Actinorhodin

Actinorhodin

Actinorhodin is a blue antibiotic pigment produced by the bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor. It is a member of the quinone family of antibiotics and is known for its distinctive blue color. Actinorhodin is one of the few known naturally occurring blue pigments and is used as a model system for studying antibiotic production in Streptomyces species.

Structure and Biosynthesis

Actinorhodin is a polyketide antibiotic, meaning it is synthesized by the sequential addition of acetate or propionate units to a growing chain. The biosynthesis of actinorhodin is carried out by a type II polyketide synthase, which is encoded by the act gene cluster in S. coelicolor. The act gene cluster contains 21 genes, which are responsible for the synthesis, export, and regulation of actinorhodin production.

Biological Activity

Actinorhodin exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, particularly against Gram-positive bacteria. It functions by intercalating into DNA, disrupting the double helix structure and inhibiting DNA replication. This makes actinorhodin a valuable tool for studying DNA replication and repair mechanisms.

Research and Applications

Due to its distinctive color and well-characterized biosynthetic pathway, actinorhodin is often used as a model system for studying antibiotic production in Streptomyces species. It has also been used in research to develop new methods for producing and optimizing the production of polyketide antibiotics.

See Also

• Streptomyces coelicolor
• Polyketide
• Antibiotic

References

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