Investigating the clavam gene cluster in Streptomyces antibioticus Tü1718

• Author / Creator

  Goomeshi Nobary, Sarah

• Production of clavams (including clavulanic acid, a potent β-lactamase inhibitor) has been studied in Streptomyces clavuligerus. All clavams share the early biosynthetic steps. However, many of the late steps of the pathway remain unclear. Streptomyces antibioticus Tü1718 was chosen for this study because it produces two 5S clavams (different from clavulanic acid in their stereochemistry) and no clavulanic acid. After screening a cosmid library of the gDNA of this bacterium for a cas gene (encoding an early biosynthetic enzymes), a cosmid was selected. After finding additional early genes (bls, pah, ceaS, oat) and some putative late pathway genes (an aminotransferase and ORFs similar to c7p, cvm1 and orfA of S. clavuligerus) in the regions flanking cas, the whole cosmid was sequenced. Several novel genes were encountered including ntr that showed similarity to a nitroreductase. Knock out mutation of the cas and ntr gene abolished clavam production in S. antibioticus Tü1718.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Gene clusters
  • Streptomyces antibioticus Tü1718
  • Clavam

• Graduation date

  Spring 2011

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3D93T

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.