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Journal of Bacteriology, June 2001, p. 3488-3498, Vol. 183, No. 11
0021-9193/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JB.183.11.3488-3498.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Functional Analysis of relA and
rshA, Two relA/spoT Homologues of
Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)
Jongho
Sun,
Andrew
Hesketh, and
Mervyn
Bibb*
Department of Molecular Microbiology, John
Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich NR4 7UH,
United Kingdom
Received 27 September 2000/Accepted 1 March 2001
Deletion of the (p)ppGpp synthetase gene, relA, of
Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) results in loss of production
of the antibiotics actinorhodin (Act) and undecylprodigiosin (Red) and
delayed morphological differentiation when the mutant is grown under
conditions of nitrogen limitation. To analyze the role of (p)ppGpp
as an intracellular signaling molecule for the initiation of antibiotic
production, several C-terminally deleted derivatives of S. coelicolor relA that could potentially function in the absence of
ribosome activation were placed under the control of the
thiostrepton-inducible tipA promoter. While 0.82- and
1.28-kb N-terminal segments failed to restore (p)ppGpp and
antibiotic production upon induction in a relA null mutant,
1.46- and 2.07-kb segments did. Under conditions of phosphate
limitation, deletion of relA had little or no effect on Act
or Red synthesis, potentially reflecting an alternative mechanism for
ppGpp synthesis. A second S. coelicolor RelA homologue (RshA, with 42% identity to S. coelicolor RelA) was
identified in the genome sequence. However, deletion of
rshA had no effect on the ability of the relA
mutant to make Act and Red when grown under conditions of phosphate
limitation. While high-level induction of
tipAp::rshA in the relA
mutant resulted in growth inhibition, low-level induction restored
antibiotic production and sporulation. In neither case, nor in the
relA mutant that was grown under phosphate limitation and
producing Act and Red, could (p)ppGpp synthesis be detected. Thus,
a ppGpp-independent mechanism exists to activate antibiotic production
under conditions of phosphate limitation that can be mimicked by
overexpression of rshA.
*
Corresponding author. Present address: Diversa
Corporation, 4955 Directors Place, San Diego, CA 92121. Phone: (858)
526-5185. Fax: (858) 526-5685. E-mail: mbibb{at}diversa.com.
Journal of Bacteriology, June 2001, p. 3488-3498, Vol. 183, No. 11
0021-9193/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JB.183.11.3488-3498.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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