Analysis of a C-methyltransferase gene (aviG1) involved in avilamycin biosynthesis in Streptomyces viridochromogenes Tü57 and complementation of a Saccharopolyspora erythraea eryBIII mutant by aviG1 The GenBank accession number for the sequence reported in this paper is AF333038.

Abstract

Streptomyces viridochromogenes Tü57 is the principal producer of avilamycin A. aviG1, a putative methyltransferase gene, was detected in the avilamycin biosynthetic gene cluster. To determine the function of aviG1, a targeted gene inactivation experiment was performed. The resulting chromosomal mutant, carrying an in-frame deletion in aviG1, was deficient in avilamycin production. aviG1 was used to complement an eryBIII mutant of the erythromycin A producer Saccharopolyspora erythraea [Gaisser, S., Bohm, G. A., Doumith, M., Raynal, M. C., Dhillon, N., Cortes, J. & Leadlay, P. F. (1998). Mol Gen Genet 258, 78-88]. The presence of erythromycin A in the culture supernatant of the complemented mutant indicated that L-mycarose biosynthesis could be restored and that AviG1 could take over the function of the C-methyltransferase EryBIII.