Streptomyces isolates

"Streptomyces" isolates have yielded the majority of human, animal, and agricultural antibiotics, as well as a number of fundamental chemotherapy medicines. "Streptomyces" is the largest antibiotic-producing genus of actinobacteria, producing chemotherapy, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic drugs, and immunosuppressants. "Streptomyces" isolates are typically initiated with the aerial hyphal formation from the mycelium.
Anticancer medicines.
"Streptomyces", yielded the medicines doxorubicin (Doxil), daunorubicin (DaunoXome), and streptozotocin (Zanosar). Doxorubicin is the precursor to valrubicin (Valstar), myocet, and pirarubicin. Daunorubicin is the precursor to idarubicin (Idamycin), epirubicin (Ellence), and zorubicin.
"Streptomyces" is the original source of dactinomycin (Cosmegen), bleomycin (Blenoxane), pingyangmycin (Bleomycin A5), mitomycin C (Mutamycin), rebeccamycin, staurosporine (precursor to stauprimide and midostaurin), neothramycin, aclarubicin, tomaymycin, sibiromycin, and mazethramycin.
Derivatives of "Streptomycetes" isolate migrastatin, including isomigrastatin, dorrigocin A & B, and the synthetic derivative macroketone, are being researched for anticancer activity.
Antibiotics.
Most clinical antibiotics were found during the "golden age of antibiotics" (1940s–1960s). Actinomycin was the first antibiotic isolated from "Streptomyces" in 1940, followed by streptomycin three years later. Antibiotics from "Streptomyces" isolates (including various aminoglycosides) would go on to comprise over two-thirds of all marketed antibiotics.
"Streptomyces"-derived antibiotics include:
Clavulanic acid ("Streptomyces clavuligerus") is used in combination with some antibiotics (such as amoxicillin) to weaken bacterial-resistance. Novel anti-infectives being developed include the guadinomines (from "Streptomyces" sp. K01-0509), inhibitors of the type III secretion system.
Non-"Streptomyces" actinomycetes, filamentous fungi, and non-filamentous bacteria, have also yielded important antibiotics.
Antifungals.
Nystatin ("Streptomyces noursei"), amphotericin B ("Streptomyces nodosus"), and natamycin ("Streptomyces natalensis") are antifungals isolated from "Streptomyces".
Immunosuppressants.
Sirolimus (Rapamycin), ascomycin, and tacrolimus were isolated from "Streptomyces". Pimecrolimus is a derivative of ascomycin. Ubenimex is derived from "S. olivoreticuli".
Antiparasitics.
"Streptomyces avermitilis" synthesizes the antiparasitic ivermectin (Stromectol). Other antiparasitics made by "Streptomyces" include, milbemycin oxime, moxidectin, and milbemycin.
Biotechnology.
Traditionally, "Escherichia coli" is the choice bacterium to express eukaryotic and recombinant genes. "E. coli" is well understood and has a successful track record producing insulin, the artemisinin precursor artemisinic acid, and filgrastim (Neupogen). However, use of "E. coli" has limitations including misfolding of eukaryotic proteins, insolubility issues, deposition in inclusion bodies,
 low secretion efficiency, secretion to periplasmic space.
"Streptomyces" offers potential advantages including superior secretion mechanisms, higher yields, a simpler end-product purification process, making "Streptomyces" an attractive alternative to "E. coli" and "Bacillus subtilis".
"Streptomyces coelicolor", "Streptomyces avermitilis", "Streptomyces griseus", and "Saccharopolyspora erythraea", are capable of secondary metabolite production. "Streptomyces coelicolor" has shown useful for the heterologous expression of proteins. Methods like "ribosome engineering" have been used to achieve 180-fold higher yields with "S. coelicolor".
Other.
StreptomeDB, a directory of "Streptomyces" isolates, contains over 2400 compounds isolated from more than 1900 strains. "Streptomyces hygroscopicus" and "Streptomyces viridochromeogenes" produce the herbicide bialaphos. Expansion of "Streptomyces" screenings have included endophytes, extremophiles, and marine varieties.
A recent screening of TCM extracts revealed a "Streptomyces" that produces a number of antitubercular pluramycins.