Actinobacteria is an ancient phylum of Gram-positive bacteria with a characteristic high GC content to their DNA. The ActinoBase Wiki is focused on the filamentous actinobacteria, such as Streptomyces species, and the techniques and growth conditions used to study them. These organisms are studied because of their complex developmental life cycles and diverse specialised metabolism which produces many of the antibiotics currently used in the clinic. ActinoBase is a community effort that provides valuable and freely accessible resources, including protocols and practical information about filamentous actinobacteria. It is aimed at enabling knowledge exchange between members of the international research community working with these fascinating bacteria. ActinoBase is an anchor platform that underpins worldwide efforts to understand the ecology, biology and metabolic potential of these organisms. There are two key differences that set ActinoBase apart from other Wiki-based platforms: [] ActinoBase is specifically aimed at researchers working on filamentous actinobacteria and is tailored to help users overcome challenges working with these bacteria and [] it provides a freely accessible resource with global networking opportunities for researchers with a broad range of experience in this field.
In a recent paper published in the Biochemical Journal, Lolli et al. presented evidence that the C-terminal STAS (sulfate transporter and anti-sigma factor antagonist) domain of the motor protein prestin possesses an anion-binding site. This discovery might shed light on an aspect of the function of this mysterious and fascinating protein that is crucial for the human hearing system.
Actinobacteria is a large and diverse phylum of bacteria that contains medically and ecologically relevant organisms. Many members are valuable sources of bioactive natural products and chemical precursors that are exploited in the clinic and made using the enzyme pathways encoded in their complex genomes. Whilst the number of sequenced genomes has increased rapidly in the last 20 years, the large size, complexity and high G+C content of many actinobacterial genomes means that the sequences remain incomplete and consist of large numbers of contigs with poor annotation, which hinders large-scale comparative genomic and evolutionary studies. To enable greater understanding and exploitation of actinobacterial genomes, specialized genomic databases must be linked to high-quality genome sequences. Here, we provide a curated database of 612 high-quality actinobacterial genomes from 80 genera, chosen to represent a broad phylogenetic group with equivalent genome re-annotation. Utilizing this database will provide researchers with a framework for evolutionary and metabolic studies, to enable a foundation for genome and metabolic engineering, to facilitate discovery of novel bioactive therapeutics and studies on gene family evolution. This article contains data hosted by Microreact.
The genus Streptomyces is comprised of soil-dwelling Gram-positive Actinobacteria that are widely used for the industrial production of antibiotics. S. clavuligerus is used for the industrial production of clavulanic acid, which is a potent b-lactamase inhibitor, and is, therefore, able to restore the sensitivity of b-lactamase-producing bacteria penicillins and cephalosporins. In fermentations, the carbon sources available for utilisation by the producing organism have profoundly impact central carbon and specialised metabolic pathways. We have a long-term goal of using carbon sources from food waste to produce clavulanic acid with a view to developing more sustainable fermentations. To achieve this, the carbon utilisation profile of S. clavuligerus has to be diversified. Wildtype S. clavuligerus is a natural glucose auxotroph and has adapted to utilise glycerol most efficiently. It has been shown that the lack of glucose utilisation by S. clavuligerus is due to the insufficient expression of genes whose products are required for glucose uptake (glcP) and phosphorylation (glk). To enable glucose utilisation by S. clavuligerus strains, we have constructed strains for heterologous expression of either glcP or glk from different Streptomyces species. Further, the range of utilisable carbon sources for growth and clavulanic acid production has been investigated. Growth on solid media has revealed interplay between carbon and nitrogen metabolism, with extracellular protease production being regulated in a carbon source-dependent manner. Therefore, the role of protease secretion and its relationship with clavulanic acid production has been examined, revealing a complex role between carbon catabolite repression, protease production and clavulanic acid biosynthesis.
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