Beyond being the most important natural compound source, actinomycetes are the origin of up to two-thirds of all clinically used antibiotics. Currently, new antimicrobials are urgently needed, as infections caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens are on the rise. In the identification of new antibiotics, many scientists are currently investigating biosynthetic aspects of antibiotic production in actinomycetes. Since the emergence of next-generation sequencing technologies, the field of antibiotics research has experienced a remarkable revival. These bacteria have the potential to produce more antibiotics than previously thought possible. Some antibiotics are produced in standard media, while others require the presence of a specific signaling molecule in the medium. Others, however, are only produced when the native regulation of the biosynthesis gene cluster is overruled. This book covers topics in the field of antibiotic-producing actinomycetes. The following tops are addressed: - Approaches to access novel antibiotic producers for novel natural compounds - Omics and genome mining approaches for the discovery of novel natural compounds - Analyses and genetic engineering of antibiotic biosynthesis - Regulation of the secondary metabolism in actinomycetes

Introduction to and importance of actinomycetes. Classification. Morphology. Genetics of the nocardioform bacteria. Streptmycetes genetics. Transformation of xenobiotics. Actinomycete envelope lipid and peptidoglycan composition. Chicical significance of actinomycetes. Laboratory diagnosis of actinomycetes diseases. Actinomycetes pathogenesis. Ecology of actinomycetes.

The actinomycetes are a group of bacteria well known as producers of antibiotics. With the advent of molecular biology they have become important to biotechnologists in the search for new antibiotics, vitamins, enzyme inhibitors, etc. They also play an important role in the biodegradation of wastes, and their wide (natural) distribution in soil, composts, water and elsewhere in the environment makes them important to the agricultural and waste industries. This research book presents a broad view of the current interest in actinomycetes, ranging from isolation/screening of actinomycetes, discovery of new antibiotics, a substantial contribution on genetic manipulation to actinomycetes in agriculture, forestry, and the threat of actinomycetes as pollutants in the environment.The chapters, which have been written by experts, are intended to provide a balanced view of the opportunities and problems in an expanding field of interest.

"Actinomycetes are a versatile group of Gram positive bacteria widely distributed in the terrestrial and aquatic environments. The specialty of the actinomycetes is that they have a mycelial appearance unlike most bacteria. This group of bacteria is well known for their ability to produce a range of bioactive molecules, including antibiotics and various kinds of enzymes. As they are known for their ability to produce various antibiotics, the actinomycetes are widely explored by various research groups in search of novel drug molecules. Since the cultivation and maintenance of actinobacteria are not that easy as in the case of other bacteria, they are rather underexplored. With the frequent emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria, which are outpacing the discovery of new antibiotics, there is a renewed interest in actinomycetes from special habitats such as extreme habitats in the marine environment, salt pans, geothermal springs, permanently frozen polar environments etc. Endophytic actinomycetes are also attracting the attention of current researchers in this field. This book titled "A Closer Look at Actinomycetes" is a compilation of articles which deals with interesting topics such as "actinomycetes as microbial drug factories", endophytic fungi from special habitats of Pakistan as well as strategies for exploration of actinomycetes diversity and the taxonomy of actinomycetes should be of great interest to those who are interested in Actinomycetes research. People with interest in general microbiology will also find it an interesting read"--

Global yields of legumes have been relatively stagnant for the last five decades, despite the adoption of conventional and molecular breeding approaches. The use of plant growth-promoting (PGP) bacteria for improving agricultural production, soil and plant health has become one of the most attractive strategies for developing sustainable agriculture. Actinomycetes are bacteria that play an important role in PGP and plant protection, produce secondary metabolites of commercial interest, and their use is well documented in wheat, rice, beans, chickpeas and peas. In order to promote legumes, the general assembly of the UN recently declared 2016 the “International Year of Pulses.” In view of this development, this book illustrates how PGP actinomycetes can improve grain yield and soil fertility, improve control of insect pests and phytopathogens, and enhance host-plant resistance. It also addresses special topics of current interest, e.g. the role of PGP actinomycetes in the biofortification of legume seeds and bioremediation of heavy metals.

Biological, Biochemical, and Biomedical Aspects of Actinomycetes documents the proceedings of the V International Symposium on Actinomycetes Biology held in Oaxtepec, Morelos, Mexico, 16-19 August 1982. This volume contains 45 chapters and opens with a paper on the pathogenesis of Actinomyces israelii. Separate chapters follow on the incidence, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of actinomycotic infections; the mechanisms by which A. viscosus can adhere to tooth surfaces; the host response to Actinomyces viscosus Ny1; the cell wall as determinant of pathogenicity in Nocardia; and medical and microbiological problems in human actinomycoses. Subsequent chapters deal with topics such as chemistry of the of the rodlet mosaic fiber portion of the Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) sheath, but also the presence of chitin in S. bambergiensis (hairy spores); lipids of mycobacteria, nocardiae, and rhodococci; genetic determination of antibiotics coded by plasmids; the morphology and ultrastructure of Pilimelia; and the ecology of streptomycete phage in soil.