Summary
A polyphasic taxonomic study was undertaken to establish the genetic and phenotypic relationships among six actinomycetes that produce the immunosuppressant macrolides FK506, FK520/FK523 and rapamycin. Chemotaxonomic studies reveal that all have Type I cell walls. Gas chromatography (GC) of fatty acid methyl esters revealed patterns consistent for strains ofStreptomyces with 16∶0 and 15∶0anteiso predominating. Principal component analysis of GC data revealed distinct profiles for each culture. Reciprocal DNA homology studies atT m -25 showed the rapamycin-producing strain and one FK506-producing strain to have 38–50% homology with the type strain ofStreptomyces hygroscopicus (ATCC 27438). The remaining strains exhibited 6–17% homology. To further explore the relationships among these strains all were probed for the presence of anO-methyltransferase gene specific to this biosynthetic pathway. Among the strains of interest, onlyStreptomyces hygroscopicus subsp.yakushimaensis, the patent strain for FK520/FK523, failed to hybridize with the probes.
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Garrity, G.M., Heimbuch, B.K., Motamedi, H. et al. Genetic relationships among actinomycetes that produce the immunosuppressant macrolides FK506, FK520/FK523 and rapamycin. Journal of Industrial Microbiology 12, 42–47 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01570127
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01570127