Bacteria Genomes - STREPTOMYCES AVERMITILIS

Streptomyces avermitilis is a Gram-positive soil bacterium that carries out not only a complex morphological differentiation but also the production of secondary metabolites, one of which, avermectin, is commercially important in human and veterinary medicine. The major interest in this genus Streptomyces is the diversity of its production of secondary metabolites as an industrial microorganism. Secondary metabolites are compounds with antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties and encompass a large variety of antibiotics. Researchers believe that these metabolites are produced by the bacterium at the end of its vegetative growth.

The sequencing revealed many genes involved in producing natural antibiotics that reside in clusters near both ends of the linear-shaped chromosome. These gene clusters interest researchers because understanding the antibiotic-producing mechanism could help generate novel drugs and slow down antibiotic resistance.

Streptomyces avermitilis has an unusually large genome of at least 8.7 million base pairs that consists of one linear chromosome.

References:

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA , 98 (21):12215-20 (2001)
http://genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/12_01/Streptomyces_avermitilis.shtml