Utilization of a reporter system based on the blue pigment indigoidine biosynthetic gene bpsA for detection of promoter activity and deletion of genes in Streptomyces

The integrative promoter-probe plasmid pBPSA1 was constructed using a promoterless Streptomyces aureofaciens CCM3239 bpsA gene encoding a non-ribosomal peptide synthase for the biosynthesis of a blue pigment, indigoidine. bpsA was also used to prepare pAMR4 plasmid for the deletion of genes in Streptomyces with facile identification of double crossover recombination. •Reporter system for assessment of gene expression in Streptomyces is described•The system uses the bpsA gene, encoding a biosynthetic enzyme for indigoidine•The reporter was used to construct a plasmid for the deletion of genes•The utility of this system was confirmed by deletion of the actinorhodin genes