title: Myxococcus xanthus induces actinorhodin overproduction and aerial mycelium formation by Streptomyces coelicolor.
abstract: Interaction of the predatory myxobacterium Myxococcus xanthus with the non-motile, antibiotic producer Streptomyces coelicolor was examined using a variety of experimental approaches. Myxococcus xanthus cells prey on S. coelicolor, forming streams of ordered cells that lyse the S. coelicolor hyphae in the contact area between the two colonies. The interaction increases actinorhodin production by S. coelicolor up to 20-fold and triggers aerial mycelium production. Other bacteria are also able to induce these processes in S. coelicolor though to a lesser extent. These studies offer new clues about the expression of genes that remain silent or are expressed at low level in axenic cultures and open the possibility of overproducing compounds of biotechnological interest by using potent inducers synthesized by other bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, E-18071 Granada, Spain Area de Microbiología, Departamento de Biología Funcional, Facultad de Medicina, IUBA, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Juana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Muñoz-Dorado
authors.forename: Alfredo F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Braña
authors.forename: Lawrence J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Shimkets
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sevillano
authors.forename: Ramón I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Santamaría
mesh_terms: D000880:Anthraquinones / Q000378:metabolism; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D025282:Mycelium / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D016941:Myxococcus xanthus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D048372:Streptomyces coelicolor / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D000095622:Benzoisochromanequinones
chemical_list: D000880:Anthraquinones; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; C013390:actinorhodin; D000095622:Benzoisochromanequinones