A chromosomal locus encoding a phosphoserine phosphatase- and a truncated MinD-like protein affects differentiation in Streptomyces azureus ATCC14921

We isolated BalA1, a representative transformant of thiostrepton- producing strain Streptomyces azureus ATCC14921, which carries an approximately 2.5-kb chromosomal DNA fragment on a high-copy-number plasmid. While strain BalA1 formed little aerial hyphae, its morphological defect was restored by cultivation with S. azureus, S. laurentii, etc. Strain BalA1 strongly inhibited the growth of Bacillus subtilis more than its parent strain, and also inhibited the development of its parent and some Streptomyces strains with thiostrepton resistance. Furthermore, it induced Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) to produce undecylprodigiosin, at an early stage of growth. The 2.5-kb fragment contained two orfs, orf1 and truncated orf2. The deduced products were somewhat similar to phosphoserine phosphatase-like protein and the N-terminal region of MinD-like protein, respectively. The individual function of orf1 or the function of both orf1 and truncated orf2 seems to induce particular phenotypes or properties in strain BalA1. (C) 2000 Federation of European Microbiological Societies.