A heterodimer of EsxA and EsxB is involved in sporulation and is secreted by a type VII secretion system in Streptomyces coelicolor.

An esx locus, related to the multiple esx loci of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is conserved in all sequenced Streptomyces genomes, where it is associated with the developmental regulatory gene bldB. Here we demonstrate that the esxBA operon, comprising part of the locus, has a novel morphogenetic function in the model species Streptomyces coelicolor. This operon encodes two proteins belonging to the WXG-100 superfamily that can form a heterodimer and are secreted in the absence of signal sequences. A mutation in esxBA results in a delay in sporulation, with eventual development of aerial hyphae with chains of abnormally sized spore compartments possessing irregular DNA contents. During early sporulation, expression of the operon is elevated in a bldB mutant. Other genes in the locus, notably SCO5734 and SCO5721, encode components of a type VII secretion system. Disruption of either of these genes prevents secretion of EsxAB but has no effect on sporulation. To explain the morphogenetic function of EsxAB, we propose that the heterodimer sequesters a regulator of expression of genes involved in nucleoid organization during sporulation.

Microbial community drivers of PK/NRP gene diversity in selected global soils.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens has created an urgent need for novel antimicrobial treatments. Advances in next-generation sequencing have opened new frontiers for discovery programmes for natural products allowing the exploitation of a larger fraction of the microbial community. Polyketide (PK) and non-ribosomal pepetide (NRP) natural products have been reported to be related to compounds with antimicrobial and anticancer activities. We report here a new culture-independent approach to explore bacterial biosynthetic diversity and determine bacterial phyla in the microbial community associated with PK and NRP diversity in selected soils. RESULTS: Through amplicon sequencing, we explored the microbial diversity (16S rRNA gene) of 13 soils from Antarctica, Africa, Europe and a Caribbean island and correlated this with the amplicon diversity of the adenylation (A) and ketosynthase (KS) domains within functional genes coding for non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) and polyketide synthases (PKSs), which are involved in the production of NRP and PK, respectively. Mantel and Procrustes correlation analyses with microbial taxonomic data identified not only the well-studied phyla Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, but also, interestingly, the less biotechnologically exploited phyla Verrucomicrobia and Bacteroidetes, as potential sources harbouring diverse A and KS domains. Some soils, notably that from Antarctica, provided evidence of endemic diversity, whilst others, such as those from Europe, clustered together. In particular, the majority of the domain reads from Antarctica remained unmatched to known sequences suggesting they could encode enzymes for potentially novel PK and NRP. CONCLUSIONS: The approach presented here highlights potential sources of metabolic novelty in the environment which will be a useful precursor to metagenomic biosynthetic gene cluster mining for PKs and NRPs which could provide leads for new antimicrobial metabolites.

Recombinant production of Streptococcus equisimilis streptokinase by Streptomyces lividans.

BACKGROUND: Streptokinase (SK) is a potent plasminogen activator with widespread clinical use as a thrombolytic agent. It is naturally secreted by several strains of beta-haemolytic streptococci. The low yields obtained in SK production, lack of developed gene transfer methodology and the pathogenesis of its natural host have been the principal reasons to search for a recombinant source for this important therapeutic protein. We report here the expression and secretion of SK by the Gram-positive bacterium Streptomyces lividans. The structural gene encoding SK was fused to the Streptomyces venezuelae CBS762.70 subtilisin inhibitor (vsi) signal sequence or to the Streptomyces lividans xylanase C (xlnC) signal sequence. The native Vsi protein is translocated via the Sec pathway while the native XlnC protein uses the twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway. RESULTS: SK yield in the spent culture medium of S. lividans was higher when the Sec-dependent signal peptide mediates the SK translocation. Using a 1.5 L fermentor, the secretory production of the Vsi-SK fusion protein reached up to 15 mg SK/l. SK was partially purified from the culture supernatant by DEAE-Sephacel chromatography. A 44-kDa degradation product co-eluted with the 47-kDa mature SK. The first amino acid residues of the S. lividans-produced SK were identical with those of the expected N-terminal sequence. The Vsi signal peptide was thus correctly cleaved off and the N-terminus of mature Vsi-SK fusion protein released by S. lividans remained intact. This result also implicates that the processing of the recombinant SK secreted by Streptomyces probably occurred at its C-terminal end, as in its native host Streptococcus equisimilis. The specific activity of the partially purified Streptomyces-derived SK was determined at 2661 IU/mg protein. CONCLUSION: Heterologous expression of Streptococcus equisimilis ATCC9542 skc-2 in Streptomyces lividans was successfully achieved. SK can be translocated via both the Sec and the Tat pathway in S. lividans, but yield was about 30 times higher when the SK was fused to the Sec-dependent Vsi signal peptide compared to the fusion with the Tat-dependent signal peptide of S. lividans xylanase C. Small-scale fermentation led to a fourfold improvement of secretory SK yield in S. lividans compared to lab-scale conditions. The partially purified SK showed biological activity. Streptomyces lividans was shown to be a valuable host for the production of a world-wide important, biopharmaceutical product in a bio-active form.

Streptomyces as host for recombinant production of Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteins.

The 45/47 kDa APA protein (Rv1860) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was produced by Streptomyces lividans. The recombinant protein could be recovered from the culture medium of an S. lividans clone containing the apa gene under control of the promoter and signal sequence of the Streptomyces coelicolor agarase gene. The recombinant protein production was further scaled-up using fermentation conditions. The APA protein was subsequently purified from the culture supernatant by means of immunochromatography. About 80 mg of recombinant protein were obtained per liter of culture media. In vivo tests with the APA protein purified from S. lividans TK24/pRGAPA1 revealed that the recombinant protein was antigenic and could induce high titers of specific antibodies in the mouse biological model. Results obtained concerning heterologous production of APA, its immunogenic and antigenic capacity, demonstrated the potential of S. lividans as a valuable host for the production of recombinant proteins from M. tuberculosis.

Designing and Implementing an Assay for the Detection of Rare and Divergent NRPS and PKS Clones in European, Antarctic and Cuban Soils.

The ever increasing microbial resistome means there is an urgent need for new antibiotics. Metagenomics is an underexploited tool in the field of drug discovery. In this study we aimed to produce a new updated assay for the discovery of biosynthetic gene clusters encoding bioactive secondary metabolites. PCR assays targeting the polyketide synthases (PKS) and non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) were developed. A range of European soils were tested for their biosynthetic potential using clone libraries developed from metagenomic DNA. Results revealed a surprising number of NRPS and PKS clones with similarity to rare Actinomycetes. Many of the clones tested were phylogenetically divergent suggesting they were fragments from novel NRPS and PKS gene clusters. Soils did not appear to cluster by location but did represent NRPS and PKS clones of diverse taxonomic origin. Fosmid libraries were constructed from Cuban and Antarctic soil samples; 17 fosmids were positive for NRPS domains suggesting a hit rate of less than 1 in 10 genomes. NRPS hits had low similarities to both rare Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria; they also clustered with known antibiotic producers suggesting they may encode for pathways producing novel bioactive compounds. In conclusion we designed an assay capable of detecting divergent NRPS and PKS gene clusters from the rare biosphere; when tested on soil samples results suggest the majority of NRPS and PKS pathways and hence bioactive metabolites are yet to be discovered.

CE-108, a new macrolide tetraene antibiotic.

In the search for strains producing antifungal compounds, a new tetraene macrolide CE-108 (3) has been isolated from culture broth of Streptomyces diastaticus 108. In addition, the strain also produces the previously described tetraene rimocidin (1) and also the aromatic polyketide oxytetracycline. Both tetraene compounds, structurally related, are produced in a ratio between 25 to 35% (CE-108 compared to rimocidin), although it can be inverted toward CE-108 production by changing the composition of the fermentation medium. This paper deals with the characterization of the producer strain, fermentation, purification, structure determination and biological properties of the new macrolide tetraene CE-108.

Use of Strep-tag II for rapid detection and purification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis recombinant antigens secreted by Streptomyces lividans.

Recent results with respect to the secretory production of bio-active Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteins in Streptomyces have stimulated the further exploitation of this host as a bacterial cell factory. However, the rapid isolation of a recombinant protein by conventional procedures can be a restrictive step. A previous attempt to isolate recombinant antigens fused to the widely used 6His-tag was found to be relatively incompatible with secretory production in the Streptomyces host. As an alternative, the eight-residue Strep-tag® II (WSHPQFEK), displaying intrinsic binding affinity towards streptavidin, was evaluated for the secretory production of two M. tuberculosis immunodominant antigens in Streptomyces lividans and their subsequent downstream processing. Therefore, the genes ag85A (Rv3804c, encoding the mycolyl-transferase Ag85A) and Rv2626c (encoding hypoxic response protein 1), were equipped with a 3'-Strep-tag® II-encoding sequence and placed under control of the Streptomyces venezuelae CBS762.70 subtilisin inhibitor (vsi) transcriptional, translational and signal sequences. Strep-tagged Ag85A and Rv2626c proteins were detected in the spent medium of recombinant S. lividans cultures at 48h of growth, and purified using a Strep-Tactin Superflow® matrix. Recombinant Ag85A appeared as a 30-kDa protein of which the N-terminal amino acid sequence was identical to the expected one. Rv2626c was produced in two forms of 17 and 37kDa respectively, both with the same predicted N-terminal sequence, suggesting that the 37-kDa product is an Rv2626c dimer. The obtained results indicate that the Strep-tagII is proteolytically stable in Streptomyces and does not interfere with the membrane translocation of Ag85A and Rv2626c. A comparison of reactivity of serum from tuberculosis patients versus healthy persons by ELISA showed that both S. lividans-derived antigens were recognized by sera of individuals infected with M. tuberculosis, indicating that they remained antigenetically active. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing the usefulness of an affinity peptide for detection and efficient downstream processing of recombinant proteins produced in Streptomyces. The present results add up strength to the significance of S. lividans as a valuable host to produce M. tuberculosis proteins with vaccine and diagnostic potential.

Mejoramiento de una cepa de streptomyces parvullus productora de actinomicina D mediante el uso de los protoplastos / Improvement of an actinomycin D-releasing streptomyces parvullus strain by the use of protoplasts

Se llevó a cabo la fusión de protoplastos de cepas auxotróficas y la regeneración de protoplastos de la cepa parental en algunos casos previamente tratados con polietilenglicol (PEG) pm=6 000 al 50 %, antes de ser efectuada la siembra en medio completo R2YE, con vistas a estudiar el efecto de este agente en condiciones no selectivas. En ambos casos las colonias más productoras de antibiótico fueron seleccionadas mediante determinación de actividad antibiótica en medio sólido y una segunda selección en medio líquido de producción específico para el antibiótico actinomicina D. Además, en la población de protoplastos regenerados, algunas colonias presentaban variaciones en su morfología, en sus requerimientos nutricionales y en los marcadores de resistencia a diferentes antibióticos probados. El análisis de ADN cromosómico de algunas variantes genéticas seleccionadas demostró la no existencia de reordenamientos cromosómicos que pudieran explicar estas variaciones

Actividad antitumoral experimental de la actinomicida D obtenida en Cuba / Experimental antineoplastic activity of actinomycin D obtained in Cuba

La actinomicina D es un agente antitumoral en uso clínico, capaz de curar el coriocarcinoma gestacional y que, combinado con la terapia local, incrementa los índices de curación del tumor de Wilms en los niños. Se estudió la actividad antitumoral experimental de la actinomicina D obtenida en Cuba por vía fermentativa, sobre diferentes tumores trasplantables de ratón. El producto cubano mostró notable actividad antitumoral sobre las leucemias P388 y L121o y el carcinoma ascítico de Ehrlich, tumores de crecimiento rápido y alto índice de proliferación, así como sobre el adenocarcinoma mamario 755, el tumor pulmonar RL-67 y el linfosarcoma LQ. Por su actividad antitumoral, el producto cubano no se diferencia del comercial usado actualmente en la quimioterapia oncológica