Antibiotic production by actinomycetes: the Janus faces of regulation.

This manuscript reviews some of the common regulatory mechanisms that control antibiotic production in actinomycetes. These ubiquitous bacteria, collectively responsible for the earthy smell of soil, are prolific producers of antibiotics and other secondary metabolites. The content of this review is biased towards the author's current research interests, concerning the action of regulatory gene products that control transcription of antibiotic-biosynthetic genes and the associated involvement of low molecular weight signalling molecules of the gamma-butyrolactone family. As a result, much fertile ground remains unturned particularly in the area of environmental monitoring and responses of actinomycetes to stimuli so perceived. Reviews casting a broader net are cited in the text.