Proefschrift
Molecular characterization of copper-dependent enzymes involved in Streptomyces morphology
Promotor: G.P. van Wezel, Co-promotor: D. Claessen
- Auteur
- Maria Louise Catharina Petrus
- Datum
- 18 februari 2016
- Links
- Thesis in Leiden Repository
The filamentous soil bacteria of the genus Streptomyces are commercially exploited for the production of a wide range of natural products such as antibiotics, anticancer agents and immunosuppressants. Additionally, there is a strong interest in the use of these bacteria for the production of industrial proteins. Optimal production of these secondary metabolites and enzymes is tightly coupled to morphology. However, relatively little is known about the genetic determinants influencing the morphology of streptomycetes in liquid-grown cultures. The work presented in this thesis focuses on the formation of extracellular macromolecules and their influence on morphogenesis, with a special emphasis on the role of the cellulose synthase-like protein CslA and the radical copper oxidase GlxA in the production of a tip-localized glycan. This research is of fundamental importance for understanding the determinants of growth and development of this multicellular model organism, and at the same time may help us to further optimize their exploitation for the industrial production of secondary metabolites and enzymes.