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Knowledge-based improvement of antibiotic production & discovery: increasing yields from industrial strains and identifying novel therapeutic targets

Reference	BBS/E/J/0000A258
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Mervyn Bibb
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	John Innes Centre
Department	John Innes Centre Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	11,778
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/01/2006
End date	31/12/2006
Duration	12 months

Abstract

Streptomycetes and their relatives are important sources of pharmaceutically active compounds, supplying many currently used antibiotics. Our laboratory has pioneered the development of genetic and molecular techniques to dissect the complex regulatory mechanisms that control the onset of secondary metabolism in streptomycetes. This knowledge can now be applied to engineer strains with quantitative improvements in antibiotic production. To commercialize this technology it is necessary to perform proof-of-principle experiments in industrially relevant strains. This project will use a novel mass spec-based technology to identify regulatory proteins required for the production of the peptide antibiotic cinnamycin (in partnership with Novacta Biosystems Ltd), the aminoglycoside kanamycin, and the cyclic lipopeptide daptomycin (marketed as Cubicin (TM)). The technology will also be used to identify regulators of virulence in the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus as a demonstration of our ability to define novel therapeutic targets that will be valuable in the effort to detect new classes of antibiotics.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Plant & Microbial Sciences (PMS)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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