Paitan Y, Orr E, Ron E Z, Rosenberg E
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel.
Gene. 1999 Mar 4;228(1-2):147-53. doi: 10.1016/s0378-1119(98)00609-x.
The antibiotic TA, a complex macrocyclic polyketide of Myxococcus xanthus, is produced, like many other polyketides, through successive condensations of acetate by a type I polyketide synthase (PKS) mechanism. The chemical structure of this antibiotic and the mechanism by which it is synthesized indicate the need for several post-modification steps, such as a specific hydroxylation at C-20. Previous studies have shown that several genes, essential for TA biosynthesis, are clustered in a region of at least 36kb, which was subsequently cloned and analyzed. In this study, we report the analysis of a DNA fragment, containing a specific cytochrome P-450 hydroxylase, presumably responsible for the sole non-PKS hydroxylation at position C-20. Functional analysis of the cytochrome P-450 hydroxylase gene through specific gene disruption confirms that it is essential for the production of an active TA molecule.
