A unique enzyme from Saccharothrix sp. catalyzing d-amino acid transfer

A newly isolated actinomycete belonging to Saccharothrix sp. was found to produce a unique enzyme catalyzing d-amino acid transfer. The enzyme, which was tentatively named d-amino acid transferase, was purified 2600-fold to electrophoretic homogeneity and the molecular mass was 41 kDa. The enzyme was d-configuration specific and recognized aromatic d-amino acid esters to form oligo d-amino acid esters. d-Phenylalanine ester was favored as substrate over other d-amino acid esters. The optimum conditions for oligo d-phenylalanine ester formation by d-amino acid transferase were pH 7.0 and 40°C. The enzyme was inhibited by DAN, EPNP and DFP.     

Fish emulsion as a food base for rhizobacteria promoting growth of radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. sativus) in a sandy soil

Commercial fish emulsion was evaluated as a plant growth medium and as a nutrient base to enhance radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. sativus) growth by bacterial and actinomycete isolates. Six bacterial isolates including three actinomycetes were selected from a screening of 54 bacteria (including 23 actinomycetes) based on their ability to produce plant growth regulators (PGRs) and to colonize radish roots. These isolates were tested in the presence and absence of autoclaved or non-autoclaved fish emulsion or inorganic fertilizers. The nutrient contents and types and levels of PGRs in tissues of treated plants were assayed to determine the basis of growth promotion. Fish emulsion was found to support plant growth in a sandy soil as effectively as an applied inorganic fertilizer. The plant growth promotion by bacterial and actinomycete isolates was most pronounced in the presence of autoclaved or non-autoclaved fish emulsion than in the presence of the inorganic fertilizers. The bacterial and actinomycete isolates were capable of producing auxins, gibberellins and cytokinins and appeared to use fish emulsion as a source of nutrients and precursors for PGRs. PGR levels in planta following combined treatments of the bacterial and actinomycete isolates and fish emulsion were found to be significantly enhanced over other treatments. The effect of fish emulsion appears to be more related to its role as a nutrient base for the bacterial and actinomycete isolates rather than to the increased activity of the general microflora of treated soil. This is the first report of fish emulsion as a nutrient base for plant growth promoting rhizobacteria. These results also indicate that the successful treatment can be effective and economical for horticultural production in sandy soils such as those found in the United Arab Emirates where fish emulsion is already in use as a substitute or supplement for inorganic fertilizer.     

海洋放线菌Streptomyces sp.大片段DNA基因组文库的构建

目的:构建稀有海洋放线菌Streptomyces sp.基因组文库.方法:以稀有海洋放线菌Streptomyces sp.为实验材料,随机剪切提取的总DNA,5'-磷酸末端补平回收40kb左右的DNA片段,与pWEBTM载体连接,经包装蛋白包装成噬菌体后侵染宿主细胞E.coli EPI100,构建该菌株的基因组文库,并对该文库进行质量鉴定.结果:成功构建了稀有海洋放线菌Streptomyces sp.的基因组文库,效价达9.0×104CFU/mL,得到4000个阳性克隆子,远远大于按覆盖率为99%计算至少所需的837个阳性克降子数,且平均插入片段长度为36kb,重组率100%.阳性克隆子保存于96孔板中,-80℃保存.结论:所构建文库的各项指标均达到要求,为了进一步评估Streptomyces sp.所能合成的所有潜在天然产物,还需要进一步检测该文库中包含有生物合成基因簇的大肠杆菌的表达情况.     

Discovery of nosokophic acid,a predicted intermediate of moenomycins,from nosokomycin-producing Streptomyces sp. K04-0144

A new actinomycete metabolite designated nosokophic acid was isolated from the culture broth of nosokomycin-producing Streptomyces sp. K04-0144, and the structure was elucidated by various NMR experiments. Nosokophic acid was found to be 3-phosphoglycosyl-2-sesquiterpenyl dihydroxypropionic acid, a predicted biosynthetic intermediate of nosokomycin-related moenomycins. The compound showed no activity against MRSA, but potentiated imipenem activity against MRSA by 512-fold.     

Isolation of a new antibiotic, alaremycin, structurally related to 5-aminolevulinic acid from Streptomyces sp. A012304

A new antibiotic, which is structurally related to 5-aminolevulinic acid, a precursor of heme biosynthesis, and named alaremycin, was isolated from the culture broth of an actinomycete strain through a random screening with the blue assay to detect the formation of anucleate cells in Escherichia coli. The producing strain was identified as Streptomyces sp. by morphological, physiological, chemical and genetic criteria. Alaremycin was purified from the culture supernatant by HP-20 hydrophobic-interaction chromatography, sequential solvent/water extraction in the acidic or alkaline pH range, and QMA cation-exchange chromatography. The chemical structure of alaremycin was determined as 5-acetamido-4-oxo-5-hexenoic acid by analyses of mass and NMR spectra. The antibacterial activity of alaremycin was enhanced in the presence of 5-aminolevulinic acid.     

Isolation of flavohemoglobin from the actinomycete Streptomyces antibioticus grown without external nitric oxide stress

A flavocytochrome protein was isolated from the actinomycete Streptomyces antibioticus. The purified protein contained protoheme and FAD, and its M(r) was estimated to be 52000. The absorption spectra in its resting oxidized, dithionite-reduced, carbon monoxide-bound, and oxygenated (O(2)-bound) forms were characteristic of those of flavohemoglobin (Fhb). The N-terminal amino acid sequence showed high identities to those of other Fhb's. Furthermore, the actinomycete flavocytochrome scavenged nitric oxide in the presence of NADH. These results demonstrated that the flavocytochrome is the first Fhb purified from actinomycetes. The actinomycete Fhb was produced in S. antibioticus cells in large amounts without any external nitric oxide (NO) stress, which is indicative of a physiological function of Fhb other than detoxification of NO.     

Analysis of actinomycete communities by specific amplification of genes encoding 16S rRNA and gel-electrophoretic separation in denaturing gradients.

A group-specific primer, F243 (positions 226 to 243, Escherichia coli numbering), was developed by comparison of sequences of genes encoding 16S rRNA (16S rDNA) for the detection of actinomycetes in the environment with PCR and temperature or denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE or DGGE, respectively). The specificity of the forward primer in combination with different reverse ones was tested with genomic DNA from a variety of bacterial strains. Most actinomycetes investigated could be separated by TGGE and DGGE, with both techniques giving similar results. Two strategies were employed to study natural microbial communities. First, we used the selective amplification of actinomycete sequences (E. coli positions 226 to 528) for direct analysis of the products in denaturing gradients. Second, a nested PCR providing actinomycete-specific fragments (E. coli positions 226 to 1401) was used which served as template for a PCR when conserved primers were used. The products (E. coli positions 968 to 1401) of this indirect approach were then separated by use of gradient gels. Both approaches allowed detection of actinomycete communities in soil. The second strategy allowed the estimation of the relative abundance of actinomycetes within the bacterial community. Mixtures of PCR-derived 16S rDNA fragments were used as model communities consisting of five actinomycetes and five other bacterial species. Actinomycete products were obtained over a 100-fold dilution range of the actinomycete DNA in the model community by specific PCR; detection of the diluted actinomycete DNA was not possible when conserved primers were used. The methods tested for detection were applied to monitor actinomycete community changes in potato rhizosphere and to investigate actinomycete diversity in different soils.     

Cloning, expression, and substrate specificity of a fungal chymotrypsin. Evidence for lateral gene transfer from an actinomycete bacterium

Unlike trypsins, chymotrypsins have not until now been found in fungi. Expressed sequence tag analysis of the deuteromycete Metarhizium anisopliae identified two trypsins (family S1) and a novel chymotrypsin (CHY1). CHY1 resembles actinomycete (bacterial) chymotrypsins (family S2) rather than other eukaryote enzymes (family S1) in being synthesized as a precursor species (374 amino acids, pI/MW: 5.07/38,279) containing a large N-terminal fragment (186 amino acids). Chy1 was expressed in Pichia pastoris yielding an enzyme with a chymotrypsin specificity for branched aliphatic and aromatic C-terminal amino acids. This is predictable as key catalytic residues determining the specificity of Streptomyces griseus chymotrypsins are conserved with CHY1. Mature (secreted) CHY1 (pI/MW: 8.29/18,499) shows closest overall amino acid identity to S. griseus protease C (55%) and clustered with other secreted bacterial S2 chymotrypsins that diverged widely from animal and endocellular bacterial enzymes in phylogenetic trees of the chymotrypsin superfamily. Conversely, actinomycete chymotrypsins are much more closely related to fungal proteases than to other eubacterial sequences. Complete genomes of yeast, gram eubacteria, archaebacteria, and mitochondria do not contain paralogous genes. Expressed sequence tag data bases from other fungi also lack chymotrypsin homologs. In light of this patchy distribution, we conclude that chy1 probably arose by lateral gene transfer from an actinomycete bacterium.     

Phenotypic variation in Streptomyces sp. DSM 40537, a lipoteichoic acid producing actinomycete

Aims:  To reinvestigate the production of lipoteichoic acid (LTA) by the actinomycete strain Streptomyces sp. DSM 40537 (=ATCC 3351).
Methods and Results:  LTA was extracted and purified from strain Streptomyces sp. DSM 40537. The identification of the LTA was confirmed by Western blotting with a monoclonal antibody. During these studies, two stable phenotypic variants of DSM 40537 were obtained, one of which released a distinctive orange pigment. 16S rRNA gene sequencing of each variant yielded identical sequences and allowed phylogenetic analysis to be performed.
Conclusions:  Streptomyces sp. DSM 40537 was shown to exhibit stable morphological variation. The strain was confirmed to be a LTA-producing actinomycete and to belong to the Streptomyces albidoflavus cluster within the genus Streptomyces .
Significance and Impact of the Study:  These data provide important support for the hypothesis that the distribution of LTA is linked to that of wall teichoic acids and emphasizes the need to reinvestigate LTA distribution in actinomycetes.     

A chitinolytic actinomycete complex in black soil

A chitinolytic actinomycete complex in chernozem soil has a specific taxonomic composition, which differs from that of the actinomycete complex which is typically isolated on standard nutrient media containing sugars and organic acids as carbon sources. The actinomycete complex that was isolated by using nutrient media with chitin as the source of carbon and nitrogen was dominated by representatives of the genus Streptosporangium, and the actinomycete complex that was isolated by using nutrient media with sugars and organic acids as the carbon sources was dominated by representatives of the genus Streptomyces. The confirmation to the ability of actinomycetes to utilize chitin as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen came from the augmented length and biomass of the mycelium, the increased number and biomass of the actinomycete spores, the production of carbon dioxide, and the accumulation of NH4+ ions in the culture liquid of the actinomycetes that are grown in the nutrient media with chitin.     

The structure of the exocellular polysaccharide produced by Rhodococcus sp. RHA1

Rhodococcus sp. RHA1 is a Gram-positive actinomycete capable of metabolizing a wide spectrum of organic compounds whose survival in chemically hostile environments is believed to be in part due to the production of an exocellular polysaccharide (EPS). In order to investigate the functional nature of the EPS, its structure was determined using a combinatory approach including hydrolysis, composition, and methylation, analysis methods, as well as 2D (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. The EPS was found to be a high-molecular-mass polymer of a repeating tetrasaccharide unit composed of D-glucuronic acid, D-glucose, D-galactose, L-fucose and O-acetyl (1:1:1:1:1), and has the structure:     

放线菌Streptomyces sp．FJ3的核糖体工程改良与活性产物的分离

[目的]利用核糖体工程抗性筛选技术,获得有抗菌活性突变株,并对突变株新产生活性物质进行研究.[方法]以三峡库区筛选出的无抗菌活性放线菌野生株为出发菌,通过单菌落挑选与平板划线培养,分离筛选具有链霉素和利福平抗性突变株;通过摇瓶发酵和对发酵液进行纸片法活性测定,获得抗金葡菌活性突变株;采用高效液相色谱法(HPLC)分析其发酵液组分,通过LC-MS对变化峰进行分析;进行16S rDNA及形态学鉴定.[结果]链霉素和利福平对放线菌菌株FJ3的MIC分别为0.5μg/mL和110μg/mL;在FJ3突变菌株中,共获得24株链霉素突变菌株和20株利福平突变菌株,抗菌活性筛选显示6株具有抗菌活性,其中2株链霉素突变菌株对金葡菌有强抑菌活性,采用Doskochilova溶剂系统纸层析结果表明,该活性物质为一种核酸类抗生素,HPLC和LC-MS显示该活性物质可能为硫藤黄菌素.[结论]利用核糖体工程技术可以改变放线菌的次级代谢,获得具有生物活性的突变株,拓展药源放线菌活性菌株新资源.     

Degradation of 1,4-dioxane by an actinomycete in pure culture.

An actinomycete capable of sustained aerobic growth on 1,4-dioxane was isolated from a dioxane-contaminated sludge samples. The actinomycete, CB1190, grows on 1,4-dioxane as the sole carbon and energy source with a generation time of approximately 30 h. CB1190 degrades 1,4-dioxane at a rate of 0.33 mg of dioxane min-1 mg of protein-1 and mineralizes 59.5% of the dioxane to CO2. CB1190 also grows with other cyclic and linear ethers as the sole carbon and energy sources, including 1,3-dioxane, 2-methyl-1,3-dioxolane, tetrahydrofuran, tetrahydropyran, diethyl ether, and butyl methyl ether. CB1190 is capable of aerobic autotrophic growth on H2 and CO2.     

An integrated method for the enrichment and selective isolation of Actinokineospora spp. in soil and plant litter

AIMS: To devise and evaluate a method for isolating the rare, zoosporic actinomycetes, Actinokineospora spp. in soil and plant litter. METHODS AND RESULTS: The newly developed method consists of two enrichment stages followed by plating on a selective medium. The source material is initially incubated with calcium carbonate to multiply the population of Actinokineospora spp., and is then air-dried. The second stage consists of rehydration-centrifugation, in which the amended substrate is immersed in phosphate buffer-soil extract to liberate actinomycete zoospores, and nonmotile microbial associates are then eliminated by centrifugation. Portions of the supernatant enriched with zoospores are plated on humic-acid vitamin agar supplemented with fradiomycin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid and trimethoprim. We examined 39 soil and plant-litter samples taken from fields, forests and stream banks. The proposed method consistently enriched and selectively isolated Actinokineospora spp. in 17 samples. Evidence for antimicrobial activity was found in most of the isolates. CONCLUSION: A combination of enrichment and a medium containing selective antibiotics can be used successfully for efficient isolation of certain rare actinomycete taxa. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The development of new methodologies with which to isolate rare actinomycetes is of great importance to extend our understanding of their ecology, taxonomy and bioactivity.     

酸性和碱性土壤新分离的放线菌中线型和环型质粒的检测

从湖南、云南采集的19份酸性土壤样品分离到50株放线菌,在pH4.5和pH7.0的培养基上都能生长.从新疆、青海、云南的14份碱性土壤样品中分离到38株放线菌,在pH10.0和pH7.0的培养基上均能生长.因此,这些菌株属于中度嗜酸或中度嗜碱放线菌.利用脉冲电泳技术和普通凝胶电泳在其中12株放线菌中检测到线型质粒,其中3株放线菌中检测到环型质粒.这是首次在中度嗜酸和中度嗜碱的放线菌中报道线型和环型质粒.     

Production of a polyester degrading extracellular hydrolase from Thermomonospora fusca

The production of a polyester-degrading hydrolase from the thermophilic actinomycete Thermomonospora fusca was investigated with regard to its potential technical application. Only in the presence of a polyester (random aliphatic-aromatic copolyester from 1,4-butanediol, terephthalic acid, and adipic acid with around 40-50 mol % terephthalic acid in the acid component), the excretion of the extracellular enzyme could be achieved with an optimized synthetic medium using pectin and NH(4)Cl as nitrogen source. Compared to complex media, a significantly higher specific activity at comparable volumetric yields could be obtained, thus reducing the expenditure for purification. The activity profile in the medium is controlled by a complex process involving (1) induction of enzyme excretion, (2) enzyme adsorption on the hydrophobic polyester surface, (3) inhibition of enzyme generation by monomers produced by polyester cleavage, and (4) enzyme denaturation. Diafiltration with cellulose acetate membranes as the sole downstream processing step led to a product of high purity and with sufficient yield (60% of total activity). Scaling-up from shaking flasks to a fermentor scale of 100 L revealed no specific problems. However, the excretion of the hydrolase by the actinomycete turned out to be inhibited by the degradation products (monomers) of the aliphatic-aromatic copolyester used as inductor for the enzyme production. The crude enzyme exhibited generally similar properties (temperature and pH optimum) as the highly purified hydrolase described previously; however, the storage capability and thermal stability is improved when the crude enzyme solution is diafiltrated.     

Microwave irradiation is a useful tool for improving isolation of actinomycetes from soil

Actinomycetes are an important source of novel, biologically active compounds. New methods need to be developed for isolating previously unknown actinomycetes from soil. The objective of this experiment was to study microwave irradiation of soil as a means for isolating previously unknown actinomycetes. Soil samples were collected at ten elevations between 800 m and 3670 m on Taibai Mountain, Shaanxi Province, China. Moistened soil samples were irradiated at 120 W heating power (2450 MHz) for 3 min using a household microwave oven. Irradiation increased total actinomycete, streptomycete, and antagonistic actinomycete counts on three types of culture media. Irradiation also increased the number of culturable actinomycete isolates. Some actinomycete isolates were culturable only after the soil was irradiated, whereas other isolates could not be cultured after irradiation. Irradiation of soil from elevations >3000 m increased actinomycete counts significantly but had little effect on the number of culturable actinomycete isolates. In contrast, irradiation of samples from elevations <3000 m had relatively little effect on actinomycete counts, but significantly increased the number of culturable actinomycete isolates. We used 16S rDNA sequence analysis to identity 14 actinomycete isolates that were only culturable after irradiation. Microwave irradiation of soil was helpful for isolating Streptomyces spp., Nocardia spp., Streptosporangium spp., and Lentzea spp. Slightly more than 90% of the identified actinomycete species were biologically active. In conclusion, microwave irradiation is a useful tool for isolating biologically active actinomycetes from soil.     

Description of the erythromycin-producing bacterium Arthrobacter sp. strain NRRL B-3381 as Aeromicrobium erythreum gen. nov., sp. nov

Arthrobacter sp. strain NRRL B-3381T (T = type strain) is a nonmycelial, nonsporulating actinomycete that produces the macrolide antibiotic erythromycin. This bacterium differs in many ways from the type species of the genus Arthrobacter (Arthrobacter globiformis), suggesting that a taxonomic revision is appropriate. The G + C content of strain NRRL B-3381T DNA is 71 to 73 mol%, and the peptidoglycan of this organism contains LL-diaminopimelic acid. Evolutionary distance data obtained from 16S rRNA sequences identified NRRL B-3381T as the deepest branching member of the Nocardioides group of actinomycetes. The principal long-chain fatty acids which we identified that distinguished strain NRRL B-3381T from related G + C-rich bacteria were 10-methyloctadecanoic (tuberculosteric), octadecenoic, and hexadecanoic acids. These characteristics, together with phage typing and biochemical characteristics, form the basis for our recommendation that strain NRRL B-3381 should be the type strain of a new taxon, for which we propose the name Aeromicrobium erythreum.     

Isolation and characterization of Actinopolyspora halophila, gen. et sp. nov., an extremely halophilic actinomycete.

An actinomycete, isolated as a contaminant of a culture medium containing 25% NaCl, has been classified as Actinopolyspora halophila gen. et sp. nov. in the family Nocardiaceae. The morphology and biochemical characteristics of this organism distinguish it from other members of the family Nocardiaceae and other genera possessing a type IV cell wall. It requires high NaCl concentrations for growth and can grow in saturated NaCl. The lowest concentration permitting growth in liquid medium is 12%, and on solid medium, 10%. Colonies developing at lower salt concentrations contain holes resembling viral plaques. No growth occurred in a medium containing 30% KCl instead of NaCl. This organism can grow in simple media with NH4+ salts as nitrogen source and different sugars and other compounds as carbon source. Though it has a salt requirement almost as great as the extremely halophilic rods and cocci, it differs from these in containing diaminopimelic acid and in sensitivity to lysozyme; both properties suggest that it has a mucopeptide cell wall. It also contains some phospholipids common to other actinomycetes, but does not contain any phytanyl ether linked lipids characteristic of other extremely halophilic bacteria.     

嗜碱放线菌YIM-80147次生代谢产物的化学成分研究

对嗜碱放线菌YIM-80147的发酵产物进行化学成分的研究,从中分离得到6个化合物。根据光谱数据的分析,鉴定其结构分别为P371A2(1),4-hydroxymethyl-3-(i-hydroxy-6-methyl-heptyl)-dihydro-furan-2-one(2),nonactic acid(3),homononactinic acid(4),对羟基肉桂酸(5),阿魏酸(6)。