A gene cluster for biosynthesis of the sesquiterpenoid antibiotic pentalenolactone in Streptomyces avermitilis.

ABSTRACT: Streptomyces avermitilis, an industrial organism responsible for the production of the anthelminthic avermectins, harbors a 13.4 kb gene cluster containing 13 unidirectionally transcribed open reading frames corresponding to the apparent biosynthetic operon for the sesquiterpene antibiotic pentalenolactone. The advanced intermediate pentalenolactone F, along with the shunt metabolite pentalenic acid, could be isolated from cultures of S. avermitilis, thereby establishing that the pentalenolactone biosynthetic pathway is functional in S. avermitilis. Deletion of the entire 13.4 kb cluster from S. avermitilis abolished formation of pentalenolactone metabolites, while transfer of the intact cluster to the pentalenolactone nonproducer Streptomyces lividans 1326 resulted in production of pental

SUBMITTER: Tetzlaff CN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2518623 | biostudies-literature | 2006 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature