Identification of Three Positive Regulators in the Geldanamycin PKS Gene Cluster of Streptomyces hygroscopicus JCM4427

In the Streptomyces hygroscopicus JCM4427 geldanamycin biosynthetic gene cluster, five putative regulatory genes were identified by protein homology searching. Among those genes, gel14, gel17, and gel19 are located downstream of polyketide synthase genes. Gel14 and Gel17 are members of the LAL family of transcriptional regulators, including an ATP/GYP-binding domain at the N-terminus and a DNA-binding helix-turn-helix domain at the C-terminus. Gel19 is a member of the TetR family of transcriptional regulators, which generally act to repress transcription. To verify the biological significance of the putative regulators in geldanamycin production, they were individually characterized by gene disruption, genetic complementation, and transcriptional analyses. All three genes were confirmed as positive regulators of geldanamycin production. Specifically, Gel17 and Gel19 are required for gel14 as well as gelA gene expression.