PhD-forsvar: Impact of Streptomyces and their specialized metabolites

This research contributes to our understanding of the molecules produced by Streptomyces spp., particularly focusing on azodyrecins, a class of azoxy compounds. Despite the widespread occurrence of azoxy biosynthetic gene clusters in Streptomyces genomes, only a few azoxy metabolites have been characterized to date. The unique structure of azodyrecins and the prevalence of their biosynthetic genes suggest a crucial, yet undiscovered, ecological role. In addition to advancing our knowledge about azoxy molecule biosynthesis in Streptomyces spp., we identified novel pepticinnamin analogues, discovered a novel isoquinolinequinone terpenoid, maramycin, that is synthesised through cross talk of a rare bifunctional enzyme and host biosynthetic machinery, and successfully established CRISPR base editing in Streptomyces mirabilis P8-A2, demonstrating its efficacy as a host for genome engineering. These findings not only enhance our understanding of microbial metabolic pathways but also pave the way for future biotechnological innovations and understanding their roles in shaping their natural environment.