Identification and functional analysis of dTDP-glucose-4,6-dehydratase gene and its linked gene cluster in an aminoglycoside antibiotics producer of Streptomyces tenebrarius H6.

Streptomyces tenebrarius H6 produces a variety of aminoglycoside antibiotics, such as apramycin, tobramycin, and kanamycin B. Primers were designed according to the highly conserved sequences of the dTDP-glucose-4,6-dehydratase genes, and a 0.6-kb PCR product was obtained from S. tenebrarius H6 genomic DNA. With the 0.6-kb PCR product as a probe, a BamHI 7.0-kb fragment was isolated. DNA sequence analysis of the 7.0-kb fragment revealed four ORFs and an incomplete ORF. In search of databases, the deduced product of one ORF (orfE) showed 62% identity to the dTDP-glucose-4,6-dehydratase, StrE of S. griseus. Three other ORFs (orfG1, orfG2, and orfGM) showed 55%, 62%, and 42% similarities, respectively, to glycosyltransferase from Clostridium acetobutylicum and mannosyltransferase from Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri str. 306 and glycosyltransferase from Pseudomonas putida KT2440. Upstream of the orfE was an incomplete ORF, and the deduced product showed 56% similarity to dTDP-4-dehydrorhamnose, StrL from S. griseus. The function of the orfE gene was studied by targeted gene disruption. The resulting mutant failed to produce tobramycin and kanamycin B, but still produced apramycin, suggesting that the orfE gene and linked gene cluster are essential for the biosynthesis of tobramycin and kanamycin B in S. tenebrarius H6.