ABSTRACT
Previous reports showed that the large linear plasmid SCP1 of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) contains a 5.4 kb centrally located replication locus. We report here that SCP1 actually contains three internal replication loci. Subcloning of the 5.4 kb sequence identified a 3.2 kb minimal locus (rep1A/repB/iteron) that determined propagation in Streptomyces lividans. The two newly identified replication genes, rep2A and rep3A, resembled the rep gene of Streptomyces circular plasmid pZL12. Transcription start points of the three replication genes were determined. The three replication loci could independently determine propagation in linear mode in S. lividans. Individual and sequential deletions of the rep1A and rep3A genes were successful. The SCP1-derived linear plasmids with deletions of the rep1A and/or rep3A genes still propagated in similar copy numbers, were inherited largely stable and were transferred efficiently by conjugation in S. coelicolor. Interestingly, SCP1 can be artificially circularized to yield a 280 kb circular plasmid, circular SCP-1 (C-SCP1), which contains the three replication loci. Strikingly, the copy numbers, inheritance and transfer of C-SCP1 resembled that of the linear SCP1 plasmids. Transcripts of the rep1A, rep2A and rep3A genes in linear or artificially circularized SCP1 were detected at all the time points of strain growth.
Subject(s)
Plasmids , Replication Origin , Streptomyces coelicolor/genetics , Cloning, Molecular , DNA Replication , Genomic Instability , Replicon , Streptomyces lividans/genetics , Transcription Initiation SiteABSTRACT
Here we report that tgdA, a novel gene encoding a putative transglycosylase, affects both the morphological differentiation and the yield of blue-pigmented compound actinorhodin in Streptomyces coelicolor. The tgdA null mutant displays sparse aerial hyphae and irregular spore chains frequently lacking chromosomal DNA. Elevated actinorhodin production coincides with the overexpression of actII-orf4 in mutant. tgdA expression is temporally and developmentally regulated. The tgdA orthologs in Streptomyces avermilitis and Streptomyces lividans also affect differentiation.
Subject(s)
Bacterial Proteins/metabolism , Glycosyltransferases/metabolism , Streptomyces coelicolor/metabolism , Anthraquinones/metabolism , Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial , Glycosyltransferases/genetics , Microscopy, Confocal , Microscopy, Electron, Scanning , Mutation , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction , Spores, Bacterial/genetics , Spores, Bacterial/metabolism , Spores, Bacterial/ultrastructure , Streptomyces coelicolor/genetics , Streptomyces coelicolor/growth & developmentABSTRACT
The genus of Nocardiopsis is a new source of antibiotics, chemicals, and enzymes. Here we reported the development of a vector and host system in moderately halophilic Nocardiopsis via an oriT-mediated conjugation. By screening about 80 Nocardiopsis strains, 6 of them harbored 8 plasmids (18-80 kb). The complete nucleotide sequence of pSQ10 consisted of 18,219 bp, with 71.9% G + C content, encoding 17 open reading frames, 5 of them resembled those of Streptomyces plasmids. A rep locus (iteron within the gene) was identified for replication in Nocardiopsis sp. YIM 90083, and rep protein bound to its iteron sequence. This system may be useful for gene cloning and expression in Nocardiopsis.
Subject(s)
Actinomycetales/genetics , DNA Replication , Genetic Vectors/genetics , Plasmids/genetics , Actinomycetales/classification , Actinomycetales/metabolism , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Bacterial Proteins/metabolism , Base Composition/genetics , Base Sequence , DNA, Bacterial/chemistry , DNA, Bacterial/genetics , DNA, Bacterial/metabolism , Drug Resistance, Bacterial , Escherichia coli/genetics , Molecular Sequence Data , Open Reading Frames/genetics , Phylogeny , Protein Binding , Replication Origin/genetics , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Species Specificity , Thiostrepton/pharmacology , Transformation, BacterialABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Streptomyces coelicolor is the most studied Streptomyces species and an excellent model for studying differentiation and antibiotic production. To date, many genes have been identified to be required for its differentiation (e.g. bld genes for aerial growth and whi genes for sporulation) and antibiotics production (including actII-orf4, redD, cdaR as pathway-specific regulatory genes and afsR, absA1/A2 as pleiotropic regulatory genes). RESULTS: A gene cluster containing six genes (SCO4126-4131) was proved to be co-transcribed in S. coelicolor. Deletions of cmdABCDEF (SCO4126-4131) displayed defective sporulation including formation of aberrant branches, and abnormalities in chromosome segregation and spore septation. Disruption mutants of apparently orthologous genes of S. lividans and S. avermitilis also showed defective sporulation, implying that the role of these genes is similar among Streptomyces. Transcription of cmdB, and therefore presumably of the whole operon, was regulated developmentally. Five of the encoded proteins (CmdA, C, D, E, F) were predicted membrane proteins. The other, CmdB, a predicted ATP/GTP-binding protein with an ABC-transporter-ATPase domain shown here to be essential for its function, was also located on the cell membrane. These results indicate that CmdABCDEF proteins mainly affect Streptomyces differentiation at an early stage of aerial hyphae formation, and suggest that these proteins may form a complex on cell membrane for proper segregation of chromosomes. In addition, deletions of cmdABCDEF also revealed over-production of blue-pigmented actinorhodin (Act) via activation of transcription of the pathway-specific regulatory gene actII-orf4 of actinorhodin biosynthesis. CONCLUSION: In this study, six co-transcribed genes cmdABCDEF were identified by their effects on differentiation and antibiotic production in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). These six membrane-located proteins are possibly assembled into a complex to function.
Subject(s)
Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Membrane Proteins/genetics , Multigene Family , Streptomyces coelicolor/genetics , Anti-Bacterial Agents/biosynthesis , Bacterial Proteins/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial , Genes, Bacterial , Membrane Proteins/metabolism , Mutagenesis , Operon , Streptomyces coelicolor/growth & development , Streptomyces coelicolor/metabolism , Transcription, GeneticABSTRACT
Many Streptomyces species harbor circular plasmids (8 to 31 kb) as well as linear plasmids (12 to 1,700 kb). We report the characterization of two newly detected circular plasmids, pFP11 (35,139 bp) and pFP1 (39,360 bp). As on linear plasmids, their replication loci comprise repA genes and adjacent iterons, to which RepA proteins bind specifically in vitro. Plasmids containing the minimal iterons plus the repA locus of pFP11 were inherited extremely unstably; par and additional loci were required for stable inheritance. Surprisingly, plasmids containing replication loci from pFP11 or Streptomyces circular plasmid SCP2 but not from pFP1, SLP1, or pIJ101 propagated in a stable linear mode when the telomeres of a linear plasmid were attached. These results indicate bidirectional replication for pFP11 and SCP2. Both pFP11 and pFP1 contain, for plasmid transfer, a major functional traB gene (encoding a DNA translocase typical for Streptomyces plasmids) as well as, surprisingly, a putative traA gene (encoding a DNA nickase, characteristic of single-stranded DNA transfer of gram-negative plasmids), but this did not appear to be functional, at least in isolation.
