Li_2006_J.Bacteriol_188_4148

Tautomycin (TTM), a potent protein phosphatase inhibitor, consists of a polyketide chain containing a spiroketal moiety and an acyl chain bearing a dialkylmaleic anhydride structure. PCR using degenerate primers was used to clone genes from Streptomyces spiroverticillatus for formation of the methoxymalonyl-acyl carrier protein. This locus was found to contain five genes (ttmC, ttmA, ttmD, ttmB, and ttmE), one of which was used as a probe to clone the 110-kb TTM biosynthetic gene cluster. The involvement of the ttmA gene in TTM biosynthesis was confirmed by gene inactivation and mutation complementation experiments.