Abstract
Commercially important antibiotics are produced by several classes of organisms including many of the actinomycetes (Streptomyces, Actinomadura, Actinoplanes, Micromonospora, and Nocardia species), bacilli and fungi (Cephalosporium and Penicillium species). Antibiotics can be purified from microbial fermentations and modified chemically or enzymatically for either commercial use or fundamental studies. Gene cloning technology is less developed for antibiotic producers than it is for widely studied organisms such as Escherichia coli, bacilli and yeasts. Recently, however, there have been examples of gene cloning that could lead to useful new compounds or improvement in yields of existing compounds. In this review I highlight recent developments in gene cloning technology in antibiotic producing microorganisms and place these developments in perspective with studies of the past and prospects for the future.
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Fayerman, J. New Developments in Gene Cloning in Antibiotic Producing Microorganisms. Nat Biotechnol 4, 786–789 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0986-786
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0986-786