Drug treasure trove unearthed
6 Sep 2010 by Evoluted New Media
A treasure trove of potential new treatments for multi-drug resistant disease has been discovered after scientists unearthed a novel antibiotic through genome mining.
A treasure trove of potential new treatments for multi-drug resistant disease has been discovered after scientists unearthed a novel antibiotic through genome mining.
|
Yellow pigment produced by Streptomyces coelicolor. After changing their regulatory mechanisms, Streptomyces bacteria produce colourful new molecules Credit: Marco Gottelt |
A team of Dutch scientists used the technique – which involves searching a genome for DNA sequences that encode enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of particular products – to find and activate a group of genes in the bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor.
“The strategy is a powerful and innovative way of searching for new antibiotic production capabilities in bacteria,” said lead author Dr Eriko Takano from the University of Groningen, “As bacterial infections previously considered as mild and easily curable are suddenly becoming lethal and completely unresponsive to all existing medication it is crucial that new antibiotics are discovered at a sufficiently rapid rate.”
Genome mining of Streptomyces – a common soil bacterium known for its antibiotic-producing capabilities – resulted in the production of a new antibacterial compound that was effective against several bacterial strains, including Escherichia coli.
enomic sequencing of S. coelicolor in 2002 revealed several groups of genes whose function was unknown. In this study, researchers found that by removing a molecule that specifically inactivated one of the mystery gene groups known as cpk, they were able to ‘awaken’ the genes and produce a new antibiotic plus a bright yellow pigment.
It is hoped that this approach for ‘awakening’ new antibiotic production pathways could be used to tap other microorganisms such as filamentous fungi or sources of biologically active compounds such as antimicrobials and anti-tumour agents.
“There are several thousand other uncharacterised groups of genes that have been found recently in microbial genome sequences. This opens up a rich treasure trove of new potential drugs for clinical use,” said Takano.
