Interpretable Machine Learning Models Based on SHapley Additive exPlanations for Predicting the Risk of Cerebrospinal Fluid Leakage in Lumbar Fusion Surgery.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this investigation was to formulate and internally verify a customized machine learning (ML) framework for forecasting cerebrospinal fluid leakage (CSFL) in lumbar fusion surgery. This was accomplished by integrating imaging parameters and employing the SHapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) technique to elucidate the interpretability of the model. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Given the increasing incidence and surgical volume of spinal degeneration worldwide, accurate predictions of postoperative complications are urgently needed. SHAP-based interpretable ML models have not been used for CSFL risk factor analysis in lumbar fusion surgery. METHODS: Clinical and imaging data were retrospectively collected from 3505 patients who underwent lumbar fusion surgery. Six distinct machine learning models were formulated: extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), Gaussian naive Bayes (GaussianNB), and K-nearest neighbors (KNN) models. Evaluation of model performance on the test dataset was performed using performance metrics, and the analysis was executed through the SHAP framework. RESULTS: CSFL was detected in 95 out of 3505 patients (2.71%). Notably, the XGBoost model exhibited outstanding accuracy in forecasting CSFLs, with high precision (0.9815), recall (0.6667), accuracy (0.8182), F1 score (0.7347), and AUC (0.7343). Additionally, through SHAP analysis, significant predictors of CSFL were identified, including ligamentum flavum thickness, zygapophysial joint degeneration grade, central spinal stenosis grade, decompression segment count, decompression mode, intervertebral height difference, Cobb angle, intervertebral height index difference, operation mode, lumbar segment lordosis angle difference, Meyerding grade of lumbar spondylolisthesis, and revision surgery. CONCLUSION: The combination of the XGBoost model with the SHAP is an effective tool for predicting the risk of CSFL during lumbar fusion surgery. Its implementation could aid clinicians in making informed decisions, potentially enhancing patient outcomes and lowering healthcare expenses. This study advocates for the adoption of this approach in clinical settings to enhance the evaluation of CSFL risk among patients undergoing lumbar fusion.

Antitumor Effect and Gut Microbiota Modulation by Quercetin, Luteolin, and Xanthohumol in a Rat Model for Colorectal Cancer Prevention.

Colorectal cancer stands as the third most prevalent form of cancer worldwide, with a notable increase in incidence in Western countries, mainly attributable to unhealthy dietary habits and other factors, such as smoking or reduced physical activity. Greater consumption of vegetables and fruits has been associated with a lower incidence of colorectal cancer, which is attributed to their high content of fiber and bioactive compounds, such as flavonoids. In this study, we have tested the flavonoids quercetin, luteolin, and xanthohumol as potential antitumor agents in an animal model of colorectal cancer induced by azoxymethane and dodecyl sodium sulphate. Forty rats were divided into four cohorts: Cohort 1 (control cohort), Cohort 2 (quercetin cohort), Cohort 3 (luteolin cohort), and Cohort 4 (xanthohumol cohort). These flavonoids were administered intraperitoneally to evaluate their antitumor potential as pharmaceutical agents. At the end of the experiment, after euthanasia, different physical parameters and the intestinal microbiota populations were analyzed. Luteolin was effective in significantly reducing the number of tumors compared to the control cohort. Furthermore, the main significant differences at the microbiota level were observed between the control cohort and the cohort treated with luteolin, which experienced a significant reduction in the abundance of genera associated with disease or inflammatory conditions, such as Clostridia UCG-014 or Turicibacter. On the other hand, genera associated with a healthy state, such as Muribaculum, showed a significant increase in the luteolin cohort. These results underline the anti-colorectal cancer potential of luteolin, manifested through a modulation of the intestinal microbiota and a reduction in the number of tumors.

Optimization of flavanonols heterologous biosynthesis in Streptomyces albidoflavus, and generation of auronols.

Aromadendrin and taxifolin are two flavanonols (derived from the precursor naringenin) displaying diverse beneficial properties for humans. The carbon skeleton of these flavonoids may be transformed by the human gastrointestinal microbiota into other compounds, like auronols, which exert different and interesting biological activities. While research in flavonoids has become a certainly extensive field, studies about auronols are still scarce. In this work, different versions of the key plant enzyme for flavanonols biosynthesis, The flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H), has been screened for selecting the best one for the de novo production of these compounds in the bacterial factory Streptomyces albidoflavus UO-FLAV-004-NAR, a naringenin overproducer strain. This screening has rendered 2.6 µg/L of aromadendrin and 2.1 mg/L of taxifolin final production titers. Finally, the expression of the chalcone isomerase (CHI) from the gut bacterium Eubacterium ramulus has rendered a direct conversion (after feeding experiments) of 38.1% of (+)-aromadendrin into maesopsin and 74.6% of (+)-taxifolin into alphitonin. Moreover, de novo heterologous biosynthesis of 1.9 mg/L of alphitonin was accomplished by means of a co-culture strategy of a taxifolin producer S. albidoflavus and a CHI-expressing Escherichia coli, after the observation of the high instability of alphitonin in the culture medium. This study addresses the significance of culture time optimization and selection of appropriate enzymes depending on the desired final product. To our knowledge, this is the first time that alphitonin de novo production has been accomplished.

Gut Microbiota and Inflammation Modulation in a Rat Model for Ulcerative Colitis after the Intraperitoneal Administration of Apigenin, Luteolin, and Xanthohumol.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disorder affecting the colon, with symptomatology influenced by factors including environmental, genomic, microbial, and immunological interactions. Gut microbiota dysbiosis, characterized by bacterial population alterations, contributes to intestinal homeostasis disruption and aberrant immune system activation, thereby exacerbating the inflammatory state. This study assesses the therapeutic efficacy of intraperitoneal (IP) injected flavonoids (apigenin, luteolin, and xanthohumol) in the reduction of inflammatory parameters and the modulation of the gut microbiota in a murine model of ulcerative colitis. Flavonoids interact with gut microbiota by modulating their composition and serving as substrates for the fermentation into other anti-inflammatory bioactive compounds. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of luteolin and xanthohumol treatment in enhancing the relative abundance of anti-inflammatory microorganisms, thereby attenuating pro-inflammatory species. Moreover, all three flavonoids exhibit efficacy in the reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, with luteolin strongly demonstrating utility in alleviating associated physical UC symptoms. This suggests that this molecule is a potential alternative or co-therapy to conventional pharmacological interventions, potentially mitigating their adverse effects. A limited impact on microbiota is observed with apigenin, and this is attributed to its solubility constraints via the chosen administration route, resulting in its accumulation in the mesentery.

Metabolic engineering in Streptomyces albidoflavus for the biosynthesis of the methylated flavonoids sakuranetin, acacetin, and genkwanin.

Flavonoids are important plant secondary metabolites showing antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral activities, among others. Methylated flavonoids are particularly interesting compared to non-methylated ones due to their greater stability and intestinal absorption, which improves their oral bioavailability. In this work we have stablished a metabolic engineered strain of Streptomyces albidoflavus with enhanced capabilities for flavonoid production, achieving a 1.6-fold increase in the biosynthesis of naringenin with respect to the parental strain. This improved strain, S. albidoflavus UO-FLAV-004, has been used for the heterologous biosynthesis of the methylated flavonoids sakuranetin, acacetin and genkwanin. The achieved titers of sakuranetin and acacetin were 8.2 mg/L and 5.8 mg/L, respectively. The genkwanin titers were 0.8 mg/L, with a bottleneck identified in this producing strain. After applying a co-culture strategy, genkwanin production titers reached 3.5 mg/L, which represents a 4.4-fold increase. To our knowledge, this study presents the first biosynthesis of methylated flavonoids in not only any Streptomyces species, but also in any Gram-positive bacteria.

Metabolic engineering strategies for naringenin production enhancement in Streptomyces albidoflavus J1074.

BACKGROUND: Naringenin is an industrially relevant compound due to its multiple pharmaceutical properties as well as its central role in flavonoid biosynthesis. RESULTS: On our way to develop Streptomyces albidoflavus J1074 as a microbial cell factory for naringenin production, we have significantly increased the yields of this flavanone by combining various metabolic engineering strategies, fermentation strategies and genome editing approaches in a stepwise manner. Specifically, we have screened different cultivation media to identify the optimal production conditions and have investigated how the additive feeding of naringenin precursors influences the production. Furthermore, we have employed genome editing strategies to remove biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) associated with pathways that might compete with naringenin biosynthesis for malonyl-CoA precursors. Moreover, we have expressed MatBC, coding for a malonate transporter and an enzyme responsible for the conversion of malonate into malonyl-CoA, respectively, and have duplicated the naringenin BGC, further contributing to the production improvement. By combining all of these strategies, we were able to achieve a remarkable 375-fold increase (from 0.06 mg/L to 22.47 mg/L) in naringenin titers. CONCLUSION: This work demonstrates the influence that fermentation conditions have over the final yield of a bioactive compound of interest and highlights various bottlenecks that affect production. Once such bottlenecks are identified, different strategies can be applied to overcome them, although the efficiencies of such strategies may vary and are difficult to predict.

Optimized De Novo Eriodictyol Biosynthesis in Streptomyces albidoflavus Using an Expansion of the Golden Standard Toolkit for Its Use in Actinomycetes.

Eriodictyol is a hydroxylated flavonoid displaying multiple pharmaceutical activities, such as antitumoral, antiviral or neuroprotective. However, its industrial production is limited to extraction from plants due to its inherent limitations. Here, we present the generation of a Streptomyces albidoflavus bacterial factory edited at the genome level for an optimized de novo heterologous production of eriodictyol. For this purpose, an expansion of the Golden Standard toolkit (a Type IIS assembly method based on the Standard European Vector Architecture (SEVA)) has been created, encompassing a collection of synthetic biology modular vectors (adapted for their use in actinomycetes). These vectors have been designed for the assembly of transcriptional units and gene circuits in a plug-and-play manner, as well as for genome editing using CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genetic engineering. These vectors have been used for the optimization of the eriodictyol heterologous production levels in S. albidoflavus by enhancing the flavonoid-3'-hydroxylase (F3'H) activity (by means of a chimera design) and by replacing three native biosynthetic gene clusters in the bacterial chromosome with the plant genes matBC (involved in extracellular malonate uptake and its intracellular activation into malonyl-CoA), therefore allowing more malonyl-CoA to be devoted to the heterologous production of plant flavonoids in this bacterial factory. These experiments have allowed an increase in production of 1.8 times in the edited strain (where the three native biosynthetic gene clusters have been deleted) in comparison with the wild-type strain and a 13 times increase in eriodictyol overproduction in comparison with the non-chimaera version of the F3'H enzyme.

Uncovering the Cryptic Gene Cluster ahb for 3-amino-4-hydroxybenzoate Derived Ahbamycins, by Searching SARP Regulator Encoding Genes in the Streptomyces argillaceus Genome.

Genome mining using standard bioinformatics tools has allowed for the uncovering of hidden biosynthesis gene clusters for specialized metabolites in Streptomyces genomes. In this work, we have used an alternative approach consisting in seeking "Streptomyces Antibiotic Regulatory Proteins" (SARP) encoding genes and analyzing their surrounding DNA region to unearth cryptic gene clusters that cannot be identified using standard bioinformatics tools. This strategy has allowed the unveiling of the new ahb cluster in Streptomyces argillaceus, which had not been retrieved before using antiSMASH. The ahb cluster is highly preserved in other Streptomyces strains, which suggests a role for their encoding compounds in specific environmental conditions. By combining overexpression of three regulatory genes and generation of different mutants, we were able to activate the ahb cluster, and to identify and chemically characterize the encoded compounds that we have named ahbamycins (AHBs). These constitute a new family of metabolites derived from 3-amino-4-hydroxybenzoate (3,4-AHBA) known for having antibiotic and antitumor activity. Additionally, by overexpressing three genes of the cluster (ahbH, ahbI, and ahbL2) for the synthesis and activation of 3,4-AHBA, a new hybrid compound, AHB18, was identified which had been produced from a metabolic crosstalk between the AHB and the argimycin P pathways. The identification of this new BGC opens the possibility to generate new compounds by combinatorial biosynthesis.

Combinatorial biosynthesis yields novel hybrid argimycin P alkaloids with diverse scaffolds in Streptomyces argillaceus.

Coelimycin P1 and argimycins P are two types of polyketide alkaloids produced by Streptomyces coelicolor and Streptomyces argillaceus, respectively. Their biosynthesis pathways share some early steps that render very similar aminated polyketide chains, diverging the pathways afterwards. By expressing the putative isomerase cpkE and/or the putative epoxidase/dehydrogenase cpkD from the coelimycin P1 gene cluster into S. argillaceus wild type and in argimycin mutant strains, five novel hybrid argimycins were generated. Chemical characterization of those compounds revealed that four of them show unprecedented scaffolds (quinolizidine and pyranopyridine) never found before in the argimycin family of compounds. One of these compounds (argimycin DM104) shows improved antibiotic activity. Noticeable, biosynthesis of these quinolizidine argimycins results from a hybrid pathway created by combining enzymes from two different pathways, which utilizes an aminated polyketide chain as precursor instead of lysine as it occurs for other quinolizidines.

FANCC deficiency mediates microglial pyroptosis and secondary neuronal apoptosis in spinal cord contusion.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI)-induced neuroinflammation results in secondary neurological destruction and functional disorder. Previous findings showed that microglial pyroptosis plays a crucial role in neuroinflammation. Thus, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the mechanisms associated with post-SCI microglial pyroptosis. The Fanconi Anemia Group C complementation group gene (FANCC) has been previously reported to have an anti-inflammation effect; however, whether it can regulate microglial pyroptosis remains unknown. Therefore, we probed the mechanism associated with FANCC-mediated microglial pyroptosis and neuroinflammation in vitro and in vivo in SCI mice. METHODS: Microglial pyroptosis was assessed by western blotting (WB) and immunofluorescence (IF), whereas microglial-induced neuroinflammation was evaluated by WB, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and IF. Besides, flow cytometry, TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling staining and WB were employed to examine the level of neuronal apoptosis. Morphological changes in neurons were assessed by hematoxylin-eosin and Luxol Fast Blue staining. Finally, locomotor function rehabilitation was analyzed using the Basso Mouse Scale and Louisville Swim Scale. RESULTS: Overexpression of FANCC suppressed microglial pyroptosis via inhibiting p38/NLRP3 expression, which in turn reduced neuronal apoptosis. By contrast, knockdown of FANCC increased the degree of neuronal apoptosis by aggravating microglial pyroptosis. Besides, increased glial scar formation, severe myelin sheath destruction and poor axon outgrowth were observed in the mice transfected with short hairpin RNA of FANCC post SCI, which caused reduced locomotor function recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, a previously unknown role of FANCC was identified in SCI, where its deficiency led to microglia pyroptosis, neuronal apoptosis and neurological damage. Mechanistically, FANCC mediated microglia pyroptosis and the inflammatory response via regulating the p38/NLRP3 pathway.

Activation of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor in microglia attenuates neuroinflammation-induced glial scarring via rescuing Arf and Rho GAP adapter protein 3 expressions after nerve injury.

Rationale: The neuroinflammation is necessary for glial group initiation and clearance of damaged cell debris after nerve injury. However, the proinflammatory polarization of excessive microglia amplifies secondary injury via enhancing cross-talk with astrocytes and exacerbating neurological destruction after spinal cord injury (SCI). The glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist has been previously shown to have a neuroprotective effect in neurodegeneration, whereas its potency in microglial inflammation after SCI is still unknown. Methods: The effect and mechanism of GLP-1R activation by exendin-4 (Ex-4) were investigated in in vitro cultured glial groups and in vivo in SCI mice. Alterations in the gene expression after GLP-1R activation in inflammatory microglia were measured using mRNA sequencing. The microglial polarization, neuroinflammatory level, and astrocyte reaction were detected by using western blotting, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence. The recoveries of neurological histology and function were also observed using imaging and ethological examinations. Results: GLP-1R activation attenuated microglia-induced neuroinflammation by reversing M1 subtypes to M2 subtypes in vitro and in vivo. In addition, activation of GLP-1R in microglia blocked production of reactive astrocytes. We also found less neuroinflammation, reactive astrocytes, corrected myelin integrity, ameliorated histology, and improved locomotor function in SCI mice treated with Ex-4. Mechanistically, we found that Ex-4 rescued the RNA expression of Arf and Rho GAP adapter protein 3 (ARAP3). Knockdown of ARAP3 in microglia reversed activation of RhoA and the pharmacological effect of Ex-4 on anti-inflammation in vitro. Conclusion: Ex-4 exhibited a previously unidentified role in reducing reactive astrocyte activation by mediation of the PI3K/ARAP3/RhoA signaling pathway, by neuroinflammation targeting microglia, and exerted a neuroprotective effect post-SCI, implying that activation of GLP-1R in microglia was a therapeutical option for treatment of neurological injury.

Reconstruction of a Genome-Scale Metabolic Model of Streptomyces albus J1074: Improved Engineering Strategies in Natural Product Synthesis.

Streptomyces albus J1074 is recognized as an effective host for heterologous production of natural products. Its fast growth and efficient genetic toolbox due to a naturally minimized genome have contributed towards its advantage in expressing biosynthetic pathways for a diverse repertoire of products such as antibiotics and flavonoids. In order to develop precise model-driven engineering strategies for de novo production of natural products, a genome-scale metabolic model (GEM) was reconstructed for the microorganism based on protein homology to model species Streptomyces coelicolor while drawing annotated data from databases and literature for further curation. To demonstrate its capabilities, the Salb-GEM was used to predict overexpression targets for desirable compounds using flux scanning with enforced objective function (FSEOF). Salb-GEM was also utilized to investigate the effect of a minimized genome on metabolic gene essentialities in comparison to another Streptomyces species, S. coelicolor.

Silencing TAK1 reduces MAPKs-MMP2/9 expression to reduce inflammation-driven neurohistological disruption post spinal cord injury.

Microglia activation post traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) provokes accumulation of inflammatory metabolites, leading to increasing neurological disruption. Our previous studies demonstrated that blocking MAPKs pathway mitigated microglia inflammatory activation and prevented cords from neuroinflammation-induced secondary injury. Transforming growth factor-ß-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) is an upstream gate regulating activation of MAPKs signaling. To validate the therapeutic effect of TAK1 inhibition in neuroinflammation post SCI, in the current study, cultures of microglia BV2 line was undergone lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in the presence of TAK1 inhibitor 5Z-7-Oxozeaenol (ZO), LPS, or control. LPS triggered inflammatory level, cell migration, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2/9 production, which was reduced in ZO-treated cultures. TAK1 inhibition by ZO also decreased activation of MAPKs pathway, indicating that ZO-mediated alleviation of neuroinflammation is likely modulated via TAK1/MAPKs axis. In vivo, neuroinflammatory level and tissue destruction were assessed in adult male mice that were undergone SCI by mechanical trauma, and treated with ZO by intraperitoneal injection. Compared with SCI mice, ZO-treated mice exhibited less microglia pro-inflammatory activation and accumulation adjacent to injured core linked to reduced MMP2/9 expression, leading to minor tissue damage and better locomotor recovery. To sum up, the obtained data proved that in the early phase post SCI, TAK1 inhibition impedes microglia biological activities including activation, enzymatic synthesis, and migration via downregulation of MAPKs pathway, and the effects may be accurately characterized as potent anti-inflammation.

Fine-tuning the regulation of Cas9 expression levels for efficient CRISPR-Cas9 mediated recombination in Streptomyces.

CRISPR-Cas9 has proven as a very powerful gene editing tool for Actinomyces, allowing scarless and precise genome editing in selected strains of these biotechnologically relevant microorganisms. However, its general application in actinomycetes has been limited due to its inefficacy when applying the system in an untested strain. Here, we provide evidence of how Cas9 levels are toxic for the model actinomycetes Streptomyces coelicolor M145 and Streptomyces lividans TK24, which show delayed or absence of growth. We overcame this toxicity by lowering Cas9 levels and have generated a set of plasmids in which Cas9 expression is either controlled by theophylline-inducible or constitutive promoters. We validated the targeting of these CRISPR-Cas9 system using the glycerol uptake operon and the actinorhodin biosynthesis gene cluster. Our results highlight the importance of adjusting Cas9 expression levels specifically in strains to gain optimum and efficient gene editing in Actinomyces.

Structure and Function of an Elongation Factor P Subfamily in Actinobacteria.

Translation of consecutive proline motifs causes ribosome stalling and requires rescue via the action of a specific translation elongation factor, EF-P in bacteria and archaeal/eukaryotic a/eIF5A. In Eukarya, Archaea, and all bacteria investigated so far, the functionality of this translation elongation factor depends on specific and rather unusual post-translational modifications. The phylum Actinobacteria, which includes the genera Corynebacterium, Mycobacterium, and Streptomyces, is of both medical and economic significance. Here, we report that EF-P is required in these bacteria in particular for the translation of proteins involved in amino acid and secondary metabolite production. Notably, EF-P of Actinobacteria species does not need any post-translational modification for activation. While the function and overall 3D structure of this EF-P type is conserved, the loop containing the conserved lysine is flanked by two essential prolines that rigidify it. Actinobacteria's EF-P represents a unique subfamily that works without any modification.

Discovery of Cryptic Largimycins in Streptomyces Reveals Novel Biosynthetic Avenues Enriching the Structural Diversity of the Leinamycin Family.

Largimycins are hybrid nonribosomal peptide-polyketides that constitute a new group of metabolites in the leinamycin family of natural products displaying unique structural features such as containing an oxazole instead of a thiazole ring or being oxime ester macrocycles, unprecedented in nature, rather than macrolactams. Their discovery in Streptomyces argillaceus and Streptomyces canus has relied on the activation of two homologous silent gene clusters by overexpressing a transcriptional activator and cultivating in specific media. The proposed biosynthesis of largimycins includes the key action of the oxidoreductase LrgO, responsible for the formation of the oxime group involved in macrocyclization, and two putative cryptic biosynthetic steps consisting of chlorination of l-Thr by the NRPS loading module and incorporation of an olefinic exomethylene group by LrgJ PKS. The discovery of largimycins uncovers novel biosynthetic avenues employed in nature to enrich the structural diversity of leinamycins and provides tools for combinatorial biosynthesis.

New Insights into the Biosynthesis Pathway of Polyketide Alkaloid Argimycins P in Streptomyces argillaceus.

Argimycins P are a recently identified family of polyketide alkaloids encoded by the cryptic gene cluster arp of Streptomyces argillaceus. These compounds contain either a piperideine ring, or a piperidine ring which may be fused to a five membered ring, and a polyene side chain, which is bound in some cases to an N-acetylcysteine moiety. The arp cluster consists of 11 genes coding for structural proteins, two for regulatory proteins and one for a hypothetical protein. Herein, we have characterized the post-piperideine ring biosynthesis steps of argimycins P through the generation of mutants in arp genes, the identification and characterization of compounds accumulated by those mutants, and cross-feeding experiments between mutants. Based in these results, a biosynthesis pathway is proposed assigning roles to every arp gene product. The regulation of the arp cluster is also addressed by inactivating/overexpressing the positive SARP-like arpRI and the negative TetR-like arpRII transcriptional regulators and determining the effect on argimycins P production, and through gene expression analyses (reverse transcription PCR and quantitative real-time PCR) of arp genes in regulatory mutants in comparison to the wild type strain. These findings will contribute to deepen the knowledge on the biosynthesis of piperidine-containing polyketides and provide tools that can be used to generate new analogs by genetic engineering and/or biocatalysis.

Identification by Genome Mining of a Type I Polyketide Gene Cluster from Streptomyces argillaceus Involved in the Biosynthesis of Pyridine and Piperidine Alkaloids Argimycins P.

Genome mining of the mithramycin producer Streptomyces argillaceus ATCC 12956 revealed 31 gene clusters for the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and allowed to predict the encoded products for 11 of these clusters. Cluster 18 (renamed cluster arp) corresponded to a type I polyketide gene cluster related to the previously described coelimycin P1 and streptazone gene clusters. The arp cluster consists of fourteen genes, including genes coding for putative regulatory proteins (a SARP-like transcriptional activator and a TetR-like transcriptional repressor), genes coding for structural proteins (three PKSs, one aminotransferase, two dehydrogenases, two cyclases, one imine reductase, a type II thioesterase, and a flavin reductase), and one gene coding for a hypothetical protein. Identification of encoded compounds by this cluster was achieved by combining several strategies: (i) inactivation of the type I PKS gene arpPIII; (ii) inactivation of the putative TetR-transcriptional repressor arpRII; (iii) cultivation of strains in different production media; and (iv) using engineered strains with higher intracellular concentration of malonyl-CoA. This has allowed identifying six new alkaloid compounds named argimycins P, which were purified and structurally characterized by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Some argimycins P showed a piperidine ring with a polyene side chain (argimycin PIX); others contain also a fused five-membered ring (argimycins PIV-PVI). Argimycins PI-PII showed a pyridine ring instead, and an additional N-acetylcysteinyl moiety. These compounds seem to play a negative role in growth and colony differentiation in S. argillaceus, and some of them show weak antibiotic activity. A pathway for the biosynthesis of argimycins P is proposed, based on the analysis of proposed enzyme functions and on the structure of compounds encoded by the arp cluster.