Repository logo
 

Biosynthesis of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase-inhibiting antibiotic, andrimid in Serratia is regulated by Hfq and the LysR-type transcriptional regulator, AdmX.


Change log

Authors

Matilla, Miguel A 
Nogellova, Veronika 
Morel, Bertrand 
Krell, Tino 
Salmond, George PC 

Abstract

Infections due to multidrug-resistant bacteria represent a major global health challenge. To combat this problem, new antibiotics are urgently needed and some plant-associated bacteria are a promising source. The rhizobacterium Serratia plymuthica A153 produces several bioactive secondary metabolites, including the anti-oomycete and antifungal haterumalide, oocydin A and the broad spectrum polyamine antibiotic, zeamine. In this study, we show that A153 produces a second broad spectrum antibiotic, andrimid. Using genome sequencing, comparative genomics and mutagenesis, we defined new genes involved in andrimid (adm) biosynthesis. Both the expression of the adm gene cluster and regulation of andrimid synthesis were investigated. The biosynthetic cluster is operonic and its expression is modulated by various environmental cues, including temperature and carbon source. Analysis of the genome context of the adm operon revealed a gene encoding a predicted LysR-type regulator, AdmX, apparently unique to Serratia strains. Mutagenesis and gene expression assays demonstrated that AdmX is a transcriptional activator of the adm gene cluster. At the post-transcriptional level, the expression of the adm cluster is positively regulated by the RNA chaperone, Hfq, in an RpoS-independent manner. Our results highlight the complexity of andrimid biosynthesis - an antibiotic with potential clinical and agricultural utility.

Description

Keywords

Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Bacterial Proteins, Base Sequence, Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial, Host Factor 1 Protein, Macrolides, Multigene Family, Polyamines, Polyenes, Pyrroles, Serratia, Transcription Factors

Journal Title

Environ Microbiol

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1462-2912
1462-2920

Volume Title

Publisher

Wiley
Sponsorship
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/N008081/1)
European Commission (298003)
We thank Kornelia Smalla and Ian Toth for the generous donation of bacterial strains. Work in the Salmond laboratory is supported by funding through the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (UK). M.A.M. was supported by the EU Marie-Curie Intra-European Fellowship for Career Development (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IEF) Grant No. 298003 and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness Postdoctoral Research Program, Juan de la Cierva (BVA-2009-0200). The Krell laboratory is supported by FEDER funds and Fondo Social Europeo through grants from the Junta de Andalucía (grant CVI-7335) and the Spanish Ministry for Economy 1and Competitiveness (grants BIO2013-42297 and RTC-2014-1777-3).