SummaryPristinamycin, produced by Streptomyces pristinaespiralis Pr11, is a streptogramin antibiotic consisting of two chemically unrelated compounds, pristinamycin I and pristinamycin II. The semi‐synthetic derivatives of these compounds are used in human medicine as therapeutic agents against methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. Only the partial sequence of the pristinamycin biosynthetic gene cluster has been previously reported. To complete the sequence, overlapping cosmids were isolated from a S. pristinaespiralis Pr11 gene library and sequenced. The boundaries of the cluster were deduced, limiting the cluster size to approximately 210 kb. In the central region of the cluster, previously unknown pristinamycin biosynthetic genes were identified. Combining the current and previously identified sequence information, we propose that all essential pristinamycin biosynthetic genes are included in the 210 kb region. A pristinamycin biosynthetic pathway was established. Furthermore, the pristinamycin gene cluster was found to be interspersed by a cryptic secondary metabolite cluster, which probably codes for a glycosylated aromatic polyketide. Gene inactivation experiments revealed that this cluster has no influence on pristinamycin production. Overall, this work provides new insights into pristinamycin biosynthesis and the unique genetic organization of the pristinamycin gene region, which is the largest antibiotic ‘supercluster’ known so far.

Abstract. During the second flight of the ORFEUS-SPAS mission in November/December 1996, the Echelle spectrometer was used extensively by the Principal and Guest Investigator teams as one of the two focal plane instruments of the ORFEUS telescope. We present the inflight performance and the principles of the data reduction for this instrument. The wavelength range is 90 nm to 140 nm, the spectral resolution is significantly better than λ/∆λ = 10 000, where ∆λ is measured as FWHM of the instrumental profile. The effective area peaks at 1.3 cm 2 near 110 nm. The background is dominated by straylight from the Echelle grating and is about 15% in an extracted spectrum for spectra with a rather flat continuum. The internal accuracy of the wavelength calibration is better than ± 0.005 nm.

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During the second flight of the ORFEUS-SPAS satellite (Nov./Dec. 96) high resolution (^ = 10,000) Echelle-spectra of BD+28° 4211 in the wavelength regime 912-1400 A have been taken. Deuterium can be clearly identified in the ORFEUSII Echelle-spectra of this star. For the first time it was possible to take spectra of faint, not redshifted objects in the far ultraviolet with a sufficient spectral resolution to study the deuterium column density in the whole spectral range of the Lyman-series down to the Lyman-limit. We obtained a value of log(N D ) = 14.7 (±0.3) towards BD+28° 4211. The hydrogen column density has been determined using ORFEUS Echelle-and /fZE-spectra of Ly-a (log(Nn) = 19.8 (±0.2)). Thus a value of 8 x 10~6 can be obtained for the D/H-ratio on the line-of-sight towards BD+28° 4211.

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During the ORFEUS-SPAS (Orbiting Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer on the Shuttle Pallet Satellite) mission STS-51, flown in September 1993, we observed the central star of the planetary nebula NGC 6543 in the far ultraviolet (90 nm to 115 nm) wavelength region using the University of California, Berkeley spectrometer with a spectral resolution of 0.03 nm.

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Far UV high resolution spectra of 3 LMC and SMC stars were obtained with the Echelle spectrograph during the second ORFEUS mission in Dec. 1996. We present the first results from observations of the LMC star HDE 269546. We find definitely components of very hot gas identified as OVI and SVI absorption in the galactic halo of the Milky Way and in the LMC. Additionally, more than 30 ions of the most abundant elements in different stages of ionization can be identified in both our galaxy and the LMC. For the first time we can identify a significant absorption component of molecular hydrogen in the ORFEUS II Echelle spectrum with a redshift of 200 km s−1, doubtlessly to be attributed to the LMC.