| abstract |
A 17 kb nucleic acid fragment, which confers production of the lantihiotic cinnamycin on non-producer Strepto-mycete strains, has been isolated from Streptomyces cinnamoneus cinnamoneus DSM 40005 and characterised. Also provided are variants of the 17 kb fragment including variants in which non-essential genes are deleted and variants in which the propeptide sequence of the cinnamycin structural gene is altered, for example replaced with the propeptide sequence of similar B-type lantibiotics. Also provided are vectors, host cells and methods of lantibiotic production using the nucleic acid of the invention, and libraries of variants. |