Luo Xinrong, Liu Zhanwen, Luo Xiaoxia, Xia Zhanfeng, Wan Chuanxing, Wang Haoxin, Zhang Lili
State Key Laboratory Incubation Base for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resource in Tarim Basin, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China.
College of Life Science and Technology, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China.
Microorganisms. 2025 May 3;13(5):1068. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13051068.
Actinomycetes are recognized for producing diverse bioactive natural products, yet most biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) remain inactive under laboratory conditions. Rare actinomycetes from extreme environments represent underexplored reservoirs of metabolic potential. This study investigates sp. TRM71106, a rare actinomycete isolated from the Taklamakan Desert, through integrated genomic and metabolomic approaches. Genome sequencing revealed 45 secondary metabolic BGCs, including BGC38 showing 65% nucleotide similarity to the rifamycin BGC. Gene cluster networking and linear comparisons predicted its capacity to encode novel rifamycin analogs. Targeted activation strategies-overexpression of the pathway-specific regulator combined with metabolite isolation-mark the first activation of a rifamycin-like BGC in desert actinomycetes. This study highlights the untapped biosynthetic potential of rare actinomycetes in extreme environments and establishes sp. TRM71106 as a novel source for rifamycin production. These results provide a promising avenue for expanding the clinical pipeline of rifamycin-derived antibiotics.
放线菌以产生多种具有生物活性的天然产物而闻名,但大多数生物合成基因簇(BGCs)在实验室条件下仍处于沉默状态。来自极端环境的稀有放线菌是尚未充分探索的代谢潜力宝库。本研究通过整合基因组学和代谢组学方法,对从塔克拉玛干沙漠分离出的稀有放线菌sp. TRM71106进行了研究。基因组测序揭示了45个次生代谢BGCs,其中BGC38与利福霉素BGC具有65%的核苷酸相似性。基因簇网络分析和线性比较预测了其编码新型利福霉素类似物的能力。靶向激活策略——途径特异性调节因子的过表达与代谢物分离相结合——标志着沙漠放线菌中首个类利福霉素BGC的激活。本研究突出了极端环境中稀有放线菌尚未开发的生物合成潜力,并将sp. TRM71106确立为利福霉素生产的新来源。这些结果为扩大利福霉素衍生抗生素的临床应用范围提供了一条有前景的途径。