Characterization of a glycosyl transferase inactivating macrolides, encoded by gimA from Streptomyces ambofaciens.

ABSTRACT: In Streptomyces ambofaciens, the producer of the macrolide antibiotic spiramycin, an open reading frame (ORF) was found downstream of srmA, a gene conferring resistance to spiramycin. The deduced product of this ORF had high degrees of similarity to Streptomyces lividans glycosyl transferase, which inactivates macrolides, and this ORF was called gimA. The cloned gimA gene was expressed in a susceptible host mutant of S. lividans devoid of any background macrolide-inactivating glycosyl transferase activity. In the presence of UDP-glucose, cell extracts from this strain could inactivate various macrolides by glycosylation. Spiramycin was not inactivated but forocidin, a spiramycin precursor, was modified. In vivo studies showed that gimA could confer low levels of resistance to some macrolid

SUBMITTER: Gourmelen A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC105906 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature