Streptomycetaceae: Phylogeny, Ecology and Pathogenicity

Nicole Lodders, Justus‐Liebig‐Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
Peter Kämpfer, Justus‐Liebig‐Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany

Published online: September 2007

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0020392

The family Streptomycetaceae contains three genera, with the genus Streptomyces being the best known and most diverse of these three genera. Members of this family are adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions and habitats, and they show a variety of colony – and cell morphological characteristics. Species of the family Streptomycetaceae produce a multitude of bioactive compounds and are able to degrade polymers and other materials used by humans, including rubber and plastics. Only few pathogenic species are known.

Keywords: streptomycetes; phylogeny; life cycle; habitat; pathogenicity

Figure 1. Phylogenetic relatedness of the families of the order of Actinomycetales based on 16S rRNA sequence comparison. The dendrogram was constructed by analysing approx. 1400 bp of each sequence with the maximum parsimony method contained in the ARB software package. A total of 4032 sequences were analysed. Bar, 0.1% divergence.
Figure 2. Life cycle of streptomycetes grown on solid media. Unlike most bacteria, streptomycetes exhibit a complex multicellular development. (a) Initially, a filamentous mycelium colonizes its substrate. After a period of assimilative growth, (b) aerial hyphae grow into the air and eventually (c) septate to form chains of pigmented exospores. Reprinted from Claesen et al. (2006) Regulation of streptomyces developments: reach for the sky! Trends in Microbiology 14(D): 313–319, Copyright 2006. With permission from Elsevier.
Figure 3. Spore chain morphology of various Streptomyces strains. Morphological features (left to right): Rectus-Flexibilis with warty surface; Rectus-Flexibilis with hairy surface; Spira with smooth surface; Retinaculum-Apertum with smooth surface. With the kind permission of Dr. Joachim Wink, Aventis Pharma Deutschland GmbH.
Figure 4. Colour patterns of various Streptomyces strains. (a) Streptomyces spectabilis, (b) S. purpurascens, (c) S. cinereoruber subsp. cinereoruber, (d) S. glaucescens, (e) S. violaceus, (f) S. lateritius.
Figure 5. Colonies of Streptomyces somaliensis, a human pathogen. With the kind permission of Dr. Joachim Wink, Aventis Pharma Deutschland GmbH.
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 Further Reading
    book Kämpfer P (2006) "The family Streptomycetaceae – Part 1: taxonomy". In: Dworkin M, Falkow S, Rosenberg E, Schleifer K-H and Stackebrandt E (eds) The Prokaryotes, vol. 3, pp. 538–604. New York: Springer.
    book Kieser T, Bibb MJ, Buttner MJ, Chater KF and Hopwood DA (2000) Practical Streptomyces Genetics. Norwich: The John Innes Foundation.
    ePath Miyadoh S, Tsuchizaki N, Ishikawa J and Hotta K. Digital Atlas of Actinomycetes. http://www.nih.go.jp/saj/DigitalAtlas/

Related Sub-Topics:

Physiological Ecology | Bacteria | Bacterial Culture, Growth and Development | Environmental Microbiology | Medical Microbiology | Microbial Evolution and Taxonomy
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Article Title: Streptomycetaceae: Phylogeny, Ecology and Pathogenicity
 
How to Cite close
Lodders, Nicole, and Kämpfer, Peter(Sep 2007) Streptomycetaceae: Phylogeny, Ecology and Pathogenicity. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0020392]