Abstract
Actinobacteria are known as the main producers of valuable compounds like antibiotics and lipids for biofuels generation. The project aims at investigating the regulatory role of DNA methylation on the biosynthesis of valuable compounds by two model actinobacterial strains Streptomyces coelicolor A(3)2 and Rhodococcus opacus PD630.The experimental plan first assesses the DNA methylation profiles of the two strains under growth conditions associated with the biosynthesis of valuable compounds and defines the list of the putative methyltransferases (MTases) present in these bacterial genomes. Mutants of selected MTase genes in Streptomyces and Rhodococcus strains are created. DNA methylomes and transcriptomic profiles are assessed during biosynthetic growth conditions and then compared with those of the parental strains. Selected MTase genes are over-expressed in the parental strains and heterologously expressed in Actinobacteria of industrial relevance to test the possibility to enhance the production yields by modulating the DNA methylation status.
Project details
Unibo Team Leader: Martina Cappelletti
Unibo involved Department/s:
Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie
Coordinator:
Università degli Studi di PALERMO(Italy)
Total Unibo Contribution: Euro (EUR) 70.317,00
Project Duration in months: 24
Start Date:
12/10/2023
End Date:
28/02/2026
