Deletion of scbA enhances antibiotic production in Streptomyces lividans

Antibiotic production in many streptomycetes is influenced by extracellular γ-butyrolactone signalling molecules. In this study, the gene scbA, which had been shown previously to be involved in the synthesis of the γ-butyrolactone SCB1 in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2), was deleted from the chromosome of Streptomyces lividans 66. Deletion of scbA eliminated the production of the antibiotic stimulatory activity previously associated with SCB1 in S. coelicolor. When the S. lividans scbA mutant was transformed with a multi-copy plasmid carrying the gene encoding the pathway-specific activator for either actinorhodin or undecylprodigiosin biosynthesis, production of the corresponding antibiotic was elevated significantly compared to the corresponding scbA+ strain carrying the same plasmid. Consequently, deletion of scbA may be useful in combination with other strategies to construct host strains capable of improved bioactive metabolite production.