Generation of the natamycin analogs by gene engineering of natamycin biosynthetic genes in Streptomyces chattanoogensis L10

The polyene antibiotic natamycin is widely used as an antifungal agent in both human therapy and the food industry. Here we obtained four natamycin analogs with high titers, including two new compounds, by engineering of six post-polyketide synthase (PKS) tailoring enzyme encoding genes in a natamycin industrial producing strain, Streptomyces chattanoogensis L10. Precise analysis of S. chattanoogensis L10 culture identified natamycin and two natamycin analogs, 4,5-deepoxy-natamycin and 4,5-deepoxy-natamycinolide. The scnD deletion mutant of S. chattanoogensis L10 did not produce natamycin but increased the titer of 4,5-deepoxy-natamycin. Inactivation of each of scnK, scnC, and scnJ in S. chattanoogensis L10 abolished natamycin production and accumulated 4,5-deepoxy-natamycinolide. Deletion of scnG in S. chattanoogensis L10 resulted in production of two new compounds, 4,5-deepoxy-12-decarboxyl-12-methyl-natamycin and its dehydration product without natamycin production. Inactivation of the ScnG-associated ferredoxin ScnF resulted in impaired production of natamycin. Bioassay of these natamycin analogs showed that three natamycin analogs remained antifungal activities. We found that homologous glycosyltransferases genes including amphDI and nysDI can partly complement the ΔscnK mutant. Our results here also support that ScnG, ScnK, and ScnD catalyze carboxylation, glycosylation, and epoxidation in turn in the natamycin biosynthetic pathway. Thus this paper provided a method to generate natamycin analogs and shed light on the natamycin biosynthetic pathway.