Biochemical characterization of resistance determinants cloned from antibiotic-producing streptomycetes

Determinants of antibiotic resistance have been cloned from four antibiotic-producing streptomycetes into Streptomyces lividans. Biochemical analyses of resistant clones revealed the presence of enzymes that had previously been characterized as likely resistance determinants in the producing organisms. These included: 23S rRNA methylases from S. azureus and S. erythreus, which confer resistance to thiostrepton and erythromycin, respectively; viomycin phosphotransferase from S. vinaceus; and aminoglycoside phosphotransferase and acetyltransferase from the neomycin producer S. fradiae. In general, the levels of antibiotic resistance of the clones were similar to those of the producing organisms. Although the two aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes from S. fradiae could independently confer only low-level resistance to neomycin, the presence of both enzymes in the same strain resulted in a level of resistance comparable with that of the producing organism.