Streptomyces coelicolor and antibiotic production - Essay Example

treptomyces species was co cultured it was found that the metabolites excreted by one strain stimulated the production of the antibiotic in the other. The use of the Bacillus subtilis also found to increase the aerial culture of the Streptomyces by the production of the surfactin, which reduces the surface tension of the medium providing large space for the production of the antibiotics. Similarly the use of the phosphate, the important precursor of the PPP shunt also increased the production of the antibiotic and it also helped to analyze the effect of the co culturing of the strains.

Those that did not grow were then trialed in contact with each other and it is noted that there is some growth in some of the specimens where this occurred. Further there is follow up discussion derived from recent research on how and why this function occurs. Signaling is discussed at length as there have recently been many kinds of signaling discovered. There is a literature review which follows the study done here which reviews much of the latest research that has been done under this subject.

Streptomyces are gram positive soil bacteria. They have mycelia and they produce a large variety of the secondary metabolites. These metabolites includes antibiotics, anti tumor agents, immuno suppressants etc., These useful products are produced by the complex lifecycle involved in this soil- dwelling micro organism that is mycelial growth and the spore formation. These bacteria have a high G+C content in their DNA and contain many protein encoding genes. Of the 550 species of the Streptomyces many species have a colorful hyphens and spores.

In the recent years, streptomyces has attracted a lot of research due to the fact that they can easily incorporate the eukaryotic genes and they are easy to work with the E.coli. Streptomyces is the most antibiotic producing genus, among the actinomycetes. Some of the important antibiotics of streptomyces include streptomycin, neomycin, chloramphenicol