Genetic Analysis of absR, a new abs locus of Streptomyces coelicolor

The filamentous soil bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor is known to produce four distinct antibiotics. The simultaneous global regulation for the biosynthesis of those four antibiotics was previously confirmed by absA and absB mutations that blocked all four antibiotics' biosynthesis without influencing their morphological differentiation. To study the complex regulatory cascade that controls the secondary metabolism in Streptomyces, a new abs-like mutation was characterized. namely absR, which is slightly leaky on a complete R2YE medium, yet tight on a minimal medium. A genetic analysis of the absR locus indicated that it is located at 10 o'clock on the genetic map, near the site of absA. A cloned copy of the absA gene that encoded bacterial two-component regulatory kinases did not restore antibiotic biosyntheis to the absR mutant. Accordingly, it is proposed that absR is another abs-type mutation which is less tight than the previously identified absA or absB mutations income medium conditions, and can be used to characterize another global regulatory gene for secondary metabolete formation in S. coelicolor.