A novel insertion mutation in Streptomyces coelicolor ribosomal S12 protein results in paromomycin resistance and antibiotic overproduction

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2009 Mar;53(3):1019-26. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00388-08. Epub 2008 Dec 22.

Abstract

We identified a novel paromomycin resistance-associated mutation in rpsL, caused by the insertion of a glycine residue at position 92, in Streptomyces coelicolor ribosomal protein S12. This insertion mutation (GI92) resulted in a 20-fold increase in the paromomycin resistance level. In combination with another S12 mutation, K88E, the GI92 mutation markedly enhanced the production of the blue-colored polyketide antibiotic actinorhodin and the red-colored antibiotic undecylprodigiosin. The gene replacement experiments demonstrated that the K88E-GI92 double mutation in the rpsL gene was responsible for the marked enhancement of antibiotic production observed. Ribosomes with the K88E-GI92 double mutation were characterized by error restrictiveness (i.e., hyperaccuracy). Using a cell-free translation system, we found that mutant ribosomes harboring the K88E-GI92 double mutation but not ribosomes harboring the GI92 mutation alone displayed sixfold greater translation activity relative to that of the wild-type ribosomes at late growth phase. This resulted in the overproduction of actinorhodin, caused by the transcriptional activation of the pathway-specific regulatory gene actII-orf4, possibly due to the increased translation of transcripts encoding activators of actII-orf4. The mutant with the K88E-GI92 double mutation accumulated a high level of ribosome recycling factor at late stationary phase, underlying the high level of protein synthesis activity observed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Substitution
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / metabolism*
  • Cell-Free System
  • DNA, Bacterial / chemistry
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
  • Glycine / metabolism
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Molecular Structure
  • Mutagenesis, Insertional*
  • Paromomycin / chemistry
  • Paromomycin / metabolism*
  • Protein Biosynthesis / drug effects
  • RNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • RNA, Bacterial / metabolism
  • Ribosomal Proteins / genetics*
  • Ribosomal Proteins / metabolism
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Streptomyces coelicolor / genetics*
  • Streptomyces coelicolor / growth & development
  • Streptomyces coelicolor / metabolism

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • RNA, Bacterial
  • Ribosomal Proteins
  • ribosomal protein S12
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • Paromomycin
  • Glycine