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From a Natural Product to Its Biosynthetic Gene Cluster: A Demonstration Using Polyketomycin from Streptomyces diastatochromogenes Tü6028
Published on: January 13, 2017
Promomycin, a polyether promoting antibiotic production in Streptomyces spp
Sho-ichi Amano1, Tatsuya Morota, Yu-ki Kano
1Life Science Research Center, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kameino, Japan.
The Journal of Antibiotics
|June 24, 2010
Summary
Researchers discovered promomycin, a substance that stimulates antibiotic production in multiple Streptomyces bacteria strains, even at low concentrations. This finding highlights a widespread interspecific communication mechanism in Streptomyces.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Streptomyces species are known to influence each other's antibiotic production through diffusible substances, a phenomenon previously studied as the cross-feeding effect.
- Interspecific communication plays a significant role in microbial communities, impacting the production of secondary metabolites like antibiotics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize a novel diffusible substance from Streptomyces that stimulates antibiotic production in other strains.
- To investigate the chemical nature and biological activity of the isolated substance, named promomycin.
- To determine the prevalence of this antibiotic production-stimulating effect within Streptomyces.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of a novel substance from a Streptomyces strain (related to S. scabrisporus) that induced antibiotic production in another strain (related to S. griseorubiginosus).
- Chemical characterization of the isolated substance, identifying it as promomycin, a polyether structurally related to lonomycin.
- Testing the antibiotic activity of promomycin and its ability to stimulate antibiotic production in various Streptomyces strains at sub-inhibitory concentrations.
Main Results:
- A new substance, promomycin, was successfully isolated and identified as a polyether related to lonomycin.
- Promomycin exhibits its own antibiotic activity.
- Promomycin significantly stimulated antibiotic production in multiple Streptomyces strains, even at concentrations below those that inhibit growth.
Conclusions:
- Promomycin is a novel compound that acts as a potent stimulator of antibiotic production in Streptomyces.
- The observed stimulation effect of promomycin suggests a widespread mechanism of interspecific communication and regulation of antibiotic biosynthesis within the Streptomyces genus.
- This discovery opens avenues for understanding and potentially manipulating microbial interactions to enhance antibiotic discovery.
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