Streptomyces inside-out: a new perspective on the bacteria that provide us with antibiotics

Many of the antibiotics used today are made by a group of bacteria called Streptomyces. Streptomycetes evolved about 450 million years ago as branched filamentous organisms adapted to the utilization of plant remains. They reproduce by sending up specialized aerial branches, which form spores. Aerial growth is parasitic on the primary colony, which is digested and reused for aerial growth. The reproductive phase is coordinated with the secretion of antibiotics, which may protect the colony against invading bacteria during aerial growth. A clue to the integration of antibiotic production and aerial growth is provided by bldA mutants, which are defective in both processes. These mutants lack the ability to translate a particularly rare codon, UUA, in the genetic code. The UUA codon (TTA in DNA) is present in several regulatory genes that control sets of antibiotic production genes, and in one, bldH that controls aerial mycelium formation. The regulatory genes for antibiotic production are all involved in self-reinforcing regulatory systems that potentially amplify the regulatory significance of small changes in the efficiency of translation of UUA codons. One of the regulatory targets of bldH is an extracellular protease inhibitor protein that is likely to delay the digestion of the primary biomass until the colony is ready for aerial growth. The use of the UUA codon to orchestrate different aspects of extracellular biology appeared very early in Streptomyces evolution.