Actinomycete Metabolome Induction/Suppression with N-Acetylglucosamine

The metabolite profiles of three sponge-derived actinomycetes, namely, Micromonospora sp. RV43, Rhodococcus sp. RV157, and Actinokineospora sp. EG49 were investigated after elicitation with N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. H-1 NMR finger-print methodology was utilized to study the differences in the metabolic profiles of the bacterial extracts before and after elicitation. Our study found that the addition of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine modified the secondary metabolite profiles of the three investigated actinomycete isolates. N-Acetyl-D-glucosamine induced the production of 3-formylindole (11) and guaymasol (12) in Micromonospora sp. RV43, the siderophore bacillibactin 16, and surfactin antibiotic 17 in Rhodococcus sp. RV157 and increased the production of minor metabolites actinosporins E-H (21-24) in Actinokineospora sp. EG49. These results highlight the use of NMR fingerprinting to detect changes in metabolism following addition of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. N-Acetyl-D-glucosamine was shown to have multiple effects including suppression of metabolites, induction of new metabolites, and increased production of minor compounds.