Exploiting the genome sequence of Streptomyces nodosus for enhanced antibiotic production

The genome of the amphotericin producer Streptomyces nodosus was sequenced. A single scaffold of 7,714,110 bp was obtained. Biosynthetic genes were identified for several natural products including polyketides, peptides, siderophores and terpenes. The majority of these clusters specified known compounds. Most were silent or expressed at low levels and unlikely to compete with amphotericin production. Biosynthesis of a skyllamycin analogue was activated by introducing expression plasmids containing either a gene for a LuxR transcriptional regulator or genes for synthesis of the acyl moiety of the lipopeptide. In an attempt to boost amphotericin production, genes for acyl CoA carboxylases, a phosphopantetheinyl transferase and the AmphRIV transcriptional activator were overexpressed, and the effects on yields were investigated. This study provides the groundwork for metabolic engineering of S. nodosus strains to produce high yields of amphotericin analogues.