Biotechnological Potential of Streptomyces Siderophores as New Antibiotics

Abstract

Background: Siderophores are small molecule iron-chelators produced by microorganisms and plants growing mostly under low iron conditions. Siderophores allow iron capture and transport through cell membranes into the cytoplasm, where iron is released for use in biological processes. These bacterial iron uptake systems can be used for antibiotic conjugation or as targets for killing pathogenic bacteria. Siderophores have been explored recently because of their potential applications in environmental and therapeutic research. They are present in Streptomyces, Gram-positive bacteria that are an important source for discovering new siderophores. Objective: This review summarizes siderophore molecules produced by the genus Streptomyces emphasizing their potential as biotechnological producers and also illustrating genomic tools for discovering siderophores useful for treating bacterial infections. Methods: The literature search was performed using PUBMED and MEDLINE databases with keywords siderophore, secondary metabolites, Trojan horse strategy, sideromycin and Streptomyces. The literature research focused on bibliographic databases including all siderophores identified in the genus Streptomyces. In addition, reference genomes of Streptomyces from GenBank were used to identify siderophore biosynthetic gene clusters by using the antiSMASH platform. Results: This review has highlighted some of the many siderophore molecules produced by Streptomyces, illustrating the diversity of their chemical structures and wide spectrum of bioactivities against pathogenic bacteria. Furthermore, the possibility of using siderophores conjugated with antibiotics could be an alternative to overcome bacterial resistance to drugs and could improve their therapeutic efficacy. Conclusion: This review confirms the importance of Streptomyces as a rich source of siderophores, and underlines their potential as antibacterial agents.

The Isolation of a Novel Streptomyces sp. CJ13 from a Traditional Irish Folk Medicine Alkaline Grassland Soil that Inhibits Multiresistant Pathogens and Yeasts

“…In order to predict the potential synthesis of antibiotics by Streptomyces sp., CJ13, we analysed its whole genome sequence using antiSMASH (antibiotics and secondary metabolite analysis shell), which predicts the potential for synthesis of secondary metabolite clusters [29]. Some of the secondary metabolites that we identified are common to many species of Streptomyces, including: spore pigment, melanin, siderophores, alkylresorcinol (phenolic lipid, also contact allergen) and hopene (condenses membranes and decreases permeability) [34][35][36].…”

Integrating perspectives in actinomycete research: an ActinoBase review of 2020–21

“…The genomic era has opened a new roadmap for the study of BGCs with genome mining as a prominent strategy to find candidates for novel bioactive compounds [4,13,14]. This has allowed researchers to uncover thousands of new BGCs of different classes, including polyketides (PKs); non-ribosomal peptides (NRPs) [15][16][17][18]; PK-NRP hybrid compounds; ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) such as lanthipeptides or thiopeptides [19][20][21]; and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) [22,23]; among others [24][25][26][27][28].…”

Whole-genome sequence of bioactive streptomycete derived from mangrove forest in Malaysia, Streptomyces sp. MUSC 14

“…Gifted with the ability to form spores, streptomycetes are ubiquitous in nature and produce a diverse array of secondary metabolites that can be exploited for the benefit of humanity [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] . One of the significant breakthroughs in streptomycetes research is the discovery of streptomycin (from the soil bacterium, Streptomyces griseus) by Professor Waksman and his teamwhich subsequently led him to the Nobel Award in Medicine later in 1960 [13,[17][18][19][20][21] .…”