Competition-Mediated Antibiotic Induction in the Marine Bacterium Streptomyces tenjimariensis.
Microbial competition for limiting natural resources within a community is thought to be the selective force that promotes biosynthesis of antimicrobial compounds. The marine bacterium Streptomyces tenjimariensis produces the antibiotics istamycin A and B under select laboratory culture conditions; presumably these compounds serve an ecological role under natural conditions. Here we report results of a novel marine microbial competition experiment that examined the impact of co-culture of marine bacteria on istamycin production by S. tenjimariensis. Twelve of the 53 bacterial species tested (i.e., 22.6%) induced Istamycin production; this antibiotic also inhibited growth of the competitor colonies. These results suggest that marine bacterial metabolites serve an ecological role in countering competitive species.
Slattery
M.
M
Department of Pharmacognosy and National Center for Natural Products Research, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677-1848, USA.
Rajbhandari
I.
I
Wesson
K.
K