation binding under different experimental conditions in diluted samples, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. These studies have contributed to explain the selectivity, conduction, and inactivation properties of K+ channels at the molecular level, together with the allosteric communication between the two gates that control the ion channel flux, and how they are modulated by lipids.

CslA and GlxA from Streptomyces lividans form a functional cellulose synthase complex

Filamentous growth of streptomycetes coincides with the synthesis and deposition of an uncharacterized protective glucan at hyphal tips. Synthesis of this glucan depends on the integral membrane protein CslA and the radical copper oxidase GlxA, which are part of a presumably large multiprotein complex operating at growing tips. Here, we show that CslA and GlxA interact by forming a protein complex that is sufficient to synthesize cellulose in vitro. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the purified complex produces cellulose chains with a degree of polymerization of at least 80 residues. Truncation analyses demonstrated that the removal of a significant extracellular segment of GlxA had no impact on complex formation, but significantly diminished activity of CslA. Altogether, our work demonstrates that CslA and GlxA form the active core of the cellulose synthase complex and provide molecular insights into a unique cellulose biosynthesis system that is conserved in streptomycetes.

IMPORTANCE

Cellulose stands out as the most abundant polysaccharide on Earth. While the synthesis of this polysaccharide has been extensively studied in plants and Gram-negative bacteria, the mechanisms in Gram-positive bacteria have remained largely unknown. Our research unveils a novel cellulose synthase complex formed by the interaction between the cellulose synthase-like protein CslA and the radical copper oxidase GlxA from Streptomyces lividans, a soil-dwelling Gram-positive bacterium. This discovery provides molecular insights into the distinctive cellulose biosynthesis machinery. Beyond expanding our understanding of cellulose biosynthesis, this study also opens avenues for exploring biotechnological applications and ecological roles of cellulose in Gram-positive bacteria, thereby contributing to the broader field of microbial cellulose biosynthesis and biofilm research.

From waste to health-supporting molecules: biosynthesis of natural products from lignin-, plastic- and seaweed-based monomers using metabolically engineered Streptomyces lividans

BACKGROUND

Transforming waste and nonfood materials into bulk biofuels and chemicals represents a major stride in creating a sustainable bioindustry to optimize the use of resources while reducing environmental footprint. However, despite these advancements, the production of high-value natural products often continues to depend on the use of first-generation substrates, underscoring the intricate processes and specific requirements of their biosyntheses. This is also true for Streptomyces lividans, a renowned host organism celebrated for its capacity to produce a wide array of natural products, which is attributed to its genetic versatility and potent secondary metabolic activity. Given this context, it becomes imperative to assess and optimize this microorganism for the synthesis of natural products specifically from waste and nonfood substrates.

RESULTS

We metabolically engineered S. lividans to heterologously produce the ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptide bottromycin, as well as the polyketide pamamycin. The modified strains successfully produced these compounds using waste and nonfood model substrates such as protocatechuate (derived from lignin), 4-hydroxybenzoate (sourced from plastic waste), and mannitol (from seaweed). Comprehensive transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses offered insights into how these substrates influenced the cellular metabolism of S. lividans. In terms of production efficiency, S. lividans showed remarkable tolerance, especially in a fed-batch process using a mineral medium containing the toxic aromatic 4-hydroxybenzoate, which led to enhanced and highly selective bottromycin production. Additionally, the strain generated a unique spectrum of pamamycins when cultured in mannitol-rich seaweed extract with no additional nutrients.

CONCLUSION

Our study showcases the successful production of high-value natural products based on the use of varied waste and nonfood raw materials, circumventing the reliance on costly, food-competing resources. S. lividans exhibited remarkable adaptability and resilience when grown on these diverse substrates. When cultured on aromatic compounds, it displayed a distinct array of intracellular CoA esters, presenting promising avenues for polyketide production. Future research could be focused on enhancing S. lividans substrate utilization pathways to process the intricate mixtures commonly found in waste and nonfood sources more efficiently.

Novel aminoacylases from Streptomyces griseus DSM 40236 and their recombinant production in Streptomyces lividans

Amino acid-based surfactants are valuable compounds for cosmetic formulations. The chemical synthesis of acyl amino acids is conventionally performed by the Schotten-Baumann reaction using fatty acyl chlorides, but aminoacylases have also been investigated for use in biocatalytic synthesis with free fatty acids. Aminoacylases and their properties are diverse; they belong to different peptidase families and show differences in substrate specificity and biocatalytic potential. Bacterial aminoacylases capable of synthesis have been isolated from Burkholderia, Mycolicibacterium, and Streptomyces. Although several proteases and peptidases from S. griseus have been described, no aminoacylases from this species have been identified yet. In this study, we investigated two novel enzymes produced by S. griseus DSM 40236T . We identified and cloned the respective genes and recombinantly expressed an α-aminoacylase (EC3.5.1.14), designated SgAA, and an ε-lysine acylase (EC3.5.1.17), designated SgELA, in S. lividans TK23. The purified aminoacylase SgAA was biochemically characterized, focusing on its hydrolytic activity to determine temperature- and pH optima and stabilities. The aminoacylase could hydrolyze various acetyl amino acids at the Nα -position with a broad specificity regarding the sidechain. Substrates with longer acyl chains, like lauroyl amino acids, were hydrolyzed to a lesser extent. Purified aminoacylase SgELA specific for the hydrolysis of Nε -acetyl-l-lysine was unstable and lost its enzymatic activity upon storage for a longer period but could initially be characterized. The pH optimum of SgELA was pH 8.0. While synthesis of acyl amino acids was not observed with SgELA, SgAA catalyzed the synthesis of lauroyl-methionine.

Streptomyces lividans 66 produces a protease inhibitor via a tRNA-utilizing enzyme interacting with a C-minus NRPS

Small peptide aldehydes (SPAs) with protease inhibitory activity are naturally occurring compounds shown to be synthesized by non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS). SPAs are widely used in biotechnology and have been utilized as therapeutic agents. They are also physiologically relevant and have been postulated to regulate the development of their producing microorganisms. Previously, we identified an NRPS-like biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) in Streptomyces lividans 66 that lacked a condensation (C) domain but included a tRNA-utilizing enzyme (tRUE) belonging to the leucyl/phenylalanyl (L/F) transferase family. This system was predicted to direct the synthesis of a novel SPA, which we named livipeptin. Using evolutionary genome mining approaches, here, we confirm the presence of L/F transferase tRUEs within the genomes of diverse Streptomyces and related organisms, including fusions with the anticipated C-minus NRPS-like protein. We then demonstrate genetic functional cooperation between the identified L/F-transferase divergent tRUE homolog with the C-minus NRPS, leading to the synthesis of a metabolic fraction with protease inhibitory activity. Semisynthetic assays in the presence of RNAse revealed that the productive interaction between the tRUE and the C-minus NRPS enzymes is indeed tRNA dependent. We expect our findings to boost the discovery of SPAs, as well as the development of protease-mediated biotechnologies, by exploiting the uncovered genetic basis for synthesizing putative acetyl-leu/phe-arginine protease inhibitors. Furthermore, these results will facilitate the purification and structural elucidation of livipeptin, which has proven difficult to chemically characterize.

SIGNIFICANCE

The discovery of natural products biosynthetic genes marks a significant advancement in our understanding of these metabolites, for example of their evolution, activity, and biosynthesis, but also opens biotechnological opportunities and knowledge to advance genome mining approaches. We made this possible by uncovering a new biosynthetic pathway in Streptomyces lividans 66 shown to direct the synthesis of a strong protease inhibitor, termed livipeptin, following unprecedented biosynthetic rules and genes. Thus, by shedding light on the genetic mechanisms predicted to govern the production of acetyl-leu/phe-arginine protease inhibitors, including the elusive livipeptin, this study enables novel protease-mediated biotechnologies as well as approaches for discovering protease inhibitors from genome data.

Cloning and Expression of Metagenomic DNA in Streptomyces lividans and Its Subsequent Fermentation for Optimized Production

The choice of an expression system for the metagenomic DNA of interest is of vital importance for the detection of any particular gene or gene cluster. Most of the screens to date have used the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli as a host for metagenomic gene libraries. However, the use of E. coli introduces a potential host bias since only 40% of the enzymatic activities may be readily recovered by random cloning in E. coli. To recover some of the remaining 60%, alternative cloning hosts such as Streptomyces spp. have been used. Streptomycetes are high-GC Gram-positive bacteria belonging to the Actinomycetales and they have been studied extensively for more than 25 years as an alternative expression system. They are extremely well suited for the expression of DNA from other actinomycetes and genomes of high GC content. Furthermore, due to its high innate, extracellular secretion capacity, Streptomyces can be a better system than E. coli for the production of many extracellular proteins. In this article, an overview is given about the materials and methods for growth and successful expression and secretion of heterologous proteins from diverse origin using Streptomyces lividans as a host. More in detail, an overview is given about the protocols of transformation, type of plasmids used and of vectors useful for integration of DNA into the host chromosome, and accompanying cloning strategies. In addition, various control elements for gene expression including synthetic promoters are discussed, and methods to compare their strength are described. Stable and efficient marker-less integration of the gene of interest under the control of the promoter of choice into S. lividans chromosome via homologous recombination using pAMR23A-based system will be explained. Finally, a basic protocol for bench-top bioreactor experiments which can form the start in the production process optimization and up-scaling will be provided.

Effects of carbon ion beam-induced mutagenesis for the screening of RED production-deficient mutants of Streptomyces coelicolor JCM4020

Streptomyces lividans TK23 interacts with mycolic acid-containing bacteria (MACB), such as Tsukamurella pulmonis TP-B0596, and this direct cell contact activates its secondary metabolism (e.g., the production of undecylprodigiosin: RED). Here, we employed carbon (12C5+) ion beam-induced mutagenesis to investigate the signature of induced point mutations and further identify the gene(s) responsible for the production of secondary metabolites induced by T. pulmonis. We irradiated spores of the Streptomyces coelicolor strain JCM4020 with carbon ions to generate a mutant library. We screened the RED production-deficient mutants of S. coelicolor by mixing them with T. pulmonis TP-B0596 on agar plates, identifying the red/white phenotype of the growing colonies. Through this process, we selected 59 RED-deficient mutants from around 152,000 tested spores. We resequenced the genomes of 16 mutants and identified 44 point mutations, which revealed the signatures induced by 12C5+-irradiation. Via gene complementation experiments, we also revealed that two genes-glutamate synthase (gltB) and elongation factor G (fusA)-are responsible for the reduced production of RED.

Dynamic metabolic modelling of overproduced protein secretion in Streptomyces lividans using adaptive DFBA

BACKGROUND

Streptomyces lividans is an appealing host for the production of proteins of biotechnological interest due to its relaxed exogenous DNA restriction system and its ability to secrete proteins directly to the medium through the major Sec or the minor Tat routes. Often, protein secretion displays non-uniform time-dependent patterns. Understanding the associated metabolic changes is a crucial step to engineer protein production. Dynamic Flux Balance Analysis (DFBA) allows the study of the interactions between a modelled organism and its environment over time. Existing methods allow the specification of initial model and environment conditions, but do not allow introducing arbitrary modifications in the course of the simulation. Living organisms, however, display unexpected adaptive metabolic behaviours in response to unpredictable changes in their environment. Engineering the secretion of products of biotechnological interest has systematically proven especially difficult to model using DFBA. Accurate time-dependent modelling of complex and/or arbitrary, adaptive metabolic processes demands an extended approach to DFBA.

RESULTS

In this work, we introduce Adaptive DFBA, a novel, versatile simulation approach that permits inclusion of changes in the organism or the environment at any time in the simulation, either arbitrary or interactively responsive to environmental changes. This approach extends traditional DFBA to allow steering arbitrarily complex simulations of metabolic dynamics. When applied to Sec- or Tat-dependent secretion of overproduced proteins in S. lividans, Adaptive DFBA can overcome the limitations of traditional DFBA to reproduce experimental data on plasmid-free, plasmid bearing and secretory protein overproducing S. lividans TK24, and can yield useful insights on the behaviour of systems with limited experimental knowledge such as agarase or amylase overproduction in S. lividans TK21.

CONCLUSIONS

Adaptive DFBA has allowed us to overcome DFBA limitations and to generate more accurate models of the metabolism during the overproduction of secretory proteins in S. lividans, improving our understanding of the underlying processes. Adaptive DFBA is versatile enough to permit dynamical metabolic simulations of arbitrarily complex biotechnological processes.

Secretome Dynamics in a Gram-Positive Bacterial Model

Protein secretion is a central biological process in all organisms. Most studies dissecting bacterial secretion mechanisms have focused on Gram-negative cell envelopes such as that of Escherichia coli However, proteomics analyses in Gram negatives is hampered by their outer membrane. Here we studied protein secretion in the Gram-positive bacterium Streptomyces lividans TK24, in which most of the secretome is released in the growth medium. We monitored changes of the secretome as a function of growth phase and medium. We determined distinct protein classes of "house-keeping" secreted proteins that do not change their appearance or abundance in the various media and growth phases. These comprise mainly enzymes involved in cell wall maintenance and basic transport. In addition, we detected significant abundance and content changes to a sub-set of the proteome, as a function of growth in the different media. These did not depend on the media being minimal or rich. Transcriptional regulation but not changes in export machinery components can explain some of these changes. However, additional downstream mechanisms must be important for selective secretome funneling. These observations lay the foundations of using S. lividans as a model organism to study how metabolism is linked to optimal secretion and help develop rational optimization of heterologous protein production.

Accessibility of Cations to the Selectivity Filter of KcsA in the Inactivated State: An Equilibrium Binding Study

Cation binding under equilibrium conditions has been used as a tool to explore the accessibility of permeant and nonpermeant cations to the selectivity filter in three different inactivated models of the potassium channel KcsA. The results show that the stack of ion binding sites (S1 to S4) in the inactivated filter models remain accessible to cations as they are in the resting channel state. The inactivated state of the selectivity filter is therefore “resting-like” under such equilibrium conditions. Nonetheless, quantitative differences in the apparent K_D’s of the binding processes reveal that the affinity for the binding of permeant cations to the inactivated channel models, mainly K⁺, decreases considerably with respect to the resting channel. This is likely to cause a loss of K⁺ from the inactivated filter and consequently, to promote nonconductive conformations. The most affected site by the affinity loss seems to be S4, which is interesting because S4 is the first site to accommodate K⁺ coming from the channel vestibule when K⁺ exits the cell. Moreover, binding of the nonpermeant species, Na⁺, is not substantially affected by inactivation, meaning that the inactivated channels are also less selective for permeant versus nonpermeant cations under equilibrium conditions.

Telomere associated primase Tap repairs truncated telomeres of Streptomyces

Replication of the linear chromosomes of soil bacteria Streptomyces proceeds from an internal origin towards the telomeres, followed by patching of the resulting terminal single-strand overhangs by DNA synthesis using terminal proteins as the primer, which remains covalently bound to the 5΄ ends of the DNA. In most Streptomyces chromosomes, the end patching requires the single-strand overhangs, terminal protein Tpg, and terminal associated protein Tap. The telomere overhangs contain several palindromic sequences capable of forming stable hairpins. Previous in vitro deoxynucleotidylation studies indicated that Tap adds the Palindrome I sequence to Tpg, which is extended by a polymerase to fill the gap. In this study, the stringency of Palindrome I sequence was examined by an in vitro deoxynucleotidylation system and in vivo replication. Several nt in Palindrome I were identified to be critical for priming. While the first 3 G on the template were required for deoxynucleotidylation in vitro, deletions of them could be suppressed by the presence of dGTP. In vivo, deletions of these G were also tolerated, and the telomere sequence was restored in the linear plasmid DNA. Our results indicated that the truncated telomeres were repaired by extension synthesis by Tap on the foldback Palindrome I sequence.

Diversity of family GH46 chitosanases in Kitasatospora setae KM-6054

The genome of Kitasatospora setae KM-6054, a soil actinomycete, has three genes encoding chitosanases belonging to GH46 family. The genes (csn1-3) were cloned in Streptomyces lividans and the corresponding enzymes were purified from the recombinant cultures. The csn2 clone yielded two proteins (Csn2BH and Csn2H) differing by the presence of a carbohydrate-binding domain. Sequence analysis showed that Csn1 and Csn2H were canonical GH46 chitosanases, while Csn3 resembled chitosanases from bacilli. The activity of the four chitosanases was tested in a variety of conditions and on diverse chitosan forms, including highly N-deacetylated chitosan or chitosan complexed with humic or polyphosphoric acid. Kinetic parameters were also determined. These tests unveiled the biochemical diversity among these chitosanases and the peculiarity of Csn3 compared with the other three enzymes. The observed biochemical diversity is discussed based on structural 3D models and sequence alignment. This is a first study of all the GH46 chitosanases produced by a single microbial strain.

In conditions of over-expression, WblI, a WhiB-like transcriptional regulator, has a positive impact on the weak antibiotic production of Streptomyces lividans TK24

Regulators of the WhiB-like (wbl) family are playing important role in the complex regulation of metabolic and morphological differentiation in Streptomyces. In this study, we investigated the role of wblI, a member of this family, in the regulation of secondary metabolite production in Streptomyces lividans. The over-expression of wblI was correlated with an enhanced biosynthesis of undecylprodigiosin and actinorhodin and with a reduction of the biosynthesis of yCPK and of the grey spore pigment encoded by the whiE locus. Five regulatory targets of WblI were identified using in vitro formaldehyde crosslinking and confirmed by EMSA and qRT-PCR. These included the promoter regions of wblI itself, two genes of the ACT cluster (actVA3 and the intergenic region between the divergently orientated genes actII-1 and actII-2) and that of wblA, another member of the Wbl family. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that the expression of actVA3 encoding a protein of unknown function as well as that of actII-1, a TetR regulator repressing the expression of actII-2, encoding the ACT transporter, were down regulated in the WblI over-expressing strain. Consistently the expression of the transporter actII-2 was up-regulated. The expression of WblA, that is known to have a negative impact on ACT biosynthesis, was strongly down regulated in the WblI over-expressing strain. These data are consistent with the positive impact that WblI over-expression has on ACT biosynthesis. The latter might result from direct activation of ACT biosynthesis and export and from repression of the expression of WblA, a likely indirect, repressor of ACT biosynthesis.

Cloning and Expression of Metagenomic DNA in Streptomyces lividans and Subsequent Fermentation for Optimized Production

The choice of an expression system for the metagenomic DNA of interest is of vital importance for the detection of any particular gene or gene cluster. Most of the screens to date have used the gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli as a host for metagenomic gene libraries. However, the use of E. coli introduces a potential host bias since only 40 % of the enzymatic activities may be readily recovered by random cloning in E. coli. To recover some of the remaining 60 %, alternative cloning hosts such as Streptomyces spp. have been used. Streptomycetes are high-GC gram-positive bacteria belonging to the Actinomycetales and they have been studied extensively for more than 15 years as an alternative expression system. They are extremely well suited for the expression of DNA from other actinomycetes and genomes of high GC content. Furthermore, due to its high innate, extracellular secretion capacity, Streptomyces can be a better system than E. coli for the production of many extracellular proteins. In this article an overview is given about the materials and methods for growth and successful expression and secretion of heterologous proteins from diverse origin using Streptomyces lividans has a host. More in detail, an overview is given about the protocols of transformation, type of plasmids used and of vectors useful for integration of DNA into the host chromosome, and accompanying cloning strategies. In addition, various control elements for gene expression including synthetic promoters are discussed, and methods to compare their strength are described. Integration of the gene of interest under the control of the promoter of choice into S. lividans chromosome via homologous recombination using pAMR4-based system is explained. Finally a basic protocol for benchtop bioreactor experiments which can form the start in the production process optimization and upscaling is provided.

The Three Streptomyces lividans HtrA-Like Proteases Involved in the Secretion Stress Response Act in a Cooperative Manner

Overproduction of Sec-proteins in S. lividans accumulates misfolded proteins outside of the cytoplasmic membrane where the accumulated proteins interfere with the correct functioning of the secretion machinery and with the correct cell functionality, triggering the expression in S. lividans of a CssRS two-component system which regulates the degradation of the accumulated protein, the so-called secretion stress response. Optimization of secretory protein production via the Sec route requires the identification and characterisation of quality factors involved in this process. The phosphorylated regulator (CssR) interacts with the regulatory regions of three genes encoding three different HtrA-like proteases. Individual mutations in each of these genes render degradation of the misfolded protein inoperative, and propagation in high copy number of any of the three proteases encoding genes results on indiscriminate alpha-amylase degradation. None of the proteases could complement the other two deficiencies and only propagation of each single copy protease gene can restore its own deficiency. The obtained results strongly suggest that the synthesis of the three HtrA-like proteases needs to be properly balanced to ensure the effective degradation of misfolded overproduced secretory proteins and, at the same time, avoid negative effects in the secreted proteins and the secretion machinery. This is particularly relevant when considering the optimisation of Streptomyces strains for the overproduction of homologous or heterologous secretory proteins of industrial application.

Killing of Mycolic Acid-Containing Bacteria Aborted Induction of Antibiotic Production by Streptomyces in Combined-Culture

Co-culture of Streptomyces with mycolic acid-containing bacteria (MACB), which we termed “combined-culture,” alters the secondary metabolism pattern in Streptomyces and has been a useful method for the discovery of bioactive natural products. In the course of our investigation to identify the inducing factor(s) of MACB, we previously observed that production of pigments in Streptomyces lividans was not induced by factors such as culture extracts or mycolic acids. Although dynamic changes occurred in culture conditions because of MACB, the activation of pigment production by S. lividans was observed in a limited area where both colonies were in direct contact. This suggested that direct attachment of cells is a requirement and that components on the MACB cell membrane may play an important role in the response by S. lividans. Here we examined whether this response was influenced by dead MACB that possess intact mycolic acids assembled on the outer cell membrane. Formaldehyde fixation and γ-irradiation were used to prepare dead cells that retain their shape and mycolic acids of three MACB species: Tsukamurella pulmonis, Rhodococcus erythropolis, and Rhodococcus opacus. Culturing tests verified that S. lividans does not respond to the intact dead cells of three MACB. Observation of combined-culture by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that adhesion of live MACB to S. lividans mycelia were a significant interaction that resulted in formation of co-aggregation. In contrast, in the SEM analysis, dead cells were not observed to adhere. Therefore, direct attachment by live MACB cells is proposed as one of the possible factors that causes Streptomyces to alter its specialized metabolism in combined-culture.

The Cremeomycin Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Encodes a Pathway for Diazo Formation

Diazo groups are found in a range of natural products that possess potent biological activities. Despite longstanding interest in these metabolites, diazo group biosynthesis is not well understood, in part because of difficulties in identifying specific genes linked to diazo formation. Here we describe the discovery of the gene cluster that produces the o-diazoquinone natural product cremeomycin and its heterologous expression in Streptomyces lividans. We used stable isotope feeding experiments and in vitro characterization of biosynthetic enzymes to decipher the order of events in this pathway and establish that diazo construction involves late-stage N-N bond formation. This work represents the first successful production of a diazo-containing metabolite in a heterologous host, experimentally linking a set of genes with diazo formation.

Metabolomics investigation of recombinant mTNFα production in Streptomyces lividans

BACKGROUND

Whilst undergoing differentiation, Streptomyces produce a large quantity of hydrolytic enzymes and secondary metabolites, and it is this very ability that has focussed increasing interest on the use of these bacteria as hosts for the production of various heterologous proteins. However, within this genus, the exploration and understanding of the metabolic burden associated with such bio-products has only just begun. In this study our overall aim was to apply metabolomics approaches as tools to get a glimpse of the metabolic alterations within S. lividans TK24 when this industrially relevant microbe is producing recombinant murine tumour necrosis factor alpha (mTNFα), in comparison to wild type and empty (non-recombinant protein containing) plasmid-carrying strains as controls.

RESULTS

Whilst growth profiles of all strains demonstrated comparable trends, principal component-discriminant function analysis of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectral data, showed clear separation of wild type from empty plasmid and mTNFα-producing strains, throughout the time course of incubation. Analysis of intra- and extra-cellular metabolic profiles using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) displayed similar trends to the FT-IR data. Although the strain carrying the empty plasmid demonstrated metabolic changes due to the maintenance of the plasmid, the metabolic behaviour of the recombinant mTNFα-producing strain appeared to be the most significantly affected. GC-MS results also demonstrated a significant overflow of several organic acids (pyruvate, 2-ketoglutarate and propanoate) and sugars (xylitol, mannose and fructose) in the mTNFα-producing strain.

CONCLUSION

The results obtained in this study have clearly demonstrated the metabolic impacts of producing mTNFα in S. lividans TK24, while displaying profound metabolic effects of harbouring the empty PIJ486 plasmid. In addition, the level of mTNFα produced in this study, further highlights the key role of media composition towards the efficiency of a bioprocess and metabolic behaviour of the host cells, which directly influences the yield of the recombinant product.

Overproduction of a Model Sec- and Tat-Dependent Secretory Protein Elicits Different Cellular Responses in Streptomyces lividans

Streptomyces lividans is considered an efficient host for the secretory production of homologous and heterologous proteins. To identify possible bottlenecks in the protein production process, a comparative transcriptomic approach was adopted to study cellular responses during the overproduction of a Sec-dependent model protein (alpha-amylase) and a Tat-dependent model protein (agarase) in Streptomyces lividans. The overproduction of the model secretory proteins via the Sec or the Tat route in S. lividans does elicit a different major cell response in the bacterium. The stringent response is a bacterial response to nutrients’ depletion, which naturally occurs at late times of the bacterial cell growth. While the induction of the stringent response at the exponential phase of growth may limit overall productivity in the case of the Tat route, the induction of that response does not take place in the case of the Sec route, which comparatively is an advantage in secretory protein production processes. Hence, this study identifies a potential major drawback in the secretory protein production process depending on the secretory route, and provides clues to improving S. lividans as a protein production host.

Phosphate Homeostasis in Conditions of Phosphate Proficiency and Limitation in the Wild Type and the phoP Mutant of Streptomyces lividans

Phosphate, as a constituent of the high energy molecules, ATP/GTP and polyphosphate, plays a crucial role in most of the metabolic processes of living organisms. Therefore, the adaptation to low Pi availability is a major challenge for bacteria. In Streptomyces, this adaptation is tightly controlled by the two component PhoR/PhoP system. In this study, the free intracellular Pi, ATP, ADP and polyP content of the wild type and the phoP mutant strain of S. lividans TK24 were analyzed at discrete time points throughout growth in Pi replete and limited media. PolyP length and content was shown to be directly related to the Pi content of the growth medium. In Pi repletion, ATP and high molecular weight (HMW) polyP contents were higher in the phoP mutant than in the WT strain. This supports the recently proposed repressive effect of PhoP on oxidative phosphorylation. High oxidative phosphorylation activity might also have a direct or indirect positive impact on HMW polyP synthesis. In Pi sufficiency as in Pi limitation, the degradation of these polymers was shown to be clearly delayed in the phoP mutant, indicating PhoP dependent expression of the enzymes involved in this degradation. The efficient storage of Pi as polyphosphate and/or its inefficient degradation in Pi in the phoP mutant resulted in low levels of free Pi and ATP that are likely to be, at least in part, responsible for the very poor growth of this mutant in Pi limitation. Furthermore, short polyP was shown to be present outside the cell, tightly bound to the mycelium via electrostatic interactions involving divalent cations. Less short polyP was found to be associated with the mycelium of the phoP mutant than with that of the WT strain, indicating that generation and externalization of these short polyP molecules was directly or indirectly dependent on PhoP.

4-Vinylphenol biosynthesis from cellulose as the sole carbon source using phenolic acid decarboxylase- and tyrosine ammonia lyase-expressing Streptomyces lividans

Streptomyces lividans was adopted as a host strain for 4-vinylphenol (4VPh) production directly from cellulose. In order to obtain novel phenolic acid decarboxylase (PAD) expressed in S. lividans, PADs distributed among Streptomyces species were screened. Three novel PADs, derived from Streptomycessviceus, Streptomyceshygroscopicus, and Streptomycescattleya, were successfully obtained and expressed in S. lividans. S. sviceus PAD (SsPAD) could convert p-hydroxycinnamic acid (pHCA) to 4VPh more efficiently than the others both in vitro and in vivo. For 4VPh production directly from cellulose, l-tyrosine ammonia lyase derived from Rhodobacter sphaeroides and SsPAD were introduced into endoglucanase-secreting S. lividans, and the 4VPh biosynthetic pathway was constructed therein. The created transformants successfully produced 4VPh directly from cellulose.

Metabolomics of the bio-degradation process of aflatoxin B1 by actinomycetes at an initial pH of 6.0

Contamination of food and feed by Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a cause of serious economic and health problems. Different processes have been used to degrade AFB1. In this study, biological degradation of AFB1 was carried out using three Actinomycete species, Rhodococcus erythropolis ATCC 4277, Streptomyces lividans TK 24, and S. aureofaciens ATCC 10762, in liquid cultures. Biodegradation of AFB1 was optimised under a range of temperatures from 25 to 40 °C and pH values of 4.0 to 8.0. An initial concentration of 20 µg/mL of AFB1 was used in this study. The amount of AFB1 remaining was measured against time by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), coupled with UV and mass spectrometry (LC-MS). All species were able to degrade the AFB1, and no significant difference was found between them. AFB1 remained in the liquid culture for R. erythropolis, S. lividans and S. aureofaciens were 0.81 µg/mL, 2.41 µg/mL and 2.78 µg/mL respectively, at the end of the first 24 h. Degradation occurred at all incubation temperatures and the pH with the optimal conditions for R. erythropolis was achieved at 30 °C and pH 6, whereas for S. lividans and S. aureofaciens the optimum conditions for degradation were 30 °C and pH 5. Analysis of the degradative route indicated that each microorganism has a different way of degrading AFB1. The metabolites produced by R. erythropolis were significantly different from the other two microorganisms. Products of degradation were identified through metabolomic studies by utilizing high-resolution mass spectral data. Mass spectrometric analysis indicated that the degradation of AFB1 was associated with the appearance of a range of lower molecular weight compounds. The pathway of degradation or chemical alteration of AFB1 was followed by means of high resolution Fourier transform mass spectrometry (HR-FTMS) analysis as well as through the MS² fragmentation to unravel the degradative pathway for AFB1. AFB1 bio-degradation was coupled with the accumulation of intermediates of fatty acid metabolism and glycolysis. A plausible mechanism of degradation of AFB1 by Rhodococcus was hypothesized.

[Expression of 4"-O-isovaleryltransferase gene from Streptomyces thermotolerans in Streptomyces lividans TK24]

4"-O-isovaleryltransferase gene (ist) was regulated by positive regulatory genes of midecamycin 4"-O-propionyltransferase gene (mpt) in Streptomyces lividans TK24. A BamH I ~8.0 kb fragment from Streptomyces mycarofaciens 1748 was proved that it contained mpt gene and linked with two positive regulatory genes, orf27 and orf28. Orf of mpt was replaced by orf of ist and linked with two regulatory genes or orf27 single, and individually cloned into the vectors pKC1139 or pWHM3 (high copy number), and then transformed into S. lividans TK24. The levels of mpt and ist expression were evaluated by the bio-tramsformation efficacy of spiramycin into 4"-O-acylspiramycins in these transformants. The results showed that 4"-O-isovalerylspiramycins could be detected only in the transformants containing the plasmids constructed with pWHM3. The efficacy of bio-transformation of the transformants containing two regulatory genes was higher than that of orf27 single. So, the positive regulatory genes system of mpt gene could enhance ist gene expression.

Determinants within the C-terminal domain of Streptomyces lividans acetyl-CoA synthetase that block acetylation of its active site lysine in vitro by the protein acetyltransferase (Pat) enzyme

Reversible lysine acetylation (RLA) is a widespread regulatory mechanism that modulates the function of proteins involved in diverse cellular processes. A strong case has been made for RLA control exerted by homologues of the Salmonella enterica protein acetyltransferase (SePat) enzyme on the broadly distributed AMP-forming CoA ligase (a.k.a. acyl-CoA synthetases) family of metabolic enzymes, with acetyl-CoA synthetase (Acs) being the paradigm in the field. Here we investigate why the Acs homologue in Streptomyces lividans (SlAcs) is poorly acetylated in vitro by the S. lividans protein acetyltransferase (SlPat) enzyme. Chimeras of S. enterica Acs (SeAcs) and S. lividans Acs (SlAcs) constructed during the course of this work were acetylated by SlPatA in vitro, retained most of their activity, and were under RLA control in a heterologous host. We identified SeAcs residues N- and C-terminal to the target lysine that when introduced into SlAcs, rendered the latter under RLA control. These results lend further support to the idea that Pat enzymes interact with extensive surfaces of their substrates. Finally, we suggest that acetylation of SlAcs depends on factors or conditions other than those present in our in vitro system. We also discuss possible explanations why SlAcs is not controlled by RLA as defined in other bacterial species.

Heterologous Mevalonate Production inStreptomyces lividansTK23

Mevalonate is a ubiquitous biosynthetic intermediate of terpenoids and is used as a moisturizer in cosmetics and a chemical for biochemical research. In this study, we have achieved a heterologous production of this useful compound by expression in Streptomyces lividans TK23 of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase genes, which were cloned from Streptomyces sp. strain CL190.

Activation and silencing of secondary metabolites in Streptomyces albus and Streptomyces lividans after transformation with cosmids containing the thienamycin gene cluster from Streptomyces cattleya

Activation and silencing of antibiotic production was achieved in Streptomyces albus J1074 and Streptomyces lividans TK21 after introduction of genes within the thienamycin cluster from S. cattleya. Dramatic phenotypic and metabolic changes, involving activation of multiple silent secondary metabolites and silencing of others normally produced, were found in recombinant strains harbouring the thienamycin cluster in comparison to the parental strains. In S. albus, ultra-performance liquid chromatography purification and NMR structural elucidation revealed the identity of four structurally related activated compounds: the antibiotics paulomycins A, B and the paulomenols A and B. Four volatile compounds whose biosynthesis was switched off were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses and databases comparison as pyrazines; including tetramethylpyrazine, a compound with important clinical applications to our knowledge never reported to be produced by Streptomyces. In addition, this work revealed the potential of S. albus to produce many others secondary metabolites normally obtained from plants, including compounds of medical relevance as dihydro-β-agarofuran and of interest in perfume industry as β-patchoulene, suggesting that it might be an alternative model for their industrial production. In S. lividans, actinorhodins production was strongly activated in the recombinant strains whereas undecylprodigiosins were significantly reduced. Activation of cryptic metabolites in Streptomyces species might represent an alternative approach for pharmaceutical drug discovery.

[Bion-M1. Biological activities of microorganisms under the conditions of a 30-day space flight]

It was stated that spaceflight factors (SFF) affect the chromosomal DNA interchange during Streptomyces crossing. Cross polarity and primary input of a parent chromosome fragment in recombinant generation imply a more lasting cells contact in microgravity and a broader horizontal transport of genetic material. SFF had no effect on recombination frequency and mutation in a model of parental auxotrophic markers reversion to prototrophism. It was demonstrated that SFF boosted the fC31 phage exit from S. lividans 66 (fC31) and did not influence phage induction in S. coelicolor A3(2) (fC31). SFF inhibited synthesis of antiobiotic actinorhodin in lisogenic S. coelicolor A3(2), and tylosin and desmicosin in S. fradiae. Survivability of electrogenic bacteria Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 in space flight was higher compared with the synchronous control experiment. The reduction activity of S. oneidensis MR-1 as an indicator of electron generation effectiveness was identical in flight and laboratory samples.

[Heterologous expression and enzymatic analysis of Streptomyces griseus trypsin in Streptomyces lividans]

Trypsin as an important serine protease has been widely used in food, pharmaceutical and tanning industries. In this study, we successfully expressed trypsin (cloning from Streptomyces griseus ATCC10137) in Streptomyces lividans TK24 and comparatively investigated its enzymatic properties. Specifically, applying S. griseus ATCC 10137 genome as template, we obtained the sprT gene and sub-cloned it into the expression plasmid pIJ86, generating the recombinant strain S. lividans TK24/pIJ86-sprT. When cultivated in R2YE and SELF, the activity of rSGT reached 9.21 U/mL and 8.61 U/mL, respectively. Meanwhile, the results of the enzymatic analysis showed that rSGT exhibited a higher acid tolerance and a higher specificity to hydrolyze amide bonds compared with bovine trypsin (BT). In addition, Zn2+ and organic solvents up-regulated esterase and amidase of rSGT. Taken together, the results obtained herein provide meaningful information for further modification of rSGT and its industrial application.

Acetoacetyl-CoA synthetase activity is controlled by a protein acetyltransferase with unique domain organization in Streptomyces lividans

GCN5-type N-acetyltransferases (GNATs) are enzymes that catalyse the transfer of the acetyl group from acetyl-CoA to a primary amine. GNATs are conserved in all domains of life. Some members of this family of enzymes acetylate the side-chain of specific lysine residues in proteins of diverse function. In bacteria, GNAT-catalysed protein acetylation regulates carbon metabolism, RNA metabolism and transcriptional regulation. Metabolic regulation in Streptomyces species is of interest due to the role of these organisms in natural product synthesis. Here we identify SlPatA, a GNAT in Streptomyces lividans with unique domain organization, and a new acetylation target, namely acetoacetyl-CoA synthetase (SlAacS). The latter has homologues in all domains of life. In vitro and in vivo evidence show that SlAacS is a bona fide acetoacetyl-CoA synthetase. SlPatA acetylates SlAacS more efficiently than it does acetyl-CoA synthetase, an enzyme known to be under acetylation control. SlPatA acetylates SlAacS at the active-site residue Lys617 and acetylation inactivates SlAacS. Acetylated SlAacS was deacetylated by a sirtuin-type protein deacetylase. SlAacS acetylation/deacetylation may represent a conserved mechanism for regulation of acetoacetyl-CoA synthetase activity in all domains of life.

A novel two-component system involved in secretion stress response in Streptomyces lividans

Background

Misfolded proteins accumulating outside the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane can interfere with the secretory machinery, hence the existence of quality factors to eliminate these misfolded proteins is of capital importance in bacteria that are efficient producers of secretory proteins. These bacteria normally use a specific two-component system to respond to the stress produced by the accumulation of the misfolded proteins, by activating the expression of HtrA-like proteases to specifically eliminate the incorrectly folded proteins.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Overproduction of alpha-amylase in S. lividans causing secretion stress permitted the identification of a two-component system (SCO4156-SCO4155) that regulates three HtrA-like proteases which appear to be involved in secretion stress response. Mutants in each of the genes forming part of the two-genes operon that encodes the sensor and regulator protein components accumulated misfolded proteins outside the cell, strongly suggesting the involvement of this two-component system in the S. lividans secretion stress response.

Conclusions/Significance

To our knowledge this is the first time that a specific secretion stress response two-component system is found to control the expression of three HtrA-like protease genes in S. lividans, a bacterium that has been repeatedly used as a host for the synthesis of homologous and heterologous secretory proteins of industrial application.

Identification of the first functional toxin-antitoxin system in Streptomyces

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are widespread among the plasmids and genomes of bacteria and archaea. This work reports the first description of a functional TA system in Streptomyces that is identical in two species routinely used in the laboratory: Streptomyces lividans and S. coelicolor. The described system belongs to the YefM/YoeB family and has a considerable similarity to Escherichia coli YefM/YoeB (about 53% identity and 73% similarity). Lethal effect of the S. lividans putative toxin (YoeBsl) was observed when expressed alone in E. coli SC36 (MG1655 ΔyefM-yoeB). However, no toxicity was obtained when co-expression of the antitoxin and toxin (YefM/YoeBsl) was carried out. The toxic effect was also observed when the yoeBsl was cloned in multicopy in the wild-type S. lividans or in a single copy in a S. lividans mutant, in which this TA system had been deleted. The S. lividans YefM/YoeBsl complex, purified from E. coli, binds with high affinity to its own promoter region but not to other three random selected promoters from Streptomyces. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the expression of yoeBsl in E. coli blocks translation initiation processing mRNA at three bases downstream of the initiation codon after 2 minutes of induction. These results indicate that the mechanism of action is identical to that of YoeB from E. coli.

Large-scale production of phospholipase D from Streptomyces racemochromogenes and its application to soybean lecithin modification

Phospholipase D (PLD) catalyzes transphosphatidylation, causing inter-conversion of the polar head group of phospholipids and phospholipid hydrolysis. Previously, we cloned PLD103, a PLD with high transphosphatidylation activity, from Streptomyces racemochromogenes strain 10-3. Here, we report the construction of an expression system for the PLD103 gene using Streptomyces lividans as the host bacterium to achieve large-scale production. The phosphatidylcholine (PC) hydrolysis activity of S. lividans transformed with the expression plasmid containing the PLD103 gene was approximately 90-fold higher than that of the original strain. The recombinant PLD103 (rPLD103) found in the supernatant of the transformant culture medium was close to homogeneous. The rPLD103 was indistinguishable from the native enzyme in molecular mass and enzymatic properties. Additionally, rPLD103 had high transphosphatidylation activity on PC as a substrate in a simple aqueous one-phase reaction system and was able to modify the phospholipid content of soybean lecithin. Consequently, the expression system produces a stable supply of PLD, which can then be used in the production of phosphatidyl derivatives from lecithin.

Functional analysis of SGR4635-induced enhancement of pigmented antibiotic production in Streptomyces lividans

The Gram-positive mycelium-producing bacterium Streptomyces undergoes complex morphological differentiation after autolytic degradation of the vegetative mycelium. Cell-wall breakdown during growth stimulates cell development and secondary metabolite production by Streptomyces. N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) produced by cell-wall lysis acts as a signal molecule, triggering the production of secondary metabolites in S. coelicolor A3(2). Here, we report that introduction of multiple copies of the GlcNAc-internalizing gene (sgr4635, encoding nagE2) of S. griseus activates actinorhodin and undecylprodigiosin production during the late growth of S. lividans in the absence of GlcNAc. Furthermore, the repressor-type transcriptional regulator DasR binds to two operator sites upstream of sgr4635. Our findings indicate that sgr4635 induces DasR-mediated antibiotic production by internalizing the GlcNAc accumulated from cell-wall lysis.

Cleavage of phosphorothioated DNA and methylated DNA by the type IV restriction endonuclease ScoMcrA

Many taxonomically diverse prokaryotes enzymatically modify their DNA by replacing a non-bridging oxygen with a sulfur atom at specific sequences. The biological implications of this DNA S-modification (phosphorothioation) were unknown. We observed that simultaneous expression of the dndA-E gene cluster from Streptomyces lividans 66, which is responsible for the DNA S-modification, and the putative Streptomyces coelicolor A(3)2 Type IV methyl-dependent restriction endonuclease ScoA3McrA (Sco4631) leads to cell death in the same host. A His-tagged derivative of ScoA3McrA cleaved S-modified DNA and also Dcm-methylated DNA in vitro near the respective modification sites. Double-strand cleavage occurred 16–28 nucleotides away from the phosphorothioate links. DNase I footprinting demonstrated binding of ScoA3McrA to the Dcm methylation site, but no clear binding could be detected at the S-modified site under cleavage conditions. This is the first report of in vitro endonuclease activity of a McrA homologue and also the first demonstration of an enzyme that specifically cleaves S-modified DNA.

Bacteria frequently exchange genetic information among themselves. DNA from one species can be transferred efficiently to unrelated microbes. Bacteria have developed systems that restrict gene transfer. Many restriction systems recognize and destroy foreign DNA entering the cells, but there are also enzymes inducing suicide of cells that have been invaded by foreign genes that modify the host DNA. We describe a restriction endonuclease from an antibiotic-producing soil bacterium that cuts foreign methylated DNA and also foreign DNA containing sulfur. DNA sulfur modification occurs in diverse medically or industrially important microbes and has been shown to prevent cleavage of DNA. The most similar enzyme in the databases is the putative restriction endonuclease McrA from Escherichia coli which has not been observed to cleave DNA in a test tube. Our endonuclease showed no activity with magnesium, but it cleaved DNA in the presence of manganese ions. Therefore, we present two novelties: an unusual restriction endonuclease that cleaves sulfur-modified DNA and conditions that allow the study of the enzyme in a test tube.

Amino acid uptake profiling of wild type and recombinant Streptomyces lividans TK24 batch fermentations

Streptomyces lividans is considered an interesting host for the secretory production of heterologous proteins. To obtain a good secretion yield of heterologous proteins, the availability of suitable nitrogen sources in the medium is required. Often, undefined mixtures of amino acids are used to improve protein yields. However, the understanding of amino acid utilization as well as their contribution to the heterologous protein synthesis is poor. In this paper, amino acid utilization by wild type and recombinant S. lividans TK24 growing on a minimal medium supplemented with casamino acids is profiled by intensive analysis of the exometabolome (metabolic footprint) as a function of time. Dynamics of biomass, substrates, by-products and heterologous protein are characterized, analyzed and compared. As an exemplary protein mouse Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (mTNF-α) is considered. Results unveil preferential glutamate and aspartate assimilation, together with glucose and ammonium, but the associated high biomass growth rate is unfavorable for protein production. Excretion of organic acids as well as alanine is observed. Pyruvate and alanine overflow point at an imbalance between carbon and nitrogen catabolism and biosynthetic fluxes. Lactate secretion is probably related to clump formation. Heterologous protein production induces a slowdown in growth, denser clump formation and a shift in metabolism, as reflected in the altered substrate requirements and overflow pattern. Besides glutamate and aspartate, most amino acids are catabolized, however, their exact contribution in heterologous protein production could not be seized from macroscopic quantities. The metabolic footprints presented in this paper provide a first insight into the impact and relevance of amino acids on biomass growth and protein production. Type and availability of substrates together with biomass growth rate and morphology affect the protein secretion efficiency and should be optimally controlled, e.g., by appropriate medium formulation and substrate dosing. Overflow metabolism as well as high biomass growth rates must be avoided because they reduce protein yields. Further investigation of the intracellular metabolic fluxes should be conducted to fully unravel and identify ways to relieve the metabolic burden of plasmid maintenance and heterologous protein production and to prevent overflow.

Conformational dynamics in the selectivity filter of KcsA in response to potassium ion concentration

Conformational change in the selectivity filter of KcsA as a function of ambient potassium concentration is studied with solid-state NMR. This highly conserved region of the protein is known to chelate potassium ions selectively. We report solid-state NMR chemical shift fingerprints of two distinct conformations of the selectivity filter; significant changes are observed in the chemical shifts of key residues in the filter as the potassium ion concentration is changed from 50 mM to 1 muM. Potassium ion titration studies reveal that the site-specific K(d) for K(+) binding at the key pore residue Val76 is on the order of approximately 7 muM and that a relatively high sample hydration is necessary to observe the low-K(+) conformer. Simultaneous detection of both conformers at low ambient potassium concentration suggests that the high-K(+) and low-K(+) states are in slow exchange on the NMR timescale (k(ex)<500 s(-)(1)). The slow rate and tight binding for evacuating both inner sites simultaneously differ from prior observations in detergent in solution, but agree well with measurements by electrophysiology and appear to result from our use of a hydrated bilayer environment. These observations strongly support a common assumption that the low-K(+) state is not involved in ion transmission, and that during transmission one of the two inner sites is always occupied. On the other hand, these kinetic and thermodynamic characteristics of the evacuation of the inner sites certainly could be compatible with participation in a control mechanism at low ion concentration such as C-type inactivation, a process that is coupled to activation and involves closing of the outer mouth of the channel.

Genetic factors that influence moenomycin production in streptomycetes

Moenomycin, a natural phosphoglycolipid product that has a long history of use in animal nutrition, is currently considered an attractive starting point for the development of novel antibiotics. We recently reconstituted the biosynthesis of this natural product in a heterologous host, Streptomyces lividans TK24, but production levels were too low to be useful. We have examined several other streptomycetes strains as hosts and have also explored the overexpression of two pleiotropic regulatory genes, afsS and relA, on moenomycin production. A moenomycin-resistant derivative of S. albus J1074 was found to give the highest titers of moenomycin, and production was improved by overexpressing relA. Partial duplication of the moe cluster 1 in S. ghanaensis also increased average moenomycin production. The results reported here suggest that rational manipulation of global regulators combined with increased moe gene dosage could be a useful technique for improvement of moenomycin biosynthesis.

Proteomics-driven identification of SCO4677-dependent proteins in Streptomyces lividans and Streptomyces coelicolor

AfsR2 is a global regulatory protein which stimulates antibiotic biosynthesis in both Streptomyces lividans and S. coelicolor. Previously, various afsR2-dependent genes including a putative abaA-like regulatory gene, SCO4677, were identified through comparative DNA microarray analysis. To further identify the putative SCO4677-dependent proteins, the comparative proteomics-driven approach was applied to the SCO4677-overexpressing strains of S. lividans and S. coelicolor along with the wild-type strains. The 2D gel-electrophoresis gave approximately 277 protein spots for S. lividans and 207 protein spots for S. coelicolor, showing different protein expression patterns between the SCO4677-overexpressing strains and the wild-type strains. Further MALDI-TOF analysis revealed that only 18 proteins exhibited similar expression patterns in both S. lividans and S. coelicolor, suggesting that the SCO4677 could encode an abaA-like regulator which controls a few cross-species proteins as well as many species-specific proteins in Streptomyces species.

Heterologous production of streptokinase as a secretory form in Streptomyces lividans and nonsecretory form in Escherichia coli

The skc gene encoding streptokinase (SK), with a molecular weight of approximately 47.4 kDa, was cloned from Streptococcus eouisimilis ATCC9542 and heterologously overexpressed in Streptomyces lividans TK24 and E. coli using various strong promoters. When the sprT promoter was used in the S. lividans TK24 host, the SK protein corresponding to 47.4 kDa was detected with a smaller hydrolyzed protein (44 kDa), implying posttranslational hydrolysis occurred as reported in other expression systems. Casein/plasminogen plate assay revealed that plasmid construct with the signal peptide of SK was superior to that with the signal peptide of sprT in SK production. The maximum productivity of SK was calculated as less than 0.25 unit/ml of the culture broth, which was similar level to those from other expression systems hiring ermE and tipA promoters in the same host. When the skc gene was expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3)pLys under control of T7 promoter, relatively large amount of SK was expressed in soluble form without hydrolyzed protein. The SK activity produced by E. coli/pET28a-T7pSKm was more than 2 units/ml of culture even though about half of the expressed protein formed inactive inclusion body.

Heterologous production of paromamine in Streptomyces lividans TK24 using kanamycin biosynthetic genes from Streptomyces kanamyceticus ATCC12853

The 2-deoxystreptamine and paromamine are two key intermediates in kanamycin biosynthesis. In the present study, pSK-2 and pSK-7 recombinant plasmids were constructed with two combinations of genes: kanABK and kanABKF and kacA respectively from kanamycin producer Streptomyces kanamyceticus ATCC12853. These plasmids were heterologously expressed into Streptomyces lividans TK24 independently and generated two recombinant strains named S. lividans Sk-2/SL and S. lividans SK-7/SL, respectively. ESI/ MS and ESI-LC/MS analysis of the metabolite from S. lividans SK-2/SL showed that the compound had a molecular mass of 163 [M + H]+, which corresponds to that of 2-deoxystreptamine. ESI/MS and MS/MS analysis of metabolites from S. lividans SK-7/SL demonstrated the production of paromamine with a molecular mass of 324 [M + H]+. In this study, we report the production of paromamine in a heterologous host for the first time. This study will evoke to explore complete biosynthetic pathways of kanamycin and related aminoglycoside antibiotics.

Isolation and characterization of a new alkali-thermostable lipase cloned from a metagenomic library

The construction of a cosmid library from the biomass produced in an enriched Sequencing Fed-Batch Reactor allowed the isolation of a new lipase by functional screening. The open reading frame of 928 bp encoded a polypeptide of 308 amino acids with a molecular mass of 32.6 kDa. The amino acid sequence analysis revealed the presence of the conserved pentapeptide GXSXG essential for lipase activity. Alignment with known sequences of proteins showed no more than 52% identity with different lipases, confirming the discovery of a novel gene sequence. The lipase was cloned and expressed in Streptomyces lividans and further purified by a combination of hydrophobic interaction and size-exclusion chromatography. Spectrophotometric assays with different p-nitrophenyl esters demonstrated a preference for long-length acyl chains, especially p-nitrophenylmyristate (C14). Moreover, the enzyme presented an optimal activity at 60 degrees C and at alkaline pH of 10.5.

Investigations into viomycin biosynthesis by using heterologous production in Streptomyces lividans

Viomycin and capreomycin are members of the tuberactinomycin family of antituberculosis drugs. As with many antibacterial drugs, resistance to the tuberactinomycins is problematic in treating tuberculosis; this makes the development of new derivatives of these antibiotics to combat this resistance of utmost importance. To take steps towards developing new derivatives of this family of antibiotics, we have focused our efforts on understanding how these antibiotics are biosynthesized by the producing bacteria so that metabolic engineering of these pathways can be used to generate desired derivatives. Here we present the heterologous production of viomycin in Streptomyces lividans 1326 and the use of targeted-gene deletion as a mechanism for investigating viomycin biosynthesis as well as the generation of viomycin derivatives. Deletion of vioQ resulted in nonhydroxylated derivatives of viomycin, while strains lacking vioP failed to acylate the cyclic pentapeptide core of viomycin with beta-lysine. Surprisingly, strains lacking vioL produced derivatives that had the carbamoyl group of viomycin replaced by an acetyl group. Additionally, the acetylated viomycin derivatives were produced at very low levels. These two observations suggested that the carbamoyl group of the cyclic pentapeptide core of viomycin was introduced at an earlier step in the biosynthetic pathway than previously proposed. We present biochemical evidence that the carbamoyl group is added to the beta-amino group of L-2,3-diaminopropionate prior to incorporation of this amino acid by the nonribosomal peptide synthetases that form the cyclic pentapeptide cores of both viomycin and capreomycin.

Characterization of CalE10, the N-oxidase involved in calicheamicin hydroxyaminosugar formation

As the first in vitro characterization of a sugar N-oxidase, this study establishes CalE10 as the key oxidase involved in calicheamicin hydroxylamino glycoside formation. This study confirms that oxidation occurs at the sugar nucleotide stage prior to glycosyltransfer, and substrate specificity studies reveal CalE10-catalyzed oxidation to be regiospecific and to present trace amounts of the corresponding nitrosugar in vitro. This work also sets a precedent for the future study of other N-oxidases involved in hydroxylamino-, nitroso-, and/or nitrosugar formation.

Expression of the pstS gene of Streptomyces lividans is regulated by the carbon source and is partially independent of the PhoP regulator

BACKGROUND

PstS is a phosphate-binding lipoprotein that is part of the high-affinity phosphate transport system. Streptomyces lividans accumulates high amounts of the PstS protein in the supernatant of liquid cultures grown in the presence of different carbon sources, such as fructose or mannose, but not in the presence of glucose or in basal complex medium.

RESULTS

Functionality experiments revealed that this extracellular PstS protein does not have the capacity to capture phosphate and transfer it to the cell. Regulation of the pstS promoter was studied with Northern blot experiments, and protein levels were detected by Western blot analysis. We observed that the pstS gene was expressed in cultures containing glucose or fructose, but not in complex basal medium. Northern blot analyses revealed that the pst operon (pstSCAB) was transcribed as a whole, although higher transcript levels of pstS relative to those of the other genes of the operon (pstC, pstA and pstB) were observed. Deletion of the -329/-144 fragment of the pstS promoter, including eight degenerated repeats of a sequence of 12 nucleotides, resulted in a two-fold increase in the expression of this promoter, suggesting a regulatory role for this region. Additionally, deletion of the fragment corresponding to the Pho boxes recognized by the PhoP regulator (from nucleotide -141 to -113) resulted in constitutive pstS expression that was independent of this regulator. Thus, the PhoP-independent expression of the pstS gene makes this system different from all those studied previously.

CONCLUSION

1.- In S. lividans, only the PstS protein bound to the cell has the capacity to bind phosphate and transfer it there, whereas the PstS form accumulated in the supernatant lacks this capacity. 2.- The stretch of eight degenerated repeats present in the pstS promoter may act as a binding site for a repressor. 3.- There is a basal expression of the pstS gene that is not controlled by the main regulator: PhoP.

[Ca2+ -dependent modulation of antibiotic resistance in Streptomyces lividans 66 and Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)]

The level of resistance to antibiotics of various chemical structure in actinobacteria of the genus Streptomyces is shown to be regulated by Ca2+ ions. The inhibitors of Ca2+/calmodulin and Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent serine/threonine protein kinases (STPK) are found to reduce antibiotic resistance of actinobacteria. The effect of Ca2+ -dependent phosphorylation on the activity of the enzymatic aminoglycoside phosphotransferase system protecting actinobacteria from aminoglycoside antibiotics was studied. It is shown that inhibitors of Ca2+/calmodulin and Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent STPK reduced the Ca2+ -induced kanamycin resistance in Streptomyces lividans cells transformed by a hybrid plasmid which contained the aminoglycoside phosphotransferase VIII (APHVIII) gene. In S. coelicolor A3(2) cells, the protein kinase PK25 responsible for APHVIII phosphorylation in vitro was identified. It is suggested that STPK play a major role in the regulation of antibiotic resistance in actinobacteria.

Cooperative transition between open and closed conformations in potassium channels

Potassium (K+) ion channels switch between open and closed conformations. The nature of this important transition was revealed by comparing the X-ray crystal structures of the MthK channel from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, obtained in its open conformation, and the KcsA channel from Streptomyces lividans, obtained in its closed conformation. We analyzed the dynamic characteristics and energetics of these homotetrameric structures in order to study the role of the intersubunit cooperativity in this transition. For this, elastic models and in silico alanine-scanning mutagenesis were used, respectively. Reassuringly, the calculations manifested motion from the open (closed) towards the closed (open) conformation. The calculations also revealed a network of dynamically and energetically coupled residues. Interestingly, the network suggests coupling between the selectivity filter and the gate, which are located at the two ends of the channel pore. Coupling between these two regions was not observed in calculations that were conducted with the monomer, which emphasizes the importance of the intersubunit interactions within the tetrameric structure for the cooperative gating behavior of the channel.

Cloning, expression, and biochemical characterization of Streptomyces rubellomurinus genes required for biosynthesis of antimalarial compound FR900098

The antibiotics fosmidomycin and FR900098 are members of a unique class of phosphonic acid natural products that inhibit the nonmevalonate pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis. Both are potent antibacterial and antimalarial compounds, but despite their efficacy, little is known regarding their biosynthesis. Here we report the identification of the Streptomyces rubellomurinus genes required for the biosynthesis of FR900098. Expression of these genes in Streptomyces lividans results in production of FR900098, demonstrating their role in synthesis of the antibiotic. Analysis of the putative gene products suggests that FR900098 is synthesized by metabolic reactions analogous to portions of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. These data greatly expand our knowledge of phosphonate biosynthesis and enable efforts to overproduce this highly useful therapeutic agent.

Xylan-binding xylanase Xyl30 from Streptomyces avermitilis: cloning, characterization, and overproduction in solid-state fermentation

A DNA fragment from the lignocellulolytic actinomycete Streptomyces avermitilis CECT 3339 was cloned using a DNA probe from the xylanase gene xysA of Streptomyces halstedii. The nucleotide sequence analysis revealed two potential ORFs, xyl30 and hd30, encoding a deduced multimodular F/10 xylanase with a binding domain and a secreted glycoxyl hydrolase, respectively. In Streptomyces lividans carrying the subcloned DNA fragment, two xylanase activity bands with estimated molecular masses of 42.8 and 35 kDa (named Xyl30 forms "h" and "l", respectively), were detected by zymograms and SDS-PAGE. The two xylanases had identical N-terminal sequences, suggesting that Xyl30 "l" derived from Xyl30 "h" by C-terminal processing in the culture supernatant. No transcripts of hd30 were detected by RT-PCR. Characterization of the partially purified Xyl30 "h" confirmed the presence of a modular endoxylanase containing a xylan-binding domain, which after processing in the culture supernatant loses the aforementioned domain and thus its capacity to bind xylan (Xyl30 "l"). Xyl30 "h" achieved maximal activity at pH 7.5 and 60 degrees C, retaining more than 50% of its activity from pH 3 to 9 and more than 40% after a 1-h incubation at 70 masculineC. Moreover, in the recombinant host strain up to 400 U xylanase/g medium (dry weight) was produced in solid-state fermentation (SSF) using cereal bran as substrate. The high production yields of this enzyme and its biochemical features make it a good candidate for use in industrial applications.