Streptomyces griseus

A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Streptomyces griseus

Classification

===Higher order taxa===
Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Actinobacteria
Order: Actinomycetales
Family: Streptomycetaceae
Genus: Streptomyces
Species: griseus

[1]

Species

NCBI: Taxonomy

Genus species:streptomyces griseus
other names: actinomyces griseus

Description and significance

The first person to isolate steptomyces griseus was Krainsky in 1914 during the outbreak of World War I from Russian soil.(2) In 1915, Dr. Selman A.Waksman, a microbiologist at the Agricultural Department of Rutger’s University, along with an assistant were studying actinomycetes when they isolated from New Jersey soil a strain in which they called actinomyces griseus.(3) Dr. Waksman was studying how certain substances enabled soil microbes to destroy each other and streptomyces, he found was able to survive in the soil even under unfavorable conditions. In 1943, actinomyces griseus was changed to streptomycin griseus. That same year, Albrez Schatz, an assistant of Dr. Waksman, isolated two actinomyces strains which proved to be identical to the strain discovered in 1915, yet somehow these two new strains had antibiotic behavior. Dr. Waksman named this antibiotic “streptomycin.” It was later determined that the S.griseus strain that give rise to the antibiotic was able to produce two variants, one in which had antibiotic activity and had no antibiotic activity. Waksman along with Schatz and Bugie, found streptomycin to be particularly effective against the tuberculosis bacteria, tubercle bacillus. Feldman and Hinshaw, two physicians from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, studied streptomycin’s effect in guinea pigs with tuberculosis and eventually in human tuberculosis. Feldman and Hinshaw found streptomycin to be effective in curing two extreme classes of tuburculosis: tuberculous meningitis and military tuberculosis.(2) In 1952, Dr. Selman Waksman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of streptomycin as the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis. (3)

Genome structure

Describe the size and content of the genome. How many chromosomes? Circular or linear? Other interesting features? What is known about its sequence? Does it have any plasmids? Are they important to the organism's lifestyle?

Cell structure and metabolism

S. griseus has a thick peptidogylcan layer and lipids stretching its cell wall making it a permeability barrier. When S. griseus was treated with lyzozyme for six hours, the cells did not die and was still able to grow. This shows that lyzozyme was not able to reach the murein. ll-Diaminopimelic acid is an important part of the murein in S. griseus. In the cell wall of S. griseus there is a wide water filled channel that contains a binding site for the antibiotic streptomycin. The cell wall of S. griseus has a lower density than the cytoplasmic membrane. (7)
The A-factor involved in secondary metabolism and morphological differentiation is also responsible in triggering the formation of aerial mycelium. When less than 5 µmol of cAMP was added to a disc containing S. grieus, there was rapid aerial mycelim formation however, any amount greater than 5 µmol of cAMP will inhibit this activity. This evidence suggests that cAMP might be part of a regulatory pathway to control physiological functions. (8)
The preferred carbon souce for S. griseus’ s production of streptomycin and for growth are as follows in order of preference : glucose, mannose, starch, dextrin and manitol. L-asparagine and L-histidine are good sources of nitrogen for the production of candicidin, an antibiotic that S. griseus also produces that is effective against Candida infections. Potassium, phosphate-phosphous, sulfate-sulfur, zinc and iron are also essential for the production of candicidin. (9) Streptomyces griseus can obtain its nitrogen from both organic and inorganic sources.

Ecology

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Pathology

How does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.

Application to Biotechnology

Does this organism produce any useful compounds or enzymes? What are they and how are they used?

Current Research

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References

[1.Waksman, S. A., Reilly, H. C., and Harris, Dale A. “Streptomyces griseus(Krainsky) Waksman and Henrici.” Journal Bacteriology. 1948. Volume 56, p.259-269] [2]

Edited by Tran Nguyen of Rachel Larsen