The Bacteria: Volume IX: Antibiotic-Producing Streptomyces explores how Streptomyces, including actinomycetes, produce a variety of antibiotics such as aminocyclitols, ansamycins, macrolides, and tetracyclines. Topics covered range from physiology and fermentation to genetic recombination and chromosome mapping in Streptomyces, biomodification of antibiotics by Streptomyces, and biosynthesis of tylosin and erythromycin. The genome structure and evolution of Streptomyces are also discussed. This volume is comprised of 10 chapters and begins with a discussion on the taxonomy of Streptomyces based on morphology, physiological characteristics, the composition of cell constituents such as cell walls, and the presence of characteristic lipids, sugars, and quinones. The discussion then turns to the intraspecific and interspecific recombination in Streptomyces; pathways of DNA repair and mutagenesis in Streptomyces fradiae; strategies for isolation of improved Streptomyces mutants for antibiotic production; and derivation of DNA cloning vectors from Streptomyces phages. The biology and use of Streptomyces plasmids as cloning vectors are also described. The final chapter is devoted to major structural classes of antibiotics produced by Streptomyces, including anthracyclines and other quinones, β-lactams, macrolides, nucleosides, peptides, polyenes, polyether antibiotics, and tetracyclines. This book will be of value to microbiologists, bacteriologists, biochemists, and biologists.
