Streptomyces
Perspective | Applied and Environmental ScienceCryptic or Silent? The Known Unknowns, Unknown Knowns, and Unknown Unknowns of Secondary MetabolismMicrobial natural products, particularly those produced by filamentous Actinobacteria, underpin the majority of clinically used antibiotics. Unfortunately, only a few new antibiotic classes have been discovered since the 1970s, which has exacerbated fears of a postapocalyptic world in which antibiotics have lost their utility. Excitingly, the genome sequencing revolution painted an entirely new picture, one in which an average...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA Chemical Counterpunch: Chromobacterium violaceum ATCC 31532 Produces Violacein in Response to Translation-Inhibiting AntibioticsSecondary metabolites play important roles in microbial communities, but their natural functions are often unknown and may be more complex than appreciated. While compounds with antibiotic activity are often assumed to underlie microbial competition, they may alternatively act as signal molecules. In either scenario, microorganisms might evolve responses to sublethal concentrations of these metabolites, either to protect themselves from...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceMassive Gene Flux Drives Genome Diversity between Sympatric Streptomyces ConspecificsHorizontal gene transfer is a rapid and efficient way to diversify bacterial gene pools. Currently, little is known about this gene flux within natural soil populations. Using comparative genomics of Streptomyces strains belonging to the same species and isolated at microscale, we reveal frequent transfer of a significant fraction of the pangenome. We show that it occurs at a time scale enabling the population to diversify and...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceA Single Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Is Responsible for the Production of Bagremycin Antibiotics and Ferroverdin Iron ChelatorsAccess to whole-genome sequences has exposed the general incidence of the so-called cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), thereby renewing their interest for natural product discovery. As a consequence, genome mining is the often first approach implemented to assess the potential of a microorganism for producing novel bioactive metabolites. By revealing a new level of complexity of natural product biosynthesis, we further...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyInitial Metabolic Step of a Novel Ethanolamine Utilization Pathway and Its Regulation in Streptomyces coelicolor M145Until now, knowledge of the utilization of ethanolamine in Streptomyces was limited. Our work represents the first attempt to reveal a novel ethanolamine utilization pathway in the actinobacterial model organism S. coelicolor through the characterization of the key enzyme gamma-glutamylethanolamide synthetase GlnA4, which is absolutely required for growth in...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyStreptomyces Volatile Compounds Influence Exploration and Microbial Community Dynamics by Altering Iron AvailabilityMicrobial growth and community interactions are influenced by a multitude of factors. A new mode of Streptomyces growth—exploration—is promoted by interactions with the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and requires the emission of trimethylamine (TMA), a pH-raising volatile compound. We show...
- Research ArticleTranslational Control of the SigR-Directed Oxidative Stress Response in Streptomyces via IF3-Mediated Repression of a Noncanonical GTC Start Codon
In all sigma factor-antisigma factor regulatory switches, the relative abundance of the two proteins is critical to the proper functioning of the system. Many sigma-antisigma operons are cotranscribed and translationally coupled, leading to a generic assumption that the sigma and antisigma factors are produced in a fixed 1:1 ratio. In the case of sigR-rsrA, we show instead that the antisigma factor is produced in...
- Research ArticleLateral Gene Transfer Dynamics in the Ancient Bacterial Genus Streptomyces
Tree-based phylogenetics and the use of species as units of diversity lie at the foundation of modern biology. In bacteria, these pillars of evolutionary theory have been called into question due to the observation of thousands of lateral gene transfer (LGT) events within and between lineages. Here, we show that acquisition and retention of genes through LGT are exceedingly rare in the bacterial genus Streptomyces, with merely...