title: Chitinase inhibitor allosamidin is a signal molecule for chitinase production in its producing Streptomyces I. Analysis of the chitinase whose production is promoted by allosamidin and growth accelerating activity of allosamidin.
abstract: Allosamidin, a typical secondary metabolite of Streptomyces, has been known as a chitinase inhibitor. We found that allosamidin can dramatically promote chitinase production and growth of its producer, Streptomyces sp. AJ9463, in a chitin medium at a few hundred nM. Allosamidin promoted production of the main chitinase detected in the culture filtrate and the chitin-hydrolytic activity of the chitinase was not inhibited by allosamidin at the concentration. The gene encoding the chitinase showed that it is a family 18 chitinase and it was revealed that two genes encoding proteins constructing two-component regulatory system were present at 5'-upstream region of the chitinase gene. Allosamidin is located in the microbial mycelia cultured in a medium without chitin, but it was released from the mycelia by responding to chitin. These results show that allosamidin acts as a key signal molecule for chitinase production in its producing strain, which may be useful for its growth in chitin-rich environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Eiyu
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.forename: Ryu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kawachi
authors.forename: Hiromichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagasawa
authors.forename: Shohei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sakuda
mesh_terms: D000117:Acetylglucosamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D002686:Chitin / Q000378:metabolism; D002688:Chitinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015394:Molecular Structure; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013302:Streptomyces / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014312:Trisaccharides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014312:Trisaccharides; C054851:allosamidin; D002686:Chitin; C019117:N,N',N''-triacetylchitotriose; D002688:Chitinases; D000117:Acetylglucosamine