Isolation of new actinomycete strains for the screening of new bioactive compounds

In order to facilitate the discovery of novel bioactive compounds from microorganisms, various techniques for isolation of new actinomycete strains have been attempted. Studies of the vertical distribution of actinomycetes in soil, isolation of actinomycetes from desert soils or fallen leaves, selective isolation of Kitasatospora strains using novobiocin or Actinoplanes strains using the chemotactic method, and the use of gellan gum as a solidifying agent were carried out. We discovered 9 novel bioactive compounds from actinomycete strains isolated under unusual conditions, and proposed two new genera, five new species and one new subspecies.     

Actinomycetes--the test-organisms of genetic engineering

The paper contains a short review of the data on using the methods of genetic engineering in studies of genetics and molecular biology in Streptomyces. The techniques of DNA introduction into actinomycetes and wide-spread vectors are briefly described. The origin of the actinomycete plasmids as chromosomal segments capable of autonomous replication is discussed. In this view, it is suggested that genetic instability in actinomycetes is connected with excision of specific DNA sequences from the chromosome at frequencies characteristic of recombination events. Also, amplification of short DNA segments within the chromosome resulting in tandem repeats is a consequence of unequal crossing over between direct repeats flanking the amplifying DNA and, possibly, of induction of replication of this DNA. The data on molecular cloning of actinomycete genes for primary metabolism and those for resistance to and biosynthesis of antibiotics, on using actinomycetes as the hosts for foreign genes to be expressed, as well as on analysis of nucleotide sequences of actinomycete DNA, are presented.     

西沙群岛海域海洋放线菌的分离及其抗菌活性

分离西沙群岛海域放线菌并研究其抗菌活性。采用干燥、辐射、冷冻及加热处理等11种样品预处理方式和10种培养基对海洋放线菌进行分离,对代表性菌株进行鉴定,并考察分离放线菌生长的海水依赖性。进一步以金黄色葡萄球菌、大肠埃希菌、啤酒酵母和扩展青霉为指示菌考察分离放线菌的抗菌活性。从西沙群岛海域样品中分离获得放线菌383株,其中专性海洋放线菌23株。选定93株代表菌株进行鉴定,93株菌隶属于9个科,11个属。不同培养基对分离放线菌菌株的数量及种类影响显著。6株放线菌对4种指示菌均有抑菌活性,其中4株为专性海洋放线菌,表明海洋环境具有丰富的放线菌资源,这些放线菌特别是专性海洋放线菌有望为新型抗菌物质的发现与开发提供菌种来源。     

Artificial chromosomes for antibiotic-producing actinomycetes

Bacteria belonging to the order Actinomycetales produce most microbial metabolites thus far described, several of which have found applications in medicine and agriculture. However, most strains were discovered by their ability to produce a given molecule and are, therefore, poorly characterized physiologically and genetically. Thus, methodologies for genetic manipulation of actinomycetes are not available and efficient tools have been developed for just a few strains. This constitutes a serious limitation to applying molecular genetics approaches to strain development and structural manipulation of microbial metabolites. To overcome this hurdle, we have developed bacterial artificial chromosomes (BAC) that can be shuttled among Escherichia coli, where they replicate autonomously, and a suitable Streptomyces host, where they integrate site-specifically into the chromosome. The existence of gene clusters and of genetically amenable host strains, such as Streptomyces coelicolor or Streptomyces lividans, makes this a sensible approach. We report here that 100 kb segments of actinomycete DNA can be cloned into these vectors and introduced into genetically accessible S. lividans, where they are stably maintained in integrated form in its chromosome.     

Pathway Engineering in Secondary Metabolite-Producing Actinomycetes

Abstract

Actinomycetes represent the microbial group richest in production of variable secondary metabolites. These mostly bioactive molecules are the end products of complex multistep biosynthetic pathways. Recent progress in the molecular genetics and biochemistry of the biosynthetic capacities of actinomycetes enables first attempts to redesign these pathways in a directed fashion. However, in contrast to several examples of designed biochemical improvement of primary metabolic processes in microorganisms, none of the products or strains derived from pathway engineering in actinomycetes discussed herein have reached pilot or production scale. The main reasons for this slow progress are the complicated pathways themselves, their complex regulation during the actinomycete cell cycle, and their uniqueness, as most pathways and products are specific for a strain rather than for a given species or larger taxonomic group. However, the modular use of a minimum of very similar enzymes and their conversion of similar intermediates to form the building blocks for the production of a maximum of divergent end products gives hope for the future application of these genetic models for the redesign of complex pathways for modified or new natural products. Several strategies that can be followed to reach this aim are discussed, mainly for the variable 6-deoxyhexose metabolism as an ubiquitously applicable example.     

Hybrid isoprenoid secondary metabolite production in terrestrial and marine actinomycetes

Terpenoids are among the most ubiquitous and diverse secondary metabolites observed in nature. Although actinomycete bacteria are one of the primary sources of microbially derived secondary metabolites, they rarely produce compounds in this biosynthetic class. The terpenoid secondary metabolites that have been discovered from actinomycetes are often in the form of biosynthetic hybrids called hybrid isoprenoids (HIs). HIs include significant structural diversity and biological activity and thus are important targets for natural product discovery. Recent screening of marine actinomycetes has led to the discovery of a new lineage that is enriched in the production of biologically active HI secondary metabolites. These strains represent a promising resource for natural product discovery and provide unique opportunities to study the evolutionary history and ecological functions of an unusual group of secondary metabolites.     

广西北部湾茅尾海红树林生境放线菌分离培养基的比较

【背景】红树林生境拥有丰富的微生物资源,分离获得更多的纯培养放线菌为新型抗生素的发现提供菌种资源。【目的】使用新型放线菌分离培养基,发掘广西北部湾茅尾海红树林生境放线菌资源,评估新型放线菌分离培养基分离效果。【方法】设计出新型放线菌分离培养基——椰子汁-海藻糖培养基,对广西北部湾茅尾海红树林根际土壤和红树林根皮放线菌进行分离。基于分子生物学鉴定方法,对获得的纯培养放线菌进行多样性分析。【结果】从红树林根际土壤样品中分离获得65株放线菌,分布在5个目10个科15个属,使用YIM171培养基分离到7个属,MA培养基分离到5个属,椰子汁-海藻糖培养基分离到11个属,其中包括4株潜在新种;从红树林根皮样品中分离获得19株放线菌,分布在4个目7个科10个属,使用YIM171和椰子汁-海藻糖培养基分别分离到7个属,包括4株潜在新种;使用椰子汁-海藻糖培养基在红树林生境两类样品中获得3株潜在新种。【结论】广西北部湾茅尾海红树林根际土壤和根皮中放线菌多样性丰富,使用椰子汁-海藻糖培养基分离放线菌效果较佳,可用作放线菌的分离培养基。     

Diversity of Aquatic Actinomycetes in Lakes of the Middle Plateau, Yunnan, China

A total of 749 sediment and water samples were collected from 12 lakes of the Middle Plateau of Yunnan from 1983 to 1993. The diversity and biological characteristics of the aquatic actinomycetes in these lakes were studied. Sixteen genera of actinomycetes were isolated from these samples. Micromonospores assumed a notable dominance (from 39 to 89%) in the actinomycete populations of these lake sediments. Streptomycetes were the second most abundant organisms. The diversity and counts of actinomycetes varied with the season. Thermophilic actinomycetes have a wide distribution in these lakes, but their counts were smaller. The cell wall compositions of certain Micromonospora and Streptomyces strains from an alkaline lake revealed an unusual combination of glycine and isomers of diaminopimelic acid. It seems that aquatic actinomycetes play a significant role in the decomposition of organic substances, including some toxic compounds such as phenol, in these lakes. It also appears that aquatic actinomycetes are one of the important resources for screening useful enzymes and metabolites.     

Sweet home actinomycetes: The 1999 MDS Panlabs Lecture

For the past 25 years, I have devoted most of my research efforts to the application of molecular genetics to yield improvement and production of novel secondary metabolites in actinomycetes. My group at Lilly Research Laboratories worked with a variety of Streptomyces species and with strains of Amycolatopsis and Saccharopolyspora. We developed molecular genetic tools to manipulate actinomycete genes, and applied them to important secondary metabolites, including tylosin, daptomycin, vancomycin, chloroeremomycin, and spinosyns. In the early years, I helped establish recombinant DNA technology to manufacture mammalian proteins, and more recently, helped implement microbial genomics as a research tool for antibiotic discovery. In this paper, I review some highlights, primarily from the actinomycete work. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2000) 24, 79–88. Received 25 October 1999/ Accepted in revised form 12 November 1999     

Rare actinomycete bacteria from the shallow water sediments of the Trondheim fjord, Norway: isolation, diversity and biological activity

Actinomycete bacteria produce a wide variety of secondary metabolites with diverse biological activities, some of which have been developed for human medicine. Rare actinomycetes are promising sources in search for new drugs, and their potential for producing biologically active molecules is poorly studied. In this work, we have investigated the diversity of actinomycetes in the shallow water sediments of the Trondheim fjord (Norway). Due to the use of different selective isolation methods, an unexpected variety of actinomycete genera was isolated. Although the predominant genera were clearly Streptomyces and Micromonospora, representatives of Actinocorallia, Actinomadura, Knoellia, Glycomyces, Nocardia, Nocardiopsis, Nonomuraea, Pseudonocardia, Rhodococcus and Streptosporangium genera were isolated as well. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing isolation of Knoellia and Glycomyces species from the marine environment. 35 selected actinomycete isolates were characterized by 16S rDNA sequencing, and were shown to represent strains from 11 different genera. In addition, these isolates were tested for antimicrobial activity and the presence of polyketide synthase and non-ribosomal peptide synthetase genes. This study confirms the significant biodiversity of actinobacteria in the Norwegian marine habitats, and their potential for producing biologically active compounds.     

盐碱环境放线菌多样性研究

放线菌因产生多种多样的生物活性物质而受到重视。但极端环境放线菌的研究甚少。采用DGGE、纯培养法,重点研究了新疆、青海及埃及的重盐碱环境的放线菌分布情况,种类组成,生物学特性。发现了1个新科,8个新属及30多个新种。从嗜(耐)盐碱放线菌筛选到许多带有PKS基因的菌株。认为极端环境放线菌是生物活性物质的重要来源;改进分离程序,分离未知放线菌,是放线菌多样性研究及开发利用的前提之一;并对极端环境放线菌研究作了论述。     

Biodiversity,Anti-Trypanosomal Activity Screening,and Metabolomic Profiling of Actinomycetes Isolated from Mediterranean Sponges

Marine sponge–associated actinomycetes are considered as promising sources for the discovery of novel biologically active compounds. In the present study, a total of 64 actinomycetes were isolated from 12 different marine sponge species that had been collected offshore the islands of Milos and Crete, Greece, eastern Mediterranean. The isolates were affiliated to 23 genera representing 8 different suborders based on nearly full length 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Four putatively novel species belonging to genera Geodermatophilus, Microlunatus, Rhodococcus and Actinomycetospora were identified based on a 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of < 98.5% to currently described strains. Eight actinomycete isolates showed bioactivities against Trypanosma brucei brucei TC221 with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values <20 μg/mL. Thirty four isolates from the Milos collection and 12 isolates from the Crete collection were subjected to metabolomic analysis using high resolution LC-MS and NMR for dereplication purposes. Two isolates belonging to the genera Streptomyces (SBT348) and Micromonospora (SBT687) were prioritized based on their distinct chemistry profiles as well as their anti-trypanosomal activities. These findings demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of utilizing metabolomics tools to prioritize chemically unique strains from microorganism collections and further highlight sponges as rich source for novel and bioactive actinomycetes.     

药用昆虫喙尾琵琶甲肠道抗菌活性放线菌的筛选及鉴定

【目的】探究药用昆虫喙尾琵琶甲Blaps rynchopetera肠道具有抗菌活性的放线菌,为抗菌药物开发提供新的放线菌资源。【方法】结合稀释涂布法和选择培养法从喙尾琵琶甲成虫肠道分离放线菌。以耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌(methieillin-resistant Staphylococus aureus)、金黄色葡萄球菌、大肠杆菌Escherichia coli、粪肠球菌Enterococcus faecalis、鼠伤寒沙门氏菌Salmonella typhimurium 和铜绿假单胞菌Pseudomonas aeruginosa 6株致病细菌以及黑曲霉Aspergillus niger、青霉菌Penicillium expansum和白色念珠菌Canidia albicans 3株致病真菌为指示菌,通过牛津杯琼脂扩散法测试放线菌次生代谢产物的抗菌活性。随后,采用分子生物学方法进行16S rRNA序列分析鉴定活性显著的18株放线菌并构建系统发育树。【结果】从喙尾琵琶甲成虫肠道中分离到176株共生放线菌,初步活性筛选结果显示其中46株放线菌表现出不同程度的抗菌活性。多株放线菌对致病菌具有广谱的抑菌作用且抑菌圈直径超过阳性对照药。选择抑菌圈直径大于15 mm的18株放线菌进行分子鉴定,结果显示均为链霉属Streptomyces。【结论】喙尾琵琶甲肠道含有丰富的抗菌活性放线菌资源。     

New PCR Primers for the Screening of NRPS and PKS-I Systems in Actinomycetes: Detection and Distribution of These Biosynthetic Gene Sequences in Major Taxonomic Groups

Nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) and type I polyketide synthases (PKS-I) are biosynthetic systems involved in the synthesis of a large number of important biologically active compounds produced by microorganisms, among others by actinomycetes. In order to assess the occurrence of these biosynthetic systems in this metabolically active bacterial group, we designed new PCR primers targeted to specifically amplify NRPS and PKS-I gene sequences from actinomycetes. The sequence analysis of amplified products cloned from two model systems and used to validate these molecular tools has shown the extreme richness of NRPS or PKS-I-like sequences in the actinomycete genome. When these PCR primers were tested on a large collection of 210 reference strains encompassing all major families and genera in actinomycetes, we observed that the wide distribution of these genes in the well-known productive Streptomyces species is also extended to other minor lineages where in some cases very few bioactive compounds have been identified to date.     

Rare actinomycetes: a potential storehouse for novel antibiotics

New antimicrobial agents are desperately needed to combat the increasing number of antibiotic resistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms. Natural products remain the most propitious source of novel antibiotics. It is widely accepted that actinobacteria are prolific producers of natural bioactive compounds. We argue that the likelihood of discovering a new compound having a novel chemical structure can be increased with intensive efforts in isolating and screening rare genera of microorganisms. Screening rare actinomycetes and their previously under-represented genera from unexplored environments in natural product screening collections is one way of achieving this. Rare actinomycetes are usually regarded as the actinomycete strains whose isolation frequency is much lower than that of the streptomycete strains isolated by conventional methods. Many natural environments are still either unexplored or under-explored and thus, can be considered as a prolific resource for the isolation of less exploited microorganisms. More and different ecological niches need to be studied as sources of a greater diversity of novel microorganisms. In this review, we wish to update our understanding of the potential of the rare actinomycetes by focusing on the ways and means of enhancing their bio-discovery potential.     

Multiple peptide synthetase gene clusters in Actinomycetes

Two oligonucleotide probes derived from conserved motifs in peptide synthetases were hybridized with a cosmid library of Planobispora rosea genomic DNA. Detailed characterization of the physical organization of the positive cosmids indicated the existence of at least eight unlinked contigs containing multiple fragments that hybridized to both probes. Partial sequences of PCR products from the positive cosmids confirmed the existence of peptide synthetase genes. The combined results of hybridizations and physical mapping indicate that, in all likelihood, the isolated P. rosea contigs encode over 40 putative peptide synthetase modules. Similar results were obtained on screening a cosmid library of Actinoplanes teichomyceticus DNA. Furthermore, Southern hybridizations with several actinomycete strains, belonging to different genera, indicate that most strains contain multiple hybridizing bands well in excess of the number expected from the structure of the oligopeptides produced by these strains. Even strains not reported to produce oligopeptides gave clear positive signals when examined with the probes. These results strongly suggest that actinomycetes devote a notable fraction of their genomes to the non-ribosomal synthesis of peptides, and that most strains have the genetic potential to produce more oligopeptides than are currently described.     

Rare actinomycetes: a potential storehouse for novel antibiotics

New antimicrobial agents are desperately needed to combat the increasing number of antibiotic resistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms. Natural products remain the most propitious source of novel antibiotics. It is widely accepted that actinobacteria are prolific producers of natural bioactive compounds. We argue that the likelihood of discovering a new compound having a novel chemical structure can be increased with intensive efforts in isolating and screening rare genera of microorganisms. Screening rare actinomycetes and their previously under-represented genera from unexplored environments in natural product screening collections is one way of achieving this. Rare actinomycetes are usually regarded as the actinomycete strains whose isolation frequency is much lower than that of the streptomycete strains isolated by conventional methods. Many natural environments are still either unexplored or under-explored and thus, can be considered as a prolific resource for the isolation of less exploited microorganisms. More and different ecological niches need to be studied as sources of a greater diversity of novel microorganisms. In this review, we wish to update our understanding of the potential of the rare actinomycetes by focusing on the ways and means of enhancing their bio-discovery potential.     

Strain improvement in actinomycetes in the postgenomic era

With the recent advances in DNA sequencing technologies, it is now feasible to sequence multiple actinomycete genomes rapidly and inexpensively. An important observation that emerged from early Streptomyces genome sequencing projects was that each strain contains genes that encode 20 or more potential secondary metabolites, only a fraction of which are expressed during fermentation. More recently, this observation has been extended to many other actinomycetes with large genomes. The discovery of a wealth of orphan or cryptic secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters has suggested that sequencing large numbers of actinomycete genomes may provide the starting materials for a productive new approach to discover novel secondary metabolites. The key issue for this approach to be successful is to find ways to turn on or turn up the expression of cryptic or poorly expressed pathways to provide material for structure elucidation and biological testing. In this review, I discuss several genetic approaches that are potentially applicable to many actinomycetes for this application.     

The genus Amycolatopsis: Indigenous plasmids, cloning vectors and gene transfer systems

The genus Amycolatopsis is a member of the phylogenetic group nocardioform actinomycetes. Most of the members of the genus Amycolatopsis are known to produce antibiotics. Additionally, members of this genus have been reported to metabolize aromatic compounds as the sole sources of carbon and energy. Development of genetic manipulation in Amycolatopsis has progressed slowly due to paucity of genetic tools and methods. The occurrence of indigenous plasmids in different species of Amycolatopsis is not very common. Till date, only three indigenous plasmids viz., pMEA100, pMEA300 and pA387 have been reported in Amycolatopsis species. Various vectors based on the indigenous plasmids, pMEA100, pMEA300 and pA387, have been constructed. These vectors have proved useful for molecular genetics studies of actinomycetes. Molecular genetic work with Amycolatopsis strains is not easy, since transformation methods have to be developed, or at least optimized, for each particular strain. Nonetheless, methods for efficient transformation (polyethyleneglycol (PEG) induced protoplast transformation, transformation by electroporation and direct transformation) have been developed and used successfully for the introduction of DNA into several Amycolatopsis species. The construction of plasmid cloning vectors and the development of gene transfer systems has opened up possibilities for studying the molecular genetics of these bacteria.