A-Factor and Phosphate Depletion Signals Are Transmitted to the Grixazone Biosynthesis Genes via the Pathway-Specific Transcriptional Activator GriR

Abstract

ABSTRACT Grixazone (GX), which is a diffusible yellow pigment containing a phenoxazinone chromophore, is one of the secondary metabolites under the control of A-factor (2-isocapryloyl-3 R -hydroxymethyl-γ-butyrolactone) in Streptomyces griseus . GX production is also induced by phosphate starvation. The whole biosynthesis gene cluster for GX was cloned and characterized. The gene cluster consisting of 13 genes contained six transcriptional units, griT , griSR , griR , griAB , griCDEFG , and griJIH . During cultivation in a phosphate-depleted medium, the six promoters were activated in the order (i) griR , (ii) griC and griJ , and (iii) griT , griS , and griA . Disruption of griR , which encodes a SARP family transcriptional regulator, abolished the transcriptional activation of all other genes in the cluster. In addition, ectopic expression of griR from a constitutively active promoter resulted in GX overproduction even in the absence of AdpA, a key transcriptional activator in the A-factor regulatory cascade, and in the presence of phosphate at a high concentration. GriR monomers bound direct repeat sequences in the griC and griJ promoters in a cooperative manner. Therefore, the early active genes ( griCDEFG and griJIH ), all of which, except for griG (which encodes a transporter-like protein), encode the GX biosynthesis enzymes, were directly activated by GriR. The transcription of griR was greatly reduced in the presence of phosphate at a high concentration and was hardly detected in the absence of AdpA. These findings showed that both A-factor and phosphate depletion signals were required for griR transcription and both signals were transmitted to the GX biosynthesis genes solely via the griR promoter.