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The ever increasing microbial resistome means there is an urgent need for new antibiotics. Metagenomics is an underexploited tool in the field of drug discovery. In this study we aimed to produce a new updated assay for the discovery of biosynthetic gene clusters encoding bioactive secondary metabolites. PCR assays targeting the polyketide synthases (PKS) and non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) were developed. A range of European soils were tested for their biosynthetic potential using clone libraries developed from metagenomic DNA. Results revealed a surprising number of NRPS and PKS clones with similarity to rare Actinomycetes. Many of the clones tested were phylogenetically divergent suggesting they were fragments from novel NRPS and PKS gene clusters. Soils did not appear to cluster by location but did represent NRPS and PKS clones of diverse taxonomic origin. Fosmid libraries were constructed from Cuban and Antarctic soil samples; 17 fosmids were positive for NRPS domains suggesting a hit rate of less than 1 in 10 genomes. NRPS hits had low similarities to both rare Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria; they also clustered with known antibiotic producers suggesting they may encode for pathways producing novel bioactive compounds. In conclusion we designed an assay capable of detecting divergent NRPS and PKS gene clusters from the rare biosphere; when tested on soil samples results suggest the majority of NRPS and PKS pathways and hence bioactive metabolites are yet to be discovered.

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Recent results with respect to the secretory production of bio-active Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteins in Streptomyces have stimulated the further exploitation of this host as a bacterial cell factory. However, the rapid isolation of a recombinant protein by conventional procedures can be a restrictive step. A previous attempt to isolate recombinant antigens fused to the widely used 6His-tag was found to be relatively incompatible with secretory production in the Streptomyces host. As an alternative, the eight-residue Strep-tag® II (WSHPQFEK), displaying intrinsic binding affinity towards streptavidin, was evaluated for the secretory production of two M. tuberculosis immunodominant antigens in Streptomyces lividans and their subsequent downstream processing. Therefore, the genes ag85A (Rv3804c, encoding the mycolyl-transferase Ag85A) and Rv2626c (encoding hypoxic response protein 1), were equipped with a 3'-Strep-tag® II-encoding sequence and placed under control of the Streptomyces venezuelae CBS762.70 subtilisin inhibitor (vsi) transcriptional, translational and signal sequences. Strep-tagged Ag85A and Rv2626c proteins were detected in the spent medium of recombinant S. lividans cultures at 48h of growth, and purified using a Strep-Tactin Superflow® matrix. Recombinant Ag85A appeared as a 30-kDa protein of which the N-terminal amino acid sequence was identical to the expected one. Rv2626c was produced in two forms of 17 and 37kDa respectively, both with the same predicted N-terminal sequence, suggesting that the 37-kDa product is an Rv2626c dimer. The obtained results indicate that the Strep-tagII is proteolytically stable in Streptomyces and does not interfere with the membrane translocation of Ag85A and Rv2626c. A comparison of reactivity of serum from tuberculosis patients versus healthy persons by ELISA showed that both S. lividans-derived antigens were recognized by sera of individuals infected with M. tuberculosis, indicating that they remained antigenetically active. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing the usefulness of an affinity peptide for detection and efficient downstream processing of recombinant proteins produced in Streptomyces. The present results add up strength to the significance of S. lividans as a valuable host to produce M. tuberculosis proteins with vaccine and diagnostic potential.

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BACKGROUND: Streptokinase (SK) is a potent plasminogen activator with widespread clinical use as a thrombolytic agent. It is naturally secreted by several strains of beta-haemolytic streptococci. The low yields obtained in SK production, lack of developed gene transfer methodology and the pathogenesis of its natural host have been the principal reasons to search for a recombinant source for this important therapeutic protein. We report here the expression and secretion of SK by the Gram-positive bacterium Streptomyces lividans. The structural gene encoding SK was fused to the Streptomyces venezuelae CBS762.70 subtilisin inhibitor (vsi) signal sequence or to the Streptomyces lividans xylanase C (xlnC) signal sequence. The native Vsi protein is translocated via the Sec pathway while the native XlnC protein uses the twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway. RESULTS: SK yield in the spent culture medium of S. lividans was higher when the Sec-dependent signal peptide mediates the SK translocation. Using a 1.5 L fermentor, the secretory production of the Vsi-SK fusion protein reached up to 15 mg SK/l. SK was partially purified from the culture supernatant by DEAE-Sephacel chromatography. A 44-kDa degradation product co-eluted with the 47-kDa mature SK. The first amino acid residues of the S. lividans-produced SK were identical with those of the expected N-terminal sequence. The Vsi signal peptide was thus correctly cleaved off and the N-terminus of mature Vsi-SK fusion protein released by S. lividans remained intact. This result also implicates that the processing of the recombinant SK secreted by Streptomyces probably occurred at its C-terminal end, as in its native host Streptococcus equisimilis. The specific activity of the partially purified Streptomyces-derived SK was determined at 2661 IU/mg protein. CONCLUSION: Heterologous expression of Streptococcus equisimilis ATCC9542 skc-2 in Streptomyces lividans was successfully achieved. SK can be translocated via both the Sec and the Tat pathway in S. lividans, but yield was about 30 times higher when the SK was fused to the Sec-dependent Vsi signal peptide compared to the fusion with the Tat-dependent signal peptide of S. lividans xylanase C. Small-scale fermentation led to a fourfold improvement of secretory SK yield in S. lividans compared to lab-scale conditions. The partially purified SK showed biological activity. Streptomyces lividans was shown to be a valuable host for the production of a world-wide important, biopharmaceutical product in a bio-active form.

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The 45/47 kDa APA protein (Rv1860) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was produced by Streptomyces lividans. The recombinant protein could be recovered from the culture medium of an S. lividans clone containing the apa gene under control of the promoter and signal sequence of the Streptomyces coelicolor agarase gene. The recombinant protein production was further scaled-up using fermentation conditions. The APA protein was subsequently purified from the culture supernatant by means of immunochromatography. About 80 mg of recombinant protein were obtained per liter of culture media. In vivo tests with the APA protein purified from S. lividans TK24/pRGAPA1 revealed that the recombinant protein was antigenic and could induce high titers of specific antibodies in the mouse biological model. Results obtained concerning heterologous production of APA, its immunogenic and antigenic capacity, demonstrated the potential of S. lividans as a valuable host for the production of recombinant proteins from M. tuberculosis.

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Se llevó a cabo la fusión de protoplastos de cepas auxotróficas y la regeneración de protoplastos de la cepa parental en algunos casos previamente tratados con polietilenglicol (PEG) pm=6 000 al 50 %, antes de ser efectuada la siembra en medio completo R2YE, con vistas a estudiar el efecto de este agente en condiciones no selectivas. En ambos casos las colonias más productoras de antibiótico fueron seleccionadas mediante determinación de actividad antibiótica en medio sólido y una segunda selección en medio líquido de producción específico para el antibiótico actinomicina D. Además, en la población de protoplastos regenerados, algunas colonias presentaban variaciones en su morfología, en sus requerimientos nutricionales y en los marcadores de resistencia a diferentes antibióticos probados. El análisis de ADN cromosómico de algunas variantes genéticas seleccionadas demostró la no existencia de reordenamientos cromosómicos que pudieran explicar estas variaciones

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La actinomicina D es un agente antitumoral en uso clínico, capaz de curar el coriocarcinoma gestacional y que, combinado con la terapia local, incrementa los índices de curación del tumor de Wilms en los niños. Se estudió la actividad antitumoral experimental de la actinomicina D obtenida en Cuba por vía fermentativa, sobre diferentes tumores trasplantables de ratón. El producto cubano mostró notable actividad antitumoral sobre las leucemias P388 y L121o y el carcinoma ascítico de Ehrlich, tumores de crecimiento rápido y alto índice de proliferación, así como sobre el adenocarcinoma mamario 755, el tumor pulmonar RL-67 y el linfosarcoma LQ. Por su actividad antitumoral, el producto cubano no se diferencia del comercial usado actualmente en la quimioterapia oncológica

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