Increased vulnerability to physical stress by inactivation of NdgR in Streptomyces coelicolor

The antibiotic production and spore formation process in Streptomyces coelicolor need complex decision making processes by several regulatory units. These regulatory units are involved in both primary and secondary metabolism. As a result, most regulators have several functions, and those are worthwhile themes to study about different functions of a known regulator. In this study, a deletion mutant of ndgR, which encodes the nitrogen-dependent growth regulator, was examined by the cell viability test, TEM, and growth in N-acetylglucosamine/asparagine (GlcNAc/Asn) liquid medium. The results of the study show that NdgR is also involved in the structure of the cell membrane affecting survival under physical shocks. Deletion of ndgR leads to abnormal cell membrane resulting in the vulnerable cells to physical stress caused by shaking with beads in liquid culture condition. This empirical observation is the first meaningful explanation to why ndgR mutant could not grow well in a liquid minimal medium due to the defect of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) utilization and phospholipid synthesis.