Diversity of Actinoplanes and related genera isolated from an Italian soil.

Actinoplanes and related genera are good producers of bioactive secondary metabolites. However, many strains within these genera present similar morphological characteristics, and this prevents an effective discrimination of replicate strains during industrial isolation and screening programs. Using PCR-RFLP analysis of the 23S rDNA gene and of the 16S-23S intergenic spacer, we have analyzed 182 strains of Actinoplanes and related genera obtained through a selective isolation method from a single Italian soil. Combining the 23S and IGS data, 99 unique profiles were observed, and morphologically undistinguishable strains were discriminated. Further analyses on a restricted number of strains through 16S sequencing and hybridization to a probe for secondary metabolism established a good correlation between strain diversity seen by PCR-RFLP and that seen by the other methods. Overall, the data indicate the presence of a high diversity of Actinoplanes and related genera isolated from a single Italian soil.