Sinvent As

Sintef Tto As

Espen Fjærvik

Sergey Zotchev

Trond Erling Ellingsen

Håvard Sletta

Svein Valla

Trygve Brautaset

Olga Nikolayivna Sekurova

Arne Reidar Strøm

Ole-Martin Gulliksen

Geir Klinkenberg

Hanne Jørgensen

Kristin Fløgstad Degnes

Per Bruheim

The present invention provides a nucleic acid molecule comprising: (a) a nucleotide sequence as shown in SEQ ID No. 1; or (b) a nucleotide sequence which is the complement of SEQ ID No. 1; or (c) a nucleotide sequence which is degenerate with SEQ ID No. 1; or (d) a nucleotide sequence having at least 85% sequence identity (preferably at least 87%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98% or 99% sequence identity) with SEQ ID No. 1; or (e) a part of any one of (a) to (d), wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes or is a complementary to a nucleic acid molecule encoding one or more polypeptides, or comprises or is complementary to a nucleic acid molecule comprising one or more genetic elements, having functional activity in the synthesis of a polyketide-based or macrolactam molecule. Particularly the invention contemplates the modification of the nucleic acid of the invention, encoding the biosynthetic machinery for the synthesis of the polyketide macrolactam BE-14106, including expressing in a microorganism the modified nucleic acid molecule. In certain aspects the modification includes introducing, mutating, deleting, replacing or inactivating a sequence encoding one or more activities or proteins encoded by said nucleic acid molecule. Other aspects of the invention include a microorganism containing the modified and unmodified nucleic acid and recovering the polyketide-based or macrolactam molecule from said microorganism.

NRPS-PKS gene cluster and its manipulation and utility

The invention provides a nucleic acid molecule comprising: (a) a nucleotide sequence as shown in SEQ ID No. 35; or (b) a nucleotide sequence which is the complement of SEQ ID No. 35; or (c) a nucleotide sequence which is degenerate with SEQ ID No. 35; or (d) a nucleotide sequence hybridising under conditions of high stringency to SEQ ID No. 35, to the complement of SEQ ID No. 35, or to a hybridisation probe derived from SEQ ID No. 35 or the complement thereof; or (e) a nucleotide sequence having at least 80% sequence identity with SEQ ID No. 35; or (f) a nucleotide sequence having at least 65% sequence identity with SEQ ID No. 35 wherein said sequence preferably encodes or is complementary to a sequence encoding a nystatin PKS enzyme or a part thereof. Also provided are part of such molecules and polypeptides (and parts thereof) encoded by such a nucleic acid molecule, and the use of such molecules and polypeptides in facilitating nystatin biosynthesis and in the synthesis of nystatin derivatives and novel polyketide as macrolide structures.

Genes encoding a nystatin polyketide synthase and their manipulation and utility

Growing community of inventors

Trondheim, Norway

Espen Fjærvik