The highly potent antitumor agent ansamitocin P3 is a macrolactam isolated from Actinosynnema pretiosum ATCC 31565. A 120-kb DNA fragment was previously identified as the ansamitocin biosynthetic gene cluster, and contains genes for polyketide assembly, precursor synthesis, post-polyketide synthesis modification, and regulation. Within the biosynthetic gene cluster, asm8 encodes an 1117-amino-acid protein with a high degree of similarity to the large ATP-binding LuxR family-type regulators. In the current study, we determined that inactivation of asm8 by gene replacement in ATCC 31565 resulted in the complete loss of ansamitocin production, and that complementation with a cloned asm8 gene restored ansamitocin biosynthesis. Interestingly, the disruption of asm8 decreased the transcription of genes responsible for 3-amino-5-hydroxybenzoate (AHBA) formation, the starter unit required for ansamitocin biosynthesis. Subsequently, feeding of exogenous AHBA to the asm8 mutant restored ansamitocin biosynthesis, which showed that Asm8 is a specific positive regulator in AHBA biosynthesis. In addition, investigation of asm8 homologs identified two new ansamitocin producers, and inactivation of the asm8 homolog in A. pretiosum ATCC 31280 abolished ansamitocin production in this strain. Characterization of the positive regulator Asm8 and discovery of the two new ansamitocin producers paves the way for further improving production of this important antitumor agent.
PAN WenQinKANG QianJinWANG LeiBAI LinQuanDENG ZiXin
Laccase is a promising oxidase with environmental applications, such as lignin degradation and chlorophenol detoxification. Laccase immobilization can significantly improve physiochemical stability and reusability compared to the free enzymes. In this work, anion effect was investigated in entrapment of Cu-alginate matrix with five types of anions, including perchlorate （ClO4）, nitrate （NO3）, sulfate （SO42 ）, chloride （Cl）, and acetate （CH3CO2-）. Accordingly, chloride inhibition and acetate activation were detected in the o-tolidine kinetic experiments, while effects of the other three anions were much smaller. Such counteranion effects were also observed in the laccase-catalyzed biodegradation of 2,4- dichlorophenol. The results indicated that counteranions in the enzyme immobilization process are crucial for catalytic capacity, probably due to the competition with the carboxylate groups in alginate. Our results also imply that these anions might coordinate the copper cations in laccase.
