Thiamin production by fermentation

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for producing thiamin products using a microorganism containing a mutation that causes it to overproduce and release thiamin products into the medium. Biologically pure cultures of the microorganisms and isolated polynucleotides containing the mutations are also provided. In addition, methods for detecting a pathogenic microorganism in a clinical sample, assays for identifying an antibiotic, as well as, antibiotics identified by such assays are provided.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to methods for producing thiamin products. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods for producing thiamin products using a microorganism containing a mutation that causes it to overproduce and release thiamin products into the medium. Biologically pure cultures of the microorganisms and isolated polynucleotides containing the mutations are also provided. In addition, methods for detecting a pathogenic microorganism in a clinical sample, assays for identifying an antibiotic, as well as, antibiotics identified using such assays are provided.

[0002] Thiamin, also known as vitamin B1, is a member of the water-soluble B-complex of vitamins and is a nutritional requirement for mammals. The pyrophosphate form of thiamin acts in vivo as the coenzyme in many carbohydrate and amino acid metabolic pathways, like for example those catabolized by pyruvate dehydrogenase, pyruvate oxidase or transketolase. It is important to note that unlike other vitamin biosynthetic pathways (e.g. riboflavin and biotin), thiamin is not part of the de novo pathway, but is actually part of the salvage pathway.

[0003] Most enzymatic steps and intermediates in thiamin biosynthesis have been studied in E. coli and to a lesser extent in Salmonella typhimurium and Rhizobium (for reviews, see Brown and Williamson (1987) pp. 528-532, In F. C. Neidhardt et al. (ed.) Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium: Cellular and Molecular Biology, vol. 1. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C.; White and Spenser (1996) pp. 680-686, In P. C. Neidhardt et al. (ed.) Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium: Cellular and Molecular Biology, vol. 2. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C.; Begley et al. (1999) Arch. Microbiol. 171: 293-300). The E. coli genes encoding the steps in the thiamin pathway are located at four distinct sites on the chromosome: a thiCEFSGH operon at 90''; a thiMD operon at 46'', individual thiJ and thiL genes are clustered in the 9.5'' vicinity and thiK at 25''. All of these genes have been cloned and sequenced and many of the enzymes encoded by these genes have been overproduced in E. coli and their enzymatic activities determined.

[0004] The pyrimidine moiety, 4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-2-methylpyrimidine phosphate (HMP-P), is derived from 5-aminoimidazole ribotide (AIR), an intermediate in the de novo purine biosynthetic pathway. In Gram-negative bacteria, conversion of AIR to HMP-P is catalyzed by the thiC gene product. HMP-P is then phosphorylated to HMP-PP by ThiD kinase prior to coupling with the thiazole unit.

[0005] The thiazole moiety, 5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methylthiazole phosphate (HET-P), is derived from L-tyrosine and 1-deoxy-D-xylulose phosphate (DXP); the sulfur atom is most likely derived from L-cysteine. This reaction requires expression of at least five genes thiF, thiS, thiG, thiH and thiI.

[0006] Coupling of HMP-PP and HET-P is catalyzed by thiamin phosphate pyrophosphorylase encoded by thiE, resulting in thiamin monophosphate (TMP). TMP is then phosphorylated to form thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP) by the action of thiamin monophosphate kinase, encoded by thiL. Because thiamin is not part of the de novo pathway, E. coli requires a salvage enzyme, thiamin kinase, encoded by thiK to convert exogenous thiamin into TMP.

[0007] Synthesis of thiamin in B. subtilis appears to utilize the same enzymes and intermediates as found in E. coli (see, e.g., Perkins and Pero (2001) pp. 271-286, In Sonenshein et al, (ed.) Bacillus subtilis and its relatives: from genes to cells, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C.). However there are important differences. The traditional gene names are different in E. coli and B. subtilis. First, the HMP biosynthesis enzyme ThiC, thiamin-phosphate pyrophosphate ThiE, and hydroxyethylthiazole kinase ThiM from E. coli have their counterparts named ThiA, ThiC, and ThiK, respectively. Second, the known B. subtilis thiamin biosynthetic genes are organized differently, as three clusters: the thiA locus consisting of only the thiA gene, the thiB locus consisting of genes thiOSFGD1, and the thiC locus consisting of thiK and thiC genes. Third, at least one enzymatic step in thiazole biosynthesis is different. The B. subtilis genome does not contain a thiH ortholog. Instead thiO (yjbR in the thiB locus) is predicted to encode an oxidase activity involved in thiazole biosynthesis. This gene is not present in the E. coli genome, nor does it show amino acid homology to ThiH. It is homologous to one of the genes (thiO) associated with thi genes from Rhizobium etli. Fourth, two orthologs of E. coli thiD have been found in B. subtilis, yjbV (thiD1) and ywdB (thiD2), which could encode the biosynthetic and salvage HMP kinases. Finally, the thiC locus contains an unknown gene, ywbI that displays strong similarity to the lysR family of transcriptional regulators.

[0008] The present invention provides a microorganism selected from the group consisting of Bacillaceae, Lactobacillaceae, Streptococcaceae, Corynebacteriaceae and Brevibacteriaceae, wherein the microorganism contains a mutation that deregulates thiamin production and causes thiamin products to be released from the cell.

[0009] "Thiamin products" means thiamin, thiamin monophosphate (TMP) and/or thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP), either alone or in any combination.

[0010] It is understood that a microorganism as used for the present invention means a "biologically pure culture" of said microorganism, i.e., a microorganism that is separated from constituents, cellular and otherwise, in which the microorganism is normally associated with in nature.

[0011] The following materials have been deposited with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), P.O. Box 1549, Manassas, Va. 20108 USA on May 12, 2003, and with the Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen (DSMZ), Mascheroder Weg 1B, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany on Apr. 5, 2004, respectively, with the corresponding accession numbers as indicated below, in accordance with the stipulations of the Budapest Treaty: Bacillus subtilis TH95 (ATCC PTA-5221), Bacillus subtilis TH101 (ATCC PTA-5222), Bacillus subtilis TH115 (ATCC PTA-5223), Bacillus subtilis TH116 (ATCC PTA-5224), Bacillus subtilis TH404 (DSM 16333), and Bacillus subtilis TH405 (DSM 16334).

[0012] "Mutation" is used interchangeably herein with modification to mean a change in the wild-type DNA sequence of a microorganism, such as a bacterium, that conveys a phenotypic change to the microorganism compared to the wild type microorganism, e.g. that allows an increase or decrease of thiamin or a thiamin product either in the cell or out of the cell by any mechanism. The mutation may be caused in a variety of ways including one or more frame shifts, substitutions, insertions and/or deletions, including nonsense mutations (amber (UAG), ocher (T/UAA) and opal (T/UGA)). The deletion may be of a single nucleotide or more, including deletion of the entire gene.

[0013] "Amino acid substitution" means a one-for-one amino acid replacement. Such substitutions are conservative in nature when the substituted amino acid has similar structural and/or chemical properties. Examples of conservative replacements include substitution of a leucine with an isoleucine or valine, an aspartate with a glutamate, or a threonine with a serine. Non-conservative substitutions within the scope of the present invention include replacement of amino acids having aliphatic side chains with those that have aromatic side chains, such as replacement of leucine with phenylalanine.

[0014] Amino acid "insertions" or "deletions" mean changes to or within an amino acid sequence. They typically fall in the range of about 1 to 5 amino acids. The variation allowed in a particular amino acid sequence may be experimentally determined by producing the peptide synthetically or by systematically making insertions, deletions, or substitutions of nucleotides in the sequence using recombinant DNA techniques.

[0015] "Deregulates" or "deregulation" means an alteration or modification of the expression of a gene that encodes an enzyme/protein in a biosynthetic pathway, such that the level or activity of said enzyme/protein is altered or modified, which results in, but is not limited to, an increase in the production of a thiamin product or the release of thiamin products out of the cell, by e.g., secretion, efflux, and the like. Alterations or modifications of gene expression can occur by changes in the DNA sequence of the gene itself or regions outside of the gene, including non-protein encoding DNA regions. "Deregulates" or "deregulation" can also mean any perturbation of the intracellular levels of a metabolite that alters the expression of a biosynthetic gene of the cell, such that an increase in the production or the release of thiamin products occurs.

[0016] In one embodiment, the mutation that deregulates thiamin production in a microorganism as defined above is selected from the group consisting of .DELTA.thiL, txl, tx26 and combinations thereof. Such a mutation includes .DELTA.thiL combined with txl, .DELTA.thiL combined with tx26, txl combined with tx26, and .DELTA.thiL combined with both txl and tx26. Preferred is a microorganism comprising all three mutations .DELTA.thiL, txl and tx26.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the microorganism is selected from the group consisting of Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Gorynebacterium, and Brevibacterium. More preferably, the microorganism is selected from the genus Bacillus, most preferably it is a B. subtilis cell.

[0018] In one embodiment, the microorganism containing the mutation as defined above is B. subtilis TH95.

[0019] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a microorganism as defined above containing a mutation which is selected from the group consisting of .DELTA.thiL, txl, tx26 and combinations thereof further comprising a DNA cassette containing at least one copy of a polynucleotide sequence that encodes a thiA gene product, which polynucleotide sequence is operatively controlled by a strong constitutive promoter. A preferred microorganism is B. subtilis TH116.

[0020] In a further embodiment, the present invention provides a microorganism as defined above containing a mutation which is selected from the group consisting of .DELTA.thiL, txl, tx26 and combinations thereof further comprising a DNA cassette containing at least one copy of a polynucleotide sequence that encodes gene products from a thiKC operon, which polynucleotide sequence is operatively controlled by a strong constitutive promoter. A preferred microorganism is B. subtilis TH115.

[0021] In a further embodiment, the present invention provides a microorganism as defined above containing a mutation which is selected from the group consisting of .DELTA.thiL, txl, tx26 and combinations thereof further comprising a DNA cassette containing a polynucleotide sequence that encodes gene products of a tenAl-thiOSGFD operon, which polynucleotide sequence is operatively controlled by a strong constitutive promoter. A preferred microorganism is B. subtilis TH404.

[0022] In a further embodiment, the present invention provides a microorganism as defined above containing a mutation which is selected from the group consisting of .DELTA.thiL, txl, tx26 and combinations thereof further comprising (a) a DNA cassette containing a polynucleotide sequence that encodes gene products of a tenAl-thiOSGFD operon and (b) a DNA cassette containing at least one copy of a polynucleotide sequence that encodes a thiA gene product, which polynucleotide sequences are operatively controlled by a strong constitutive promoter. A preferred microorganism is B. subtilis TH405.

[0023] In the present invention, "DNA cassette" means a DNA coding sequence or segment of DNA that codes for an expression product that can be inserted into a vector at defined restriction sites. The cassette restriction sites are designed to ensure insertion of the cassette in the proper reading frame. Generally, foreign DNA is inserted at one or more restriction sites of the vector DNA, and then is carried by the vector into a host cell along with the transmissible vector DNA. DNA fragments can also be inserted into the vector DNA without restriction enzymes by the use of topoisomerase bound at the ends of linearized vector DNA; this is especially useful for direct cloning of PCR-prepared DNA fragments. A segment or sequence of DNA having inserted or added DNA, such as an expression vector, can also be called a "DNA construct". A common type of vector is a "plasmid", which generally is a self-contained molecule of double-stranded DNA, usually of bacterial origin, that can readily accept additional (foreign) DNA and which can be readily introduced into a suitable host cell. A plasmid often contains coding DNA and promoter DNA and has one or more restriction sites suitable for inserting foreign DNA. "Coding DNA" is a DNA sequence that encodes a particular amino acid sequence for a particular protein or enzyme. The DNA cassette may, in addition to the specific nucleotide sequence, contain additional transcription control elements including enhancers and promoters for controlling transcription of the specific nucleotide sequence. "Promoter DNA" is a DNA sequence which initiates, regulates, or otherwise mediates or controls the expression of the coding DNA. Promoter DNA and coding DNA may be from the same gene or from different genes, and may be from the same or different organisms. A large number of vectors, including plasmid and fungal vectors, have been described for replication and/or expression in a variety of eukaryotic and prokaryotic hosts. Non-limiting examples include those specifically described in the Examples, as well as, pKK plasmids (Clonetech), pUC plasmids, pET plasmids (Novagen, Inc., Madison, Wis.), pRSET or pREP plasmids (Invitrogen, San Diego, Calif.), or pMAL plasmids (New England Biolabs, Beverly, Mass.), pCR2.1Topo (Invitrogen, San Diego, Calif.), pXLTopo (Invitrogen, San Diego, Calif.), and many appropriate host cells, using methods disclosed or cited herein or otherwise known to those skilled in the relevant art. Recombinant cloning vectors will often include one or more replication systems for cloning or expression, one or more markers for selection in the host, e.g. antibiotic resistance, and one or more expression cassettes.

[0024] The DNA cassette may contain one or more copies of the coding DNA such as for example from 1-50 copies of the sequence, preferably from 1-25 copies, such as from 1-5,1-10, 1-15 and 1-20 copies. The sequences may be arranged in any order, including for example, tandemly, i.e., in a head-to-tail arrangement.

[0025] "Operatively controlled" means that the transcription of the coding DNA is controlled or mediated by e.g., a promoter or transcription enhancer. Such promoters or transcription enhancers may be adjacent to the coding DNA or may be located upstream or downstream from the coding DNA.

[0026] A "strong constitutive promoter" is one which causes mRNAs to be initiated at high frequency compared to a native host cell. Strong constitutive promoters are well known and an appropriate one may be selected according to the specific sequence to be controlled in the host cell. Examples of such strong constitutive promoters from Gram-positive microorganisms include, but are not limited to, SP01-26, SP01-15, veg, pyc (pyruvate carboxylase promoter), and amyE. Examples of promoters from Gram-negative microorganisms include, but are not limited to, tac, tet, trp-tet, lpp, lac, lpp-lac, lacIq, T7, T5, T3, gal, trc, ara, SP6, .lamda.-P.sub.R, and .lamda.-P.sub.L.

[0027] In another aspect, the present invention provides a microorganism as defined above containing a mutation which is selected from the group consisting of .DELTA.thiL, txl, tx26 and combinations thereof further comprising (a) a first mutation that deregulates expression of a purine operon of B. subtilis and (b) a second mutation that blocks conversion of 5-aminoimidazole ribotide (AIR) to carboxyaminoimidazole ribotide (CAIR). In a preferred embodiment, the first mutation comprises a mutation within the leader region of the pur operon and the second mutation comprises a mutation within the pure gene encoding phosphoribosylaminoimidazole carboxylase I. More preferably, the microorganism is B. subtilis TH101.

[0028] The term "blocks conversion" means that the mutation prevents the cellular machinery from converting AIR to CAIR. In the present invention, the conversion of AIR to CAIR is preferably completely blocked; but blockage of the conversion of greater than 75%, such as greater than 85-90% is also acceptable.

[0029] In one embodiment, the present invention is a method or a process for producing thiamin products. This method comprises culturing, in a suitable medium, a microorganism as defined above containing a mutation which is selected from the group consisting of .DELTA.thiL, txl, tx26 and combinations thereof that causes it to overproduce thiamin products and to release them into the medium. The thiamin products are then recovered from the medium.

[0030] "Overproduce" means that the microorganism(s) of the present invention or the microorganism(s) used in the methods of the present invention is/are engineered to produce one or more thiamin products in excess of what the native microorganism would produce as measured by any of the methods set forth in the examples. A substantial amount of such thiamin products are released into the culture media, by e.g., secretion or efflux. As used herein, a "substantial amount" means more than 75%, preferably more than 85%, such as between 90-95% of the thiamin products produced by the cell are released into the media.

[0031] "Recovering" when used in conjunction with "thiamin products" means separating the thiamin products from the medium and/or isolating the recovered thiamin products into pure or semi-pure form. Any conventional method for recovering thiamin products from, e.g., a fermentation broth may be used in the present invention. Recovering can also mean isolation of thiamin products by use of HPLC.

[0032] In one aspect, the method as defined above further comprises culturing said microorganism in the presence of thiamin precursors. Preferred precursors are selected from the group consisting of 4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-2-methylpyrimidine (HMP), 5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methylthiazole (HET) and a combination thereof.

[0033] If in the method for producing thiamin products as defined above said microorganism further comprises a mutation that deregulates the expression of a purine operon of B. subtilis as described above, it is another aspect of the present invention to provide a method wherein said microorganism is cultured in the presence of a thiamin precursor and a purine source. In a preferred embodiment, the thiamin precursor is HET and the purine source is xanthine.

[0034] In another aspect, the method as defined above further comprises culturing said microorganism in the presence of a precursor of a HET pathway. A "precursor of a HET pathway" means a carbon-containing compound that is utilized to make 5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methylthiazole (HET). Such precursors are preferably selected from the group consisting of glycine, cysteine, isoleucine, threonine, and combinations thereof.

[0035] In another aspect, the method as defined above further comprises culturing said microorganism in the presence of a precursor of a HMP pathway or derivative of HMP. A "precursor of a HMP pathway" means a carbon-containing compound that is utilized to make 4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-2-methylpyrimidine (HMP). Non-limiting examples of such a precursor include 5-aminoimidazole ribotide (AIR). A "derivative of HMP" means any chemically modified variant of HMP that functions in the same manner as 4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinemethaneamine (Grewe Diamine).

[0036] Thus, the present invention is directed to a method for producing thiamin products comprising (a) culturing, in a suitable medium, a microorganism selected from the group consisting of Bacillaceae, Lactobacillaceae, Streptococcaceae, Corynebacteriaceae and Brevibacteriaceae, the microorganism containing a mutation that causes it to overproduce thiamin products into the medium; and (b) recovering the thiamin products.

[0037] In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a method as defined above wherein the microorganism contains a mutation, said mutation comprising .DELTA.thiL, txl, and tx26.

[0038] In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a method as defined above wherein the microorganism further comprises a DNA cassette containing at least one copy of a polynucleotide sequence that encodes a thiA gene product, which polynucleotide sequence is operatively controlled by a strong constitutive promoter.

[0039] In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a method as defined above wherein the microorganism further comprises a mutation that deregulates expression of a purine operon of B. subtilis and a mutation that blocks conversion of 5-aminoimidazole ribotide (AIR) to carboxyaminoimidazole ribotide (CAIR).

[0040] In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a method as defined above wherein the microorganism further comprises a DNA cassette containing at least one copy of a polynucleotide sequence that encodes gene products from a thiKC operon, which polynucleotide sequence is operatively controlled by a strong constitutive promoter.

[0041] In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a method as defined above wherein the microorganism further comprises a DNA cassette containing at least one copy of a polynucleotide sequence that encodes gene products of a tenAl-thiOSGFD operon, which polynucleotide sequence is operatively controlled by a strong constitutive promoter.

[0042] In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a method as defined above wherein the microorganism further comprises (a) a DNA cassette containing at least one copy of a polynucleotide sequence that encodes gene products of a tenAl-thiOSGFD operon and (b) a DNA cassette containing at least one copy of a polynucleotide sequence that encodes a thiA gene product, which polynucleotide sequence is operatively controlled by a strong constitutive promoter.

[0043] In another embodiment, the invention is an isolated polynucleotide sequence comprising a txl mutation. Such mutation is useful for the construction of a recombinant microorganism wherein the production of thiamin is increased, e.g. a microorganism selected from the group consisting of Bacillaceae, Lactobacillaceae, Streptococcaceae, Corynebacteriaceae and Brevibacteriaceae, containing a mutation that deregulates thiamin production and causes thiamin products to be released into the culture medium. Preferred is a mutation which results in a leucine to phenylalanine substitution at amino acid residue 116 (see SEQ ID NO: 31 for a copy of the amino acid sequence having the Leu to Phe substitution on position 116 in comparison to the wild type YloS sequence ID NO: 32).

[0044] As used herein, an "isolated" polynucleotide (e.g., an RNA, DNA or a mixed polymer) or polypeptide means substantially separated from components that accompany it in its natural state. In the case of polynucleotides, "isolated" means separated from other cellular components which naturally accompany a native sequence, e.g., ribosomes, polymerases, many other genome sequences and proteins. The term embraces a polynucleotide that has been removed from its naturally occurring environment, and includes recombinant or cloned DNA isolates and chemically synthesized analogs or analogs biologically synthesized by heterologous systems. With respect to polypeptides, the term "isolated" means a protein or a polypeptide that has been separated from components that accompany it in its natural state. A monomeric protein is isolated when at least about 60 to 75% of a sample exhibits a single polypeptide sequence. An isolated protein will typically comprise about 60 to 90% w/w of a protein sample, more usually about 95%, and preferably will be over about 99% pure. Protein purity or homogeneity may be indicated by a number of means well known in the art, such as polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of a protein sample, followed by visualizing a single polypeptide band upon staining the gel. For certain purposes, using HPLC or other means well known in the art may provide higher resolution for purification.

[0045] In one embodiment, the isolated polynucleotide sequence as defined above is SEQ ID NO: 30 or a polynucleotide sequence that hybridizes to SEQ ID NO: 30 under stringent conditions and, when present in a microorganism, causes deregulation of thiamin production.

[0046] Nucleic acids which hybridize under "stringent conditions" to the polynucleotide sequences identified herein and that retain the same function, i.e., when introduced into an appropriate cell cause a deregulation of thiamin production, are within the scope of the present invention. "Stringent conditions" are known in the art; see for example Maniatis et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2d Edition, 1989, and Short Protocols in Molecular Biology, ed. Ausubel, et al., both of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Stringent conditions are sequence-dependent and will be different in different circumstances. Longer sequences hybridize specifically at higher temperatures. An extensive guide to the hybridization of nucleic acids is found in Tijssen, Techniques in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology--Hybridization with Nucleic Acid Probes, "Overview of principles of hybridization and the strategy of nucleic acid assays" (1993). Generally, stringent conditions are selected to be about 5-10.degree. C. lower than the thermal melting point (Tm) for the specific sequence at a defined ionic strength pH. The Tm is the temperature (under defined ionic strength, pH and nucleic acid concentration) at which 50% of the probes complementary to the target hybridize to the target sequence at equilibrium (as the target sequences are present in excess, at Tm, 50% of the probes are occupied at equilibrium). Stringent conditions will be those in which the salt concentration is less than about 1.0 M sodium ion, typically about 0.01 to 1.0 M sodium ion concentration (or other salts) at pH 7.0 to 8.3 and the temperature is at least about 30.degree. C. for short probes (e.g. 10 to 50 nucleotides) and at least about 60.degree. C. for long probes (e.g. greater than 50 nucleotides). Stringent conditions may also be achieved with the addition of destabilizing agents such as formamide. For the purposes of this disclosure, suitable "stringent conditions" for such hybridizations are those which include hybridization in a buffer of 40% formamide, 1M NaCl, 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at 37.degree. C., and at least one wash in 0.2.times.SSC at a temperature of at least about 50.degree. C., usually about 55.degree. C. to about 60.degree. C., for 20 minutes, or equivalent conditions. A positive hybridization is at least twice above the level of background. Those of ordinary skill will readily recognize that alternative hybridization and wash conditions can be utilized to provide conditions of similar stringency.

[0047] The phrase "nucleic acid sequence" means a single or double-stranded polymer of deoxyribonucleotide or ribonucleotide bases read from the 5' to the 3' end. It includes chromosomal DNA, self-replicating plasmids, infectious polymers of DNA or RNA and DNA or RNA that performs a primarily structural role. Unless specifically limited, the term encompasses nucleic acids containing known analogues of natural nucleotides which have similar binding properties as the reference nucleic acid and are metabolized in a manner similar to naturally occurring nucleotides. Unless otherwise indicated, a particular nucleic acid sequence also implicitly encompasses conservatively modified variants thereof (e.g., degenerate codon substitutions) and complementary sequences as well as the sequence explicitly indicated. Specifically, degenerate codon substitutions may be achieved by generating sequences in which the third position of one or more selected (or all) codons is substituted with mixed base and/or deoxyinosine residues (Batzer et al., Nucleic Acid Res. 19:5081 (1991); Ohtsuka et al., J. Biol. Chem. 260:2605-2608 (1985); Cassol et al., 1992; Rossolini et al., Mol. Cell. Probes 8:91-98 (1994)).

[0048] In another embodiment, the invention is two unlinked mutations: an isolated polynucleotide sequence comprising a first mutation tx26-1 and a second mutation tx26-2 wherein the presence of both mutations in a thiamin-producing microorganism causes a deregulation of thiamin production. The first mutation, tx26-1, exhibits a 70% linkage to .DELTA.yufR::Tn917 (BGSC# 1A642) and the second mutation, tx26-2, exhibits a 59% linkage to .OMEGA.motA::Tn917 (BGSC# 1A631). Thus, the present invention is directed to an isolated polynucleotide sequence comprising a first mutation with 70% linkage to .DELTA.yufR::Tn917 (tx26-1) and a second mutation with 59% linkage to .OMEGA.motA::Tn917 (tx26-2) wherein the presence of both of the mutations in a thiamin-producing microorganism causes a deregulation of thiamin production.

[0049] Preferably, the tx26-1 mutation is encoded by a polynucleotide sequence which is SEQ ID NO: 33 or a polynucleotide sequence that hybridizes to SEQ ID NO: 33 under stringent conditions and, when present in a microorganism in combination with a tx26-2 mutation, causes a deregulation of thiamin production.

[0050] Preferably, the tx26-2 mutation is encoded by a polynucleotide sequence which is SEQ ID NO: 36 or a polynucleotide sequence that hybridizes to SEQ ID NO: 36 under stringent conditions and, when present in a microorganism in combination with a tx26-1 mutation, causes a deregulation of thiamin production.

[0051] Furthermore, a DNA cassette comprising one or more polynucleotides as defined above, i.e., (a) an isolated polynucleotide sequence comprising a first mutation tx26-1 and a second mutation tx26-2 or (b) an isolated polynucleotide sequence comprising a txl mutation, as well as a microorganism containing such DNA cassette is provided by the present invention.

[0052] A further embodiment is a method for detecting a pathogenic microorganism in a clinical sample from a patient. This method comprises determining whether a Gram-positive (Gram.sup.+) microorganism is present in the sample, determining whether the microorganism contains a yloS ortholog, and determining whether the microorganism contains a thiL ortholog, wherein the presence of a yloS ortholog and the absence of a thiL ortholog in a Gram.sup.+ microorganism indicates that the microorganism is pathogenic.

[0053] A "clinical sample" means any assayable specimen taken from a patient, which is a mammal, preferably a human or a feed animal. An assayable specimen may be selected from blood, urine, fecal, sputum, tissue or other biological sources from which microorganisms, if present, may be identified and characterized as disclosed in the Examples.

[0054] The microorganisms that are detected in a clinical sample from a patient as defined above are preferably selected from the group consisting of Listeria, Staphylococcus, Clostridium, Enterococcus, and Streptococcus, most preferably from Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Clostridium tetani, Clostridium perfringens, Enterococcus sp., Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Streptococcus pneumoniae.

[0055] The YloS protein is a valuable target for identifying bacteriocidal compounds because many Gram.sup.+ bacteria that contain only a yloS ortholog and not a thiL ortholog are known pathogens. Accordingly, the present invention also provides a screening assay (or method) for identifying modulators, i.e., candidate or test compounds or agents (e.g., peptides, peptidomimetics, small molecules or other drugs) that bind to YloS, or have a stimulatory or inhibitory effect on, for example, yloS expression or YloS activity.

[0056] In one embodiment, an assay is provided for identifying an antibiotic comprising (a) contacting an assay composition comprising a YloS protein with a test compound and (b) determining whether the test compound inhibits YloS protein activity, wherein the compound is identified as an antibiotic based on the compound's ability to inhibit the activity of the YloS protein activity. Preferably, the assay comprises a purified YloS protein, a partially purified YloS protein, a crude cell extract from a cell producing YloS protein, or the YloS protein is encoded by a polynucleotide derived from a pathogenic microorganism selected from the group consisting of Listeria, Staphylococcus, Clostridium, Enterococcus, and Streptococcus. Such pathogenic microorganisms include, but are not limited to, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Clostridium tetani, Clostridium perfringens, Enterococcus sp., Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Streptococcus pneumoniae.

[0057] An "assay composition" in reference to the assays for identifying an antibiotic means the components in combination that are required to conduct such an assay. Such an assay composition requires at a minimum the YloS protein or biologically active portion thereof and the test compound, i.e., the peptide, peptidomimetic, small molecule or other drug to be tested.

[0058] As used herein, "YloS activity" means any detectable or measurable activity of the YloS protein, i.e., the protein encoded by the yloS gene. In the present invention, YloS activity is at least one of the following: (1) modulation of at least one step in the YloS biosynthetic pathway; (2) promotion of YloS biosynthesis; or (3) complementation of a YloS mutant. In reference to the assays for identifying an antibiotic, a test compound. "inhibits YloS protein activity" if it causes a decrease in YloS protein translation, yloS transcription or loss of YloS activity.

[0059] The test compounds of the present invention may be obtained using any of the numerous approaches in chemical compound library methods known in the art, including: natural compound libraries, biological libraries, spatially addressable parallel solid phase or solution phase libraries; synthetic library methods requiring deconvolution; the `one-bead one-compound` library method; and synthetic library methods using affinity chromatography selection. The biological library approach is limited to peptide libraries, while the other approaches are applicable to peptide, non-peptide oligomer or small molecule libraries of compounds (Lam, K. S. (1997) Anticancer Drug Des. 12:145).

[0060] Examples of methods for the synthesis of molecular libraries may be found in the art, for example in: De Witt et al. (1993) PNAS 90:6909; Erb et al. (1994) PNAS 91:11422; Zuckermann et al. (1994) J. Med. Chem. 37:2678; Cho et al. (1993) Science 261:1303; Carrell et al. (1994) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 33:2059; Carell et al. (1994) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 33:2061; and Gallop et al. (1994) J. Med. Chem. 37:1233. Libraries of compounds may be presented in solution, on beads, on chips, in bacteria, in spores (U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,409), on plasmids or on phage.

[0061] In one embodiment, the assay is a microorganism-based assay in which a recombinant microorganism that expresses a YloS protein or biologically active portion thereof is contacted with a test compound and the ability of the test compound to modulate YloS activity is determined. Determining the ability of a test compound to modulate YloS activity may be accomplished by monitoring, for example, growth, intracellular YloS concentrations or secreted YloS concentrations (as compounds that inhibit YloS will result in a buildup of YloS protein in the test microorganism). YloS substrate may be labeled with a radioisotope, enzymatic label or other soluble or insoluble signal generating moiety such that modulation of YloS activity may be determined by, e.g. detecting a conversion of labeled substrate to intermediate or product. For example, YloS substrates may be labeled with .sup.32P, .sup.14C or .sup.3H, either directly or indirectly, and the radioisotope detected by direct counting of radioemission, by scintillation counting. Alternatively, the YloS substrates may be labeled directly or indirectly with a soluble or insoluble signal generating moiety and the signal detected by a calorimetric, enzymatic or fluorometric assay. Determining the ability of a compound to modulate YloS activity may alternatively be determined by detecting the induction of a reporter gene (comprising a yloS-responsive regulatory element operatively linked to a nucleic acid encoding a detectable marker, e.g., luciferase) or detecting a CoA-regulated cellular response.

[0062] In another embodiment of the invention, the screening assay of the present invention is a cell-free assay in which the YloS protein or a biologically active portion thereof is contacted with a test compound in vitro and the ability of the test compound to bind to or modulate the activity of the YloS protein or biologically active portion thereof is determined. In one such embodiment, the assay includes contacting the. YloS protein or biologically active portion thereof with known substrates to form an assay mixture, contacting the assay mixture with a test compound, and determining the ability of the test compound to modulate enzymatic activity of the YloS protein on its substrate. In one embodiment, the known substrate is the YloS protein. In another embodiment, the known substrate is a YloS analog. The phrase "YloS analog" means compounds similar in structure to the YloS protein that functions in the same or a similar manner as YloS. Exemplary analogs include labeled YloS protein and/or other detectable YloS protein derivatives. The term YloS analog also includes compounds closely related to or derived from the YloS protein, for example, structurally related compounds capable of acting as YloS substrate.

[0063] Screening assays may be accomplished in any vessel suitable for containing the microorganisms, proteins, and/or reactants. Examples of such vessels include microtiter plates, test tubes and micro-centrifuge tubes. In more than one embodiment of the assay methods of the present invention, it may be desirable to immobilize either the YloS protein, YloS substrate, substrate analogs or a recombinant microorganism expressing the YloS protein to facilitate separation of products, ligands, and/or substrates, as well as to accommodate automation of the assay. For example, glutathione-S-transferase/YloS fusion proteins may be adsorbed onto glutathione sepharose beads (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, Mich.) or glutathione derivatized microtiter plates. Other techniques for immobilizing proteins on matrices (e.g., biotin-conjugation and streptavidin immobilization or antibody conjugation) may also be used in the screening assays of the invention.

[0064] This invention also includes novel agents identified by the above-described screening assays. Accordingly, it is within the scope of this invention to further use an agent identified as described herein in an appropriate animal model. For example, a YloS modulating agent identified as described herein (e.g., an anti-bactericidal compound) may be used in an infectious animal model to determine the efficacy, toxicity or side effects of treatment with such an agent and/or to treat a specific disease state caused or induced by a pathogenic microorganism. In a preferred embodiment, said novel agent is an antibiotic.

[0065] YloS modulators may further be designed based on the crystal structure of any one of the YloS proteins of the present invention. In particular, based, at least in part, on the discovery of YloS in many Gram.sup.+ pathogenic bacteria, one may produce significant quantities of the YloS protein, for example using the recombinant methodologies as described herein, purify and crystallize the protein, subject the protein to X-ray crystallographic procedures and, based on the determined crystal structure, design modulators (e.g., active site modulators, for example, competitor molecules, active site inhibitors, and the like), and test the designed modulators according to any one of the assays described herein.

[0066] Some of the most important results of the present invention are summarized in the following figures:

[0067] FIG. 1 depicts the structure of the P.sub.26 thiA expression cassette contained in plasmid pTH43 with a chloramphenicol-resistance gene (A) and plasmid pTH47 with a tetracycline resistance gene (B).

[0068] FIG. 2 depicts the structure of the P.sub.26 thiKC expression cassette contained in plasmid pTH48 with a tetracycline resistance gene.

[0069] FIG. 3 describes the two-step procedure used to construct strain TH404, that overexpresses the B. subtilis thiB operon. In the first step, a thiamin-auxotroph strain was build by substitution of the thiB promoter region with a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (cat) cassette. Restoration of prototrophy was then used to select for strains that have integrated the bacteriophage strong constitutive P26 promoter in front of the thiB operon.

[0070] The following examples are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in anyway.

EXAMPLE 1

General Methodology

Strains

[0071] Bacillus subtilis strains of the present invention are derived from strain PY79 (prototroph SP.beta..sup.c; Cat. # 1A747, Bacillus Genetic Stock Center (BGSC), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 USA) and 1012 (leuA8 metB5; Saito et al. (1979) Mol. Gen. Genet. 170:117-122). The neomycin-resistance gene (neo) cassette and tetracycline-resistance gene (tet) cassette were obtained from plasmid pBEST501 (Cat. # ECE47, BGSC) and pDG1514 (Cat # ECE100, BGSC), respectively.

Media

[0072] Standard minimal medium (MM) for B. subtilis contains 1.times.Spizizen salts, 0.04% sodium glutamate, and 0.5% glucose. Standard solid complete medium is Tryptone Blood Agar Broth (TBAB, Difco). Standard liquid complete medium is Veal Infusion-Yeast Extract broth (VY). For testing thiamin production in liquid test tube cultures, a thiamin-free medium is used (Difco). For fed-batch fermentations, VF medium is used. The compositions of these media are described below or are standard formula described previously (Harwood and Archibald (1990) pp. 1-26 and 545-552 (Appendix 1), In Cutting and Harwood (ed.) Molecular biological methods for Bacillus. John Wiley and Sons, New York).

[0073] TBAB medium: 33 g Difco Tryptone Blood Agar Broth, qsp 1 L water. Autoclave.

[0074] VY medium: 25 g Difco Veal Infusion Broth, 5 g Difco Yeast Extract, qsp 1 L water. Autoclave.

[0075] Minimum medium (MM): 100 ml 10.times.Spizizen salts; 10 ml 50% glucose; 1 ml 40% sodium glutamate, qsp 1 L water.

[0076] 10.times.Spizizen salts: 140 g K.sub.2HPO.sub.4; 20 g (NH.sub.4).sub.2SO.sub.4; 60 g KH.sub.2PO.sub.4; 10 g Na.sub.3(citrate).2H.sub.2O; MgSO.sub.40.7H.sub.2O; qsp 1 L water.

[0077] Thiamin assay medium: 85 g Difco thiamin assay medium, qsp 1 L water. Autoclave (Difco Manual (1998) pp. 499-501, Difco Laboratories, Maryland, USA).

[0078] Trace elements solution: 1.4 g MnSO.sub.4.H.sub.2O; 0.4 g CoCl.sub.2.6H.sub.2O; 0.15 g (NH.sub.4).sub.6Mo.sub.7O.sub.24.4H.sub.2O; 0.1 g AlCl.sub.3.6H.sub.2O; 0.075 g CuCl.sub.2.2H.sub.2O; qsp 200 ml water. Filter-sterilize.

[0079] Fe-solution: 0.21 g FeSO.sub.4.7H.sub.2O; qsp 10 ml water. Filter-sterilize.

[0080] CaCl.sub.2-solution: 15.6 g CaCl.sub.2.2H.sub.2O; qsp 500 ml water. Filter-sterilize.

[0081] Mg/Zn-solution: 100 g MgSO.sub.4.7H.sub.2O; 0.4 g ZnSO.sub.4.7H.sub.2O; qsp 200 ml water. Filter-sterilize.

[0082] VF fermentation medium: 0.75 g sodium glutamate; 4.71 g KH.sub.2PO.sub.4; 4.71 g K.sub.2HPO.sub.4; 8.23 g Na.sub.2HPO.sub.4.12H.sub.2O; 0.23 g NH.sub.4Cl; 1.41 g (NH.sub.4).sub.2SO.sub.4; 11.77 g Yeast extract (Merck); 0.2 ml Basildon antifoam; qsp 1 L water. Sterilize in place. [0083] Added separately to the fermentor: glucose.H.sub.2O to 27.3 g/L final concentration. [0084] Added separately to the fermentor (final concentrations): 2 ml/L trace elements solution; 2 ml/L CaCl.sub.2-solution; 2 ml/L Mg/Zn-solution; 2 ml/L Fe-solution. [0085] Modifications of the batch for feeding studies will be presented specifically in the following examples. Glucose was fed as needed. Feed solutions can contain minerals, defined or food nutrients, as reported in the following compositions:

[0086] Fermentation feeding solution for fed-batch process with NB (Nutrient Broth): Final concentrations (after autoclavation): 660 g/L glucose H.sub.2O; 2 g/L MgSO.sub.4.7H.sub.2O; 14.6 mg/L MnSO.sub.4.H.sub.2O; 4 mg/L ZnSO.sub.4.H.sub.2O; 47.8 g/L Nutrient Broth (Difco, autoclave separately in 1 g/ml solution).

[0087] Fermentation feeding solution for fed-batch process with HMP: Final concentrations (after autoclavation): 660 g/L glucose.H.sub.2O; 2 g/L MgSO.sub.4.7H.sub.2O; 14.6 mg/L MnSO.sub.4.H.sub.2O; 4 mg/L ZnSO.sub.4.H.sub.2O. Add HMP to 0.54 g/L or 2.7 g/L (dissolve HMP in water/HCl conc.; filter-sterilize).

[0088] Fermentation feeding solution for fed-batch process with HET: Final concentrations (after autoclavation): 660 g/L glucose.H.sub.2O; 2 g/L MgSO.sub.4.7H.sub.2O; 14.6 mg/L MnSO.sub.4.H.sub.2O; 4 mg/L ZnSO.sub.4.H.sub.2O. Add HET to 0.54 g/L or 2.7 g/L (dissolve HET in water; filter-sterilize).

[0089] Fermentation feeding solution for fed-batch process with HMP and HET: Final concentrations (after autoclavation): 660 g/L glucose.H.sub.2O; 2 g/L MgSO.sub.4.7H.sub.2O; 14.6 mg/L MnSO.sub.4.H.sub.2O; 4 mg/L ZnSO.sub.4.H.sub.2O. Add HMP to 0.54 g/L or 2.7 g/L (dissolve HMP in water/HCl conc.; filter-sterilize). Add HET to 0.54 g/L or 2.7 g/L (dissolve HET in water; filter-sterilize).

Thiamin Assays

[0090] Biological assays: Total thiamin compounds were assayed using indicators derived from Salmonella typhimurium using known methods (Difco Manual (1998) pp. 499-501, Difco Laboratories, Maryland, USA). Strain DM456 (thiD906::MudJ) responds to thiamin, TMP and TPP in minimal medium, whereas strain DM1864 (thiL934::Tn10d) responds to only TPP (Webb and Downs (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272:15702-15707; Peterson and Downs (1997) J. Bacteriol. 179:4894-4900). The response of DM456 to known amounts of thiamin, TMP, and TPP was similar, ranging from 0.0256 to 100 .mu.g/liter. In addition, DM456 was found to be more sensitive to TPP than DM1854. To assay B. subtilis cultures, supernatants were filter-sterilized before preparation of dilutions. Intracellular thiamin levels were measured from dilutions of filter-sterilized cellular extracts that were obtained by French press-breaking of the cells and centrifugation at 10,000 g for 10 min. Indicator strains were grown overnight at 37.degree. C. in thiamin assay medium (TAM). Turbidity readings were made at 600 nm and compared to a range of standard solutions.

[0091] HPLC/Thiochrome: Individual thiamin compounds, thiamin, TMP, and TPP were measured using a modified thiochrome-HPLC assay procedure described previously (Chie et al. (1999) Biochemistry 38:6460-6470). Briefly, 100 .mu.l of culture supernatant or intracellular extracts are added to 200 .mu.l of 4M potassium acetate. The sample is then oxidized by the addition of 100 .mu.l fresh 3.8 mM potassium ferricyanide in 7 M NaOH. The mixture is vigorously mixed and then quenched by addition of 100 .mu.l fresh 0.06% H.sub.2O.sub.2 in saturated KH.sub.2PO.sub.4. Samples are transferred to HPLC vials and injected onto a Supelcosil LC-18-T column (15 cm.times.4.6 mm, 3 .mu.m) (Supelco-Ref. No 58970-U). Elution is made by a 10%-35% methanol (H.sub.2O 50%-25%) gradient in the presence of 40% 0.1 M K.sub.2HPO.sub.4 (pH 6.6) and 4 mM tetrabutyl ammonium hydrogen sulfate. Fluorescence is measured at 444 nm after excitation at 365 nm. The chronological order of elution from the column is thiamin, TMP, and TPP. This procedure was utilized to monitor both internal and external thiamin production during fermentation.

[0092] HPLC/DAD: To directly measure thiamin and the intermediates HMP and HET in the fermentation broth, chromatography of samples was performed on a Phenomenex LUNA C18 column, using an Agilent 1100 HPLC system equipped with a thermostatted autosampler and a diode array detector (DAD). The column dimensions are 150.times.4.6 mm, particle size 5 micron. The column temperature was kept constant at 20.degree. C. The mobile phase is a mixture of 0.4 g pentane sulfonate in water, pH 2 (A) and methanol (B). Gradient elution is applied, ranging from 2% A (3 min) to 20% A in 20 minutes. The flow rate is 1 ml/min. The detection method is UV absorption at 254 nm. The selectivity of the method was verified by injecting 10 .mu.l standard solutions of the relevant reference compounds, thiamin, HMP, and HET, each at 100 .mu.g/ml. The target compounds were completely separated without special sample preparation.

Molecular and Genetic Techniques

[0093] Standard genetic and molecular biology techniques are generally know in the art and have been previously described (Maniatis et al. (1982) Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.; Miller (1972) Experiments in molecular genetics. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor). DNA transformation, PBS1 generalized transduction, and other standard B. subtilis genetic techniques are also generally know in the art and have been described previously (Cutting and Horn (1990) pp. 27-74, In Cutting and Harwood (ed.) Molecular biological methods for Bacillus. John Wiley and Sons, New York).

Fermentations

[0094] Thiamin producing strains were grown in stirred tank fermentors, for example, in BIOPLO 4500 New Brunswick 20 liter vessels with 6-12 liter working volume. Computer control and data collection was done by NBS Biocommand 32 commercial software (New Brunswick Scientific Co., Inc., Edison, N.J., USA).

[0095] The inoculum size was usually 5% of the initial media volume in the vessel. A pH of 6.8 was kept constantly in the reactor by the automatic addition of ammonium hydroxide solution (28% in water). The fermentation temperature was 39.degree. C. and a constant airflow of 6 liter/min was provided. Antifoam (Basildon) was added manually as needed and a constant pressure of 2 psi was kept in the vessel. A minimum concentration of 15%-dissolved oxygen (pO.sub.2) was achieved by automatic cascading of the stirrer. The minimum stirrer speed was set to 400 rpm.

[0096] Fermentations can be batch processes but are preferably, carbohydrate-limited, fed-batch processes. Therefore a defined feed solution (s. above) was provided to the reactor after consumption of the initial glucose which was usually the case after 6-8 hours process time. At that time the pressure was increased to 8 psi and the addition of the feed solution was initiated at a rate of 70 g h.sup.-1 increasing linearly to 102.5 g h.sup.-1 in a period of 8 hours and then kept constant at 102.5 g h.sup.-1.

EXAMPLE 2

Culturing Mutant Microorganisms Producing Thiamin and Thiamin Compounds de novo

[0097] This example describes the isolation of thiamin biosynthesis and deregulation mutations .DELTA.thiL, txl, tx26 mutations and their combination to produce a B. subtilis strain that overproduces thiamin compounds.

[0098] Intra- and extracellular levels of thiamin products from wild type and engineered B. subtilis strains were determined from cells grown in 30 ml minimal medium shake flasks cultures at 37.degree. C. for 24 hours. As a positive control, thiamin deregulated E. coli PT-R1 mutant was also tested. Bioassay results indicated that thiamin products were readily detected from extracts of sonicated cells, but little or none were detected from the culture medium (Table 1). The intracellular level of thiamin products in logarithmic or stationary phase wild-type B. subtilis was calculated to be approximately 100-200 .mu.g/L. As reported for E. coli, intracellular thiamin products in B. subtilis are likely to be in the form of TPP. Intracellular levels of thiamin products were significantly higher in the thiamin deregulated E. coli PT-R1 strain, reaching approximately 1.6 mg/L in stationary phase cells. TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Thiamin production in various E. coli and B. subtilis strains. Extracellular.sup.a Intracellular.sup.b Predicted Strain (.mu.g/L) (.mu.g/L) Extracellular.sup.c E. coli K-12 <0.1 80 3 E. coli PT-R1 6 1600-2800 50-90 B. subtilis prototroph <0.1 100-200 3-6 .sup.aThiamin concentration in minimal medium (30 ml) after 24 hours growth at 37.degree. C. .sup.bThiamin concentration of 1 ml supernatant of sonicated cells collected from a 30 ml minimal medium culture after 24 hours growth at 37.degree. C. .sup.cAssumes all intracellular thiamin products are excreted into the culture medium. Calculation: (Intracellular thiamin concentration (.mu.g/L) .times. 0.001 L) .times. 1000 ml/L/30 ml.

[0099] Comparison of the E. coli ThiL protein sequence to the protein database of Subtilist detected significant similarity to only one protein sequence: YdiA (P(N)=8.1e.sup.-15). The gene encoding this protein, ydiA, is 975 base pairs in length and is the first gene of a five-gene operon located at 55.degree. on the B. subtilis chromosome. Non-polar insertional vectors pMUTIN2 and 4, which contain an IPTG-inducible P.sub.spac promoter that controls transcription of genes downstream from the site of insertion, were used to generate thiL disruption mutants (Vagner et al. (1998) Microbiology 144:3097-3104). Using two oligonucleotide primers, BsuydiA1 (SEQ ID NO: 7) and BsuydiA2 (SEQ ID NO: 8), corresponding to the YdiA sequence between nucleotides 264 and 612, a 348 bp DNA fragment was prepared by standard PCR methods. This fragment was cloned between the HindIII and BamHI sites of pMUTIN2 vector, generating the E. coli plasmid pTH1. This plasmid was then inserted into the ydiA (thiL) gene of B. subtilis PY79 by DNA transformation selecting for colonies resistant to 5 .mu.g/ml erythromycin. One Erm.sup.r colony was recovered and named TH5 (.OMEGA.thiL::pMUTIN). By comparing bacterial growth on TBAB medium with erythromycin in the presence or absence of IPTG, it was determined that expression of one or more of the genes downstream of ydiA was required for cell growth. Similar results were also obtained when additional ydiA (thiL) disruptions were generated by inserting a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase cassette containing (cat.sub.2) or lacking (cat.sub.4) the endogenous rho-independent transcription termination site between nucleotide 267 and 272 of ydiA (thiL). PCR primer pairs cat#1 (SEQ ID NO: 9)-cat#2 (SEQ ID NO: 10) and cat#1-cat#4 (SEQ ID NO: 11) were used to generate DNA cassettes cat.sub.2 or cat.sub.4 gene, respectively, which were ligated to ydiA (thiL) PCR DNA fragments generated using primers ydiA/atp/for/bam (SEQ ID NO: 12)-ydiA/atp/rev/sma (SEQ ID NO: 13) and ydiA/ctp/for/sma/2 (SEQ ID NO: 14)-ydiA/ctp/rev/ecorI/2 (SEQ ID NO: 15). The .DELTA.thiL::cat cassettes were then inserted directly into the chromosomal ydiA (thiL) gene of strain PY79 by DNA transformation selecting for colonies resistant to 5 .mu.g/ml chloramphenicol. Only Cm.sup.r colonies containing .DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.4 (TH12) grew normally on TBAB medium; Cm.sup.r colonies containing .DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.2 grew as tiny, pinpoint colonies. Strains TH11 and TH12 containing .DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.2 and .DELTA.ydiA::cat.sub.4 were saved, respectively. Surprisingly, strains TH5 and TH12 were not thiamin or TPP auxotrophs. Instead both strains were thiamin bradytroph: on minimal medium the colony size of TH5 and TH12 was half the diameter of PY79 control colonies. Since thiL null mutants of Salmonella and E. coli are strict thiamin auxotrophs, B. subtilis appeared to contain a second kinase activity or an alternate route that could convert TMP to TPP. Interestingly, ydiA (thiL) mutants were able to cross-feed B. subtilis thiF or thiG mutants (strains called respectively TH3 and TH4) on minimal medium after one day of incubation at 37.degree. C., whereas PY79 took three or more days. This suggested that ydiA mutants are partially deregulated for thiamin biosynthesis and release more diffusible thiamin products than the wild-type strain. Bioassay results (Table 2) showed that the total intracellular thiamin production (thiamin+TMP+TPP) level was slightly higher (2- to 3-fold) in TH5 and TH12 than PY79. Slightly higher total thiamin levels were also detected in the culture medium relative to PY79, but well below the intracellular levels. Interestingly, the increase in thiamin production was not sufficient to provide resistance to the thiamin analog pyrithiamine. TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Thiamin production of B. subtilis thiL insertional mutants. Extracellular.sup.a Intracellular.sup.b Strain thiL mutation (.mu.g/L) (.mu.g/L) B. subtilis PY79 -- <0.1 190 B. subtilis TH5 .OMEGA.thiL::pMUTIN2 0.7 550 B. subtilis TH12 .DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.4 0.9 530 .sup.aThiamin concentration in minimal medium (30 ml) after 24 hours growth at 37.degree. C. .sup.bThiamin concentration of 1 ml supernatant of sonicated cells collected from a 30 ml minimal medium culture after 24 hours growth at 37.degree. C.

[0100] The strategy to isolate thiamin deregulated mutants of B. subtilis was to mutagenize bacteria that contained a thiA-lacZ fusion and then screen for colonies on XGAL-containing medium that were Lac.sup.+ (i.e. blue colonies) in the presence of TPP or thiamin. A 732 bp-long DNA fragment containing 417 bp of the 5' promoter region of thiA was prepared by PCR using standard methods and cloned unidirectionally in front of the promoterless lacZ gene of the pDG1728 vector (Guerout-Fleury et al. (1996) Gene 180:57-61)) resulting in plasmid pTH12. This vector is designed to introduce ectopic transcriptional lacZ fusions into the non-essential amyE locus of B. subtilis. Plasmid pTH12 was linearized by restriction enzyme digestion and transformed into B. subtilis PY79, selecting for colonies that were resistant to 100 .mu.g/ml spectinomycin. One resulting colony, designated TH21 (.OMEGA.amyE::thiA-lacZ), showed unambiguous thiamin regulation when tested under different nutrient growth conditions. When grown to early logarithmic phase (OD600=0.8-0.9) in shake-flask cultures containing 1 .mu.M thiamin, the expression of thiA-lacZ was repressed approximately 80-fold compared to cells grown in minimal medium without thiamin. HMP (1 .mu.M) also repressed expression of the fusion, but to a lesser extend (6- to 7-fold). Both thiazole and adenosine (1 .mu.M each) showed repressing activity. In a time course experiment, expression of thiA-lacZ was highest (200 Miller Units) when cells were at early logarithmic phase (OD600=0.8-0.9). Expression gradually decreased (to 50 Miller Units) when cells enter stationary phase (OD600.gtoreq.1).

[0101] The regulation of thiA-lacZ fusion was also assessed in several mutants, In a sporulation-deficient mutant strain (.DELTA.spo0A::erm), expression of the fusion was regulated, however, the level of repression by thiamin was less than in the wild type. In strains containing a deletion of ydiA/thiL (TH22 (.DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.4, .OMEGA.amyE::thiA-lacZ)), the fusion was partially deregulated: LacZ activity was 2- to 3-fold higher under both repressing and derepressing growth conditions.

[0102] Based on these results, thiA-lacZ reporter strain TH22 (.DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.4) was used to screen for deregulated mutants under repressing growth conditions. Two methods were used to isolate such mutants. In the first method, MM agar plates were prepared that contain 1 .mu.M thiamin and 251 .mu.g/ml XGAL. After applying a uniform dilution of logarithmic growth phase TH22 cells, a paper disk containing 3 drops of ethylmethane sulfonate (EMS, d=1.17 g/ml solution) was placed in the center of the plate. Lac.sup.+ colonies appeared over a period of 7 days incubation at 37.degree. C. Deregulated mutants Tx1-Tx10 were recovered. In the second method banks of EMS-mutagenized cells were prepared and screened. Accordingly, logarithmic stage TH22-cells were treated with 9.4 mM EMS for 90 minutes and aliquots frozen in 10% glycerol at -90.degree. C. Cells from the frozen stocks were diluted in VY medium, incubated at room temperature for 30 minutes and then plated onto MM medium containing 1 .mu.M thiamin and 25 .mu.g/ml. XGAL. Screening of Lac.sup.+ colonies led to mutants Tx11 to Tx26. These mutants could be grouped into three classes based on the intensity and timing of the appearance of blue color under thiamin- and TPP-repressing conditions (Table 3), and based on additional phenotypes. One mutant (Tx1) was found to be a strong thiamin bradytroph suggesting that this mutation either inactivated (1) a residual TMP kinase activity, or (2) a gene involved in a second TMP to TPP route, via TMP. Another mutant, Tx26, was resistant to 10 .mu.M pyrithiamine. In terms of synthesis of thiamin products, mutant Tx7 (class 2) excreted 2- to 3-times more total thiamin products relative to the parental strain, TH22 (.DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.4, .OMEGA.amyE::thiA-lacZ), although the intracellular levels of thiamin products were similar (Table 4). Mutant Tx26 (class 1), excreted 10- to 15-times more total extracellular thiamin products into the culture medium than the TH22 control strain (Table 4). Little over 50% of the excreted thiamin products were in the form of TPP. Class 3 mutants, represented by Tx1 and Tx23, appear to be affected in the thiamin-TMP-TPP pathway based on the differential Lac expression in the presence of thiamin or TPP. TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Phenotype of B. subtilis thiamin-deregulated mutants. Class Phenotype Mutant 1 Thiamin prototroph with strong Lac activity Tx2; Tx4; Tx6; Tx9; after 1 day growth on minimal medium Tx11; Tx12; Tx13; containing either thiamin or TPP Tx14; Tx15; Tx16; Tx17; Tx21; Tx22; Tx24; Tx26 2 Thiamin prototroph with weak Lac activity Tx3; Tx5; Tx7; Tx8; after >3 days growth on minimal medium Tx10; Tx25 containing thiamin, and weak or no Lac activity in the presence of TPP 3 Thiamin auxotroph (or strong bradytroph) Tx1 and Tx23 with strong Lac activity after 1 day growth on minimal medium containing thiamin or TMP, but little or no Lac activity in the presence of TPP

[0103] TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Thiamin production of B. subtilis thiamin-deregulated mutants. Extracellular.sup.a Intracellular.sup.b Strain (.mu.g/L) (.mu.g/L) B. subtilis PY79 <0.1 150 B. subtilis TH22 1 500 B. subtilis Tx7 5 500 B. subtilis Tx26 15 500 .sup.aThiamin concentration in minimal medium (30 ml) after 24 hours growth at 37.degree. C. .sup.bThiamin concentration of 1 ml supernatant of sonicated cells collected from a 30 ml minimal medium culture after 24 hours growth at 37.degree. C.

[0104] In exogenous precursor feeding studies, conversion of HMP and HET to total thiamin products also differed between Tx7 and Tx26 (Table 5). Each strain was grown in minimal medium cultures containing the indicated amounts of HET and HMP for 18 hours at 37.degree. C. Culture media and cell extracts were analyzed for thiamin production. (Thiamin+TMP+TPP) and (TPP) were measured by a biological assay using S. typhimurium indicators DM456 (.OMEGA.thiD906::MudJ) and DM1856 (.OMEGA.thiL934::Tn10), respectively. Thiamin products were not detected in the medium. In Tx7, most of the thiamin products were found within the cells, predominantly in the form of TPP. In contrast, 90% of the total thiamin products in Tx26 was found in the culture medium mostly as thiamin+TMP. Extracellular accumulation was approximately 40-fold higher than Tx26 grown without added HMP+HET. TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 HMP and HET feeding studies of B. subtilis thiamin-deregulated mutants Tx7 and Tx26. Extracellular Intracellular (.mu.g/L) (.mu.g/L) Thiamin + Thiamin + HMP HET TMP + TMP + Strain (10 .mu.M) (10 .mu.M) OD.sub.600 TPP TPP TPP TPP Tx7 - - 1.3 0.2 0 750 360 Tx7 + - 1.1 0.3 0 210 390 Tx7 - + 1.5 0.3 0 890 1400 Tx7 + + 1.2 4 8 1800 2000 Tx26 - - 1.2 2 0.8 500 280 Tx26 + - 1.7 40 18 610 640 Tx26 - + 1.1 2 0.6 420 240 Tx26 + + 1.2 80 10 610 650

[0105] A B. subtilis strain was built that contains a combination of mutations tx26, thiL, and tx1. This strain could serve as a host for integrated and amplified engineered thiamin biosynthetic genes. As a first step, the mutations in Tx26 were transferred into TH12 (.DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.4) by DNA transformation and selecting colonies that were resistant to 10 .mu.M pyrithiamine. One Pyr.sup.r colony that was also Lac.sup.+ in the presence of thiamin was recovered and designated TH48. Each strain was grown in minimal medium supplemented with micronutrients and 2.5% Difco nutrient broth (NB) for 18 hours at 37.degree. C. Supernatants were analyzed for thiamin production by bioassays using indicators Salmonella DM456 (thiD906::MudJ) for (Thiamin+TMP+TPP) and Salmonella DM1856 (thiL934::Tn10) for (TPP). When grown in minimal medium shake-flask cultures, TH48 produced similar levels of thiamin products compared to the Tx26 parent (Table 6). The cat-interrupted thiL gene was next replaced by an in-frame deletion. Using standard PCR methods, an in-frame deletion of thiL (removing amino acid residues Gly79 and Gly202) was first constructed and inserted between the BamHI and EcoRI sites of the E. coli plasmid vector pEpUC.DELTA.1 creating pTH30. pEpUC.DELTA.1 (S. Seror, Universite Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay, France) contains a selectable erythromycin-resistance (erm) cassette and a temperature-sensitive origin of replication that does not function over 51.degree. C. TH48 cells were transformed at 51.degree. C. with pTH30 selecting for erythromycin resistance. One Erm.sup.r colony that was also Cm.sup.r was recovered and was grown overnight at 28.degree. C. in the absence of antibiotic selection for 72 hours. Bacteria were then plated onto TBAB agar plates, and the plates incubated overnight at 37.degree. C. Approximately 25% of the colonies were found to be sensitive to both erythromycin and chloramphenicol antibiotics. PCR analysis of chromosomal DNA from several Erm.sup.S Cm.sup.S colonies confirmed the presence of the in-frame .DELTA.thiL mutation and the absence of the .DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.4 mutation. This resulted in strain TH83. The txl mutation was next introduced by transduction into TH83 by PBS1 transduction by standard procedures using linkage to a silent Tn917 insertion, .OMEGA.yloA::Tn917 (60% linkage to tx1; strain 1A633 of the Bacillus Genetic Stock Center, also called CU4153 or .OMEGA.zdi-82::Tn917). The resulting strain was called TH95. TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Thiamin production of B. subtilis thiamin-deregulated strains containing .DELTA.thiL and tx26 mutations. Extracellular (.mu.g/L) Thiamin + TMP + Strain Genotype OD.sub.600 TPP TPP Tx26 .DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.4 thiA-lacZ tx26 16.5 320 460 TH48 .DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.4 tx26 18.7 280 310 TH49 .DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.4 thiA-lacZ tx26 16.5 300 470 TH12 .DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.4 18.4 2.6 2.2 TH22 .DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.4 thiA-lacZ 18.4 3.2 2.4

[0106] In standard fed-batch fermentations using 20-liter lab scale fermentors, NB was found to enhance thiamin production in TH95. Results showed that extracellular thiamin product levels were approximately 2- to 3-fold higher using feed medium containing 4% NB compared to feed without NB (Table 7). Production reached a maximum level of 6-7 mg/liter between 30-48 hours of growth. More importantly, as judged by thiochrome/HPLC assay, at least 65% of extracellular thiamin products were in the form of thiamin, whilst in the fermentation without NB in the feed, most of the product was TMP and TPP. Simultaneously, increasing the amount of NB in the seed (10%) and removing NB from the feed, delayed production of thiamin-related products to 24 hours cultivation time. Moreover, excreted thiamin products were decreased and mainly in the form of TMP. Addition of NB (4%) to the batch also led to a decrease in total thiamin production and a change in the excretion profile, in which all the thiamin forms (THI, TMP, and TPP) were in almost equimolar quantities. TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Thiamin production of TH95 in 6-liter fermentation with the addition of nutrient broth (NB). Thiamin products (mg/L) Feed OD.sub.600 Thiamin TMP TPP Strain 60% Glucose plus 48 hr 48 hr 48 hr 48 hr TH95 -- 120 0.7 1.4 1.0 TH95 4% NB 140 4.5 1.0 1.2

EXAMPLE 3

Producing Thiamin Compounds Using HMP and HET

[0107] This example describes a method to produce thiamin compounds growing thiamin-deregulated strains in the presence of thiamin precursors HMP and HET.

[0108] Fermentation of strain TH95 (tx26 txl .DELTA.thiL yloA::Tn917) with thiamin precursor co-feed was performed in 6- and 1-liter scale under fed-batch conditions. Feed solutions containing 0.54 g/liter hydroxyethylthiazole (HET) and 0.54 g/liter hydroxymethylpyrimidine (HMP) led to a significant accumulation of thiamin in the culture medium. Thiamin titers reached 120 mg/L (Table 8) after 48 hours, which represents a molar yield of 25% based on the concentration of either precursor. Conversely, TMP and TPP titers were very low (4 and 2 mg/liter, respectively) accounting for less than 3% of the total amount of thiamin-related excreted products. Feeding of either HMP or HET alone led to a very low titer of all thiamin products. Increasing the concentration of HMP and HET to 2.7 g/liter each or in combination did not result in a significant increase in thiamin production levels. Extending the fermentation of TH95 in the presence of 0.54 g/liter HET and 0.54 g/liter HMP led to a preferential increase in thiamin titers. After 70 hours, thiamin (THI) titers reached 250 mg/liter whereas TMP and TPP levels (7 and 2 mg/liter) were similar to those at the 48-hour time point (Table 9). TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Thiamin production of TH95 in 6-liter fermentation with the addition of HMP or HET. Thiamin products (mg/L) OD.sub.600 Thiamin TMP TPP Strain Feed: 60% Glucose plus 48 hr 48 hr 48 hr 48 hr TH95 0.54 g/L HMP 80 6 1 0.8 TH95 0.54 g/L HMP, 0.54 g/L HET 90 120 4 2 TH95 0.54 g/L HET 70 1 0.5 0.3 TH95 2.7 g/L HMP 110 7 1 1 TH95 2.7 g/L HMP, 2.7 g/L HET 80 125 12 4 TH95 2.7 g/L HET 90 3 1 1

[0109] TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 Thiamin production of TH95 in 1-liter fermentation with the addition of HMP and HET. Feed Thiamin products (mg/L) 60% Glucose OD.sub.600 OD.sub.600 THI TMP TPP THI TMP TPP Strain plus 48 hr 70 hr 48 hr 48 hr 48 hr 70 hr 70 hr 70 hr TH95 0.54 g/L HMP, 75 85 110 4 2 250 7 2 0.54 g/L HET

EXAMPLE 4

Thiamin Producing Strains with Increased ThiA Synthesis

[0110] This example describes the construction of a DNA cassette containing the B. subtilis thiA gene which can be used to overexpress said gene resulting in overproduction and excretion of thiamin products.

[0111] In order to increase expression, an amplifiable engineered thiA cassette was constructed in which the native promoter region was replaced by a strong constitutive SP01-26 promoter derived from the B. subtilis bacteriophage SPO1 (designated P.sub.26). First a 1770 bp-long DNA fragment containing the entire thiA gene was amplified by PCR using standard methods and synthetic oligo DNA primers thiA/for/pXI22/NdeI (SEQ ID NO: 1) and thiA/rev/pXI22/Bam (SEQ ID NO: 2). After digestion with NdeI and BamHI, the PCR product was inserted between the NdeI and BamHI sites of pXI22mod and transformed into competent E. coli cells using standard methods. pXI22mod is a 7.2 kb E. coli plasmid that contains the P.sub.26 promoter, a synthetic Bacillus RBS, cryT terminator, selectable ampicillin (bla) resistance and chloramphenicol (cat) resistance genes, and NdeI/BamHI cloning sites located between the RBS and cryT terminator (the NdeI site generates the ATG start site). The P.sub.26 promoter is inactivated due to the placement of the E. coli ColE1 replicon and the bla gene between the -35 and -10 consensus regions of the promoter. In addition, a NdeI site within pXI22 was modified by standard methods to remove an undesired NdeI restriction site located within the replicon region. This resulted in plasmid pTH43 (FIG. 1). Another thiA expression cassette was also prepared by replacing the cat cassette with a selectable tetracycline-resistance (tet) gene. To do this, a 2042 bp DNA fragment containing the tet gene from plasmid pDG1514 (BGSC, Cat # ECE100) gene was amplified by PCR using standard methods and synthetic oligo DNA primers tet/for/PmeI (SEQ ID NO: 3) and tet/rev/NotI (SEQ ID NO: 4). This fragment was then cloned between the PmeI and NotI sites of pTH43 to give pTH47 (FIG. 1).

[0112] The next task was to integrate the P.sub.26thiA-cat cassette in thiamin deregulated strains. First, plasmid pTH43 was digested by BsaI and a 3352 bp long fragment was purified from the agarose gel using standard methods. The purified fragment was ligated to itself at high DNA concentration and transformed into TH95 competent cells using standard methods. Transformants were selected on TBAB medium containing 5 .mu.g/ml chloramphenicol. One Cm.sup.r colony, designated TH116, was saved for further studies. The expression of thiA was increased by obtaining colonies that were resistant to successively higher levels of chloramphenicol. Specifically, a strain of TH116 resistant to 60 .mu.g/ml chloramphenicol could be obtained. SDS-PAGE analysis of crude cell extracts of THI 16 strains resistant to 60 .mu.g/ml chloramphenicol showed significantly higher levels of ThiA protein than TH 116 strains resistant to only 5 .mu.g/ml chloramphenicol. Thiamin production with the TH 116 engineered strain was tested in 20-liter lab scale fermentors using standard fed-batch conditions with HET co-feeding (0.54 g/liter, w/w). Strain TH 116 resistant to 60 .mu.g/ml chloramphenicol produced between 18-21 mg/liter thiamin (Table 10), which is a 3-fold increase in thiamin production compared to TH95 fermentation (Table 8). Thiamin production, however, was significantly lower than observed in feeding studies (see Example 3). This result indicates that formation of HMP is rate limiting, which could be caused by insufficient quantities of an additional enzymatic activity or low levels of AIR pools. TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 10 Thiamin production of TH116 in 6-liter fermentation. Thiamin products (mg/L) OD.sub.600 Thiamin TMP TPP Thiamin TMP TPP Strain 48 hr 24 hr 24 hr 24 hr 48 hr 48 hr 48 hr TH116 65 18 4 6 21 3 5

EXAMPLE 5

Methods for Producing Thiamin Compounds Using Microorganisms With Increased AIR Formation

[0113] This example describes experiments that increase thiamin production by altering the purine pathway to increase aminoimidazole ribotide (AIR) formation. This was achieved by simultaneously deregulating the expression of the B. subtilis purine operon using a mutation within the leader region of the purine operon (purO) and blocking conversion of AIR to carboxyaminoimidazole ribotide (CAIR) through introduction of a mutation within the purE gene encoding phosphoribosylaminoimidazole carboxylase I.

[0114] To construct a purO mutation, the upstream region of the operon promoter was amplified by PCR using primers YebF+1 (SEQ ID NO: 18) and YebG-1 (SEQ ID NO: 19) to generate a 667-bp product. Genomic DNA prepared from wild-type B. subtilis 1012 was used as a template and the PCR reaction conditions consisted of 30 cycles of denaturation at 95.degree. C. for 1 min., annealing at 55.degree. C. for 1 min. and extension at 72.degree. C. for 1 min. The PCR product was purified using the Wizard PCR purification kit (Promega) and double-digested with EcoRI-BamHI. The PCR product was cloned into EcoRI-BamHI-digested pUC19 to give plasmid pNMR72.

[0115] The purE promoter was amplified by PCR using primers PurE+3 (SEQ ID NO: 20) and PurE-1 (SEQ ID NO: 21) to give a 768-bp product. The PCR product was purified using the Wizard PCR purification kit (Promega) and double-digested with BamHI-PstI and cloned into BamHI-PstI-digested pNMR72 generating plasmid pNMR76.

[0116] Plasmid pNMR76 was linearized with BamHI and ligated to a BclI-digested neomycin-resistance (neo) gene cassette from pBEST50 to give plasmids pNMR79, with the neo cassette in the same orientation as pur transcription, and pNMR80, with the neo cassette in the opposite orientation. Both plasmids were linearized with ScaI and transformed into competent B. subtilis 1012 cells. Transformants were selected on TBAB plates containing neomycin to a final concentration of 2.5 .mu.g ml.sup.-1. 67 colonies were observed for the pNMR79 transformation, and 18 colonies for the pNMR80 transformation. 6 colonies from each transformation experiment were picked and analyzed by PCR. Two clones were identified as containing the truncated pur operons integrated as double crossovers for each transformation. These clones were renamed BS1566 and BS1567 for the pNMR79 transformation, and BS1568 and BS11569 for the pNMR80 transformation.

[0117] To combine the purO deletion mutation with the purE6 mutation, B. subtilis strain 1A320 (purE6 trpC2; Bacillus Genetic Stock Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 USA) was transformed with chromosomal DNA from strain BS1567, resulting in strain TH94. Since purO::neo purE6 are closely linked, both mutations were simultaneously transferred to thiamin deregulated strain TH95 by PBS 1 generalized transduction under standard conditions, resulting in strain TH101 (tx26 txl .DELTA.thiL yloA::Tn917 .DELTA.purO::neo purE). To determine thiamin production, strain TH101 was grown under standard 1-L fed-batch conditions with a HET (0.54 g/liter) co-feeding. Xanthine was also added to the batch medium and feed solution at 0.01% (w/w) and 1% (w/w, dissolved in 7.35 N NaOH), respectively, to satisfy the purine requirement. Xanthine does not feedback inhibit any of the purine de novo enzymes, nor is it toxic at high concentrations. In addition, the feed also contained NH.sub.4Cl (9.6% w/w) and the pH was controlled using H.sub.2SO.sub.4 (10%) and NaOH (7.35 M). Results indicated that TH101 produced approximately 6-times more thiamin in the broth than the control TH95 fermentation under the same experimental conditions (Table 11). TABLE-US-00011 TABLE 11 Thiamin production of TH95 in 1-liter fermentation containing the purOE mutations. purOE- OD.sub.600 Thiamin products mg/L Strain deletion 48 hr Thiamin TMP TPP TH95 - 90 0.5 0.5 BD TH101 + 52 2.7 0.6 0.3 BD, below detection

EXAMPLE 6

Methods for Increasing Thiamin Compounds Production by Enhancing the Thiamin Coupling Gene

[0118] This example describes the construction of a DNA cassette containing the B. subtilis thiC gene which can be used to overexpress said gene resulting in overproduction and excretion of thiamin products. This gene is located in an operon containing thiK, a gene that encodes the salvage enzyme, HET kinase.

[0119] In order to increase expression of thiC, an amplifiable cassette was constructed in which the native promoter region was replaced by a strong constitutive SP01-26 promoter derived from the B. subtilis bacteriophage SP01 (designated P.sub.26). To do this, the thiA cassette was removed from pTH47 and replaced by a DNA fragment containing thiKC. First a 1555 bp fragment containing thiKC structural gene was amplified by PCR using standard methods and synthetic oligo DNA primers thiKC/for3/pXI22/NdeI (SEQ ID NO: 5) and thiCop/rev2/pXI22/SmaI (SEQ ID NO: 6). After digestion with NdeI and BamHI, the PCR product was inserted between the NdeI and BamHI sites of pTH43, resulting in plasmid pTH48 (FIG. 2).

[0120] This P.sub.26 thiKC-tet cassette was introduced into TH95 by first digesting pTH48 with BsaI and purifying a 4078 bp fragment from the agarose gel using standard methods. The purified fragment was ligated to itself at high DNA concentration and transformed into TH95 competent cells using standard methods. Transformants were selected on TBAB medium containing 20 .mu.g/ml tetracycline. One Tet.sup.r colony, designated TH115, was saved for further study. The expression of thiKC was increased by obtaining colonies that were resistant to successively higher levels of tetracycline. Specifically, a strain of TH115 resistant to 45 .mu.g/ml tetracycline could be obtained. SDS-PAGE analysis of crude cell extracts showed significantly higher levels of ThiK and ThiC protein than TH115 strains resistant to only 20 .mu.g/ml tetracycline.

[0121] In the presence of HMP and HET co-feeding (0.54 g/liter, each), two fed-batch fermentations of TH115 resulted in an increase in thiamin production (210 mg/L at 48 hours, and 300 mg/L after 78 hours). The molar yields on substrates HMP or HET were 45% each at both 48 and 78 hours. Two other fermentations led to a slight decrease in thiamin production. Interestingly, higher thiamin excretion coincided with a severe growth-limiting event that occurred during the first hours of the fermentation, and which could be overcome by the addition of 25 g of nutrient broth (NB) and 1.6 mg of TPP to the 6-L cultivation. HPLC/DAD confirmed the presence of thiamin in the fermentation broth, and could be used to purify thiamin from the other UV-detectable compounds. Interestingly, neither HMP nor HET was detected by HPLC/DAD, indicating complete uptake of the co-feed applied at 0.54 g/liter. In any event, these results indicate that TH115 has a large capacity to synthesize TMP from exogenously-added precursors, dephosphorylate TMP to thiamin, and excrete thiamin into the culture medium. In addition, the ThiC coupling activity is apparently not rate limiting in this process.

EXAMPLE 7

Methods for Increasing Thiamin Compounds Production by Enhancing the Expression Level of Thiazole Biosynthetic Enzymes

[0122] This example describes the construction of a DNA cassette containing the B. subtilis thiB operon containing genes tenAI-thiOSGFD, which can be used to overexpress said genes resulting in overproduction and excretion of thiamin products.

[0123] First, a thiazole auxotroph strain, deleted for the native promoter region in front of the tenAI-thiOSGFD operon, was generated. To do that, two DNA fragments (downstream TenA and upstream YjbQ fragments), located on each side of the promoter region, were first amplified from B. subtilis PY79 chromosome using primer pairs YjbQ+_BamHI (SEQ ID NO: 22)/YjbQ-_MluI (SEQ ID NO: 23) and TenA+_KpnI (SEQ ID NO: 24)/TenA-_XhoI (SEQ ID NO: 25). A third fragment, containing a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase cassette, was amplified from TH11 chromosomal DNA (PY79 .DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.2) using primers TenA-cat+_KpnI (SEQ ID NO: 26) and TenA-cat-_MluI (SEQ ID NO: 27). Assembling of these three fragments was then performed in pUC19 to generate plasmid pTH401, which contains the `yjbQ.sub.3'-MluI-.sub.3'cat.sub.5'-KpnI-.sub.5'tenA` DNA construction inserted between the PstI and EcoRI restriction sites. Transformation of plasmid pTH401 in TH95 and selection on Cm 5 .mu.g/ml, yielded thiamin-, and thiazole-auxotroph TH403.

[0124] To construct a P.sub.26 tenAI-thiOSGFD cassette, the cat cassette in pTH401 was excised by KpnI and MluI, and, then, was substituted by a PCR fragment containing the P.sub.26 strong constitutive promoter, derived form the bacteriophage SPO1. This fragment was amplified from plasmid pUCSPO1-26 using primers P26+_MluI (SEQ ID NO: 28) and P26-_KpnI (SEQ ID NO: 29). Introduction of the thiB overexpressing cassette was then made by selecting for restoration of prototrophy in TH403 background. After transformation of the ligation mix creating the P.sub.26 tenA' in-frame fusion into TH403, prototrophic transformants were selected for their ability to grow on minimal medium plates. Their chloramphenicol sensitivity and the presence of the P.sub.26 promoter in front of the tenAI-thiOSGFD operon were confirmed. The resulting strain was named TH404 (FIG. 3).

[0125] Thiamin production with TH404 engineered strain was tested in 20-liter lab scale fermentors using standard fed-batch conditions (start volume: 6 liter) with HMP co-feeding (0.54 g/liter, w/w). Strain TH404 produced up to 315 mg/liter thiamin (Table 12). That number is significantly higher than the number obtained after 48 hours for strain TH95 (110 mg/liter, Table 9). TABLE-US-00012 TABLE 12 Thiamin production of TH404 in 6-liter fermentation. Thiamin products mg/L OD.sub.600 Thiamin TMP TPP Strain 48 hr 48 hr 48 hr 48 hr TH404 85 315 31 5

EXAMPLE 8

Methods for Increasing Thiamin Compounds Production by Enhancing the Expression Levels of both ThiA and Thiazole Biosynthetic Enzymes

[0126] This example describes the combination of DNA cassettes containing the B. subtilis thiA gene and the B. subtilis thiB operon containing genes tenAI-thiOSGFD, which can be used to overexpress said gene resulting in overproduction and excretion of thiamin products.

[0127] In order to combine the B. subtilis P.sub.26 tenAI-thiOSGFD cassette (described in Example 7) and the amplifiable P.sub.26 thiA-cat cassette (described in Example 4), competent cells of strain TH404 were transformed with non-congressional concentration of chromosomal DNA extracted from strain TH116 using standard methods. Transformants were selected for resistance to 5 .mu.g/ml chloramphenicol. PCR analysis confirmed that they contain the P.sub.26 tenAI-thiOSGFD and P.sub.26 thiA-cat cassettes. One Cm.sup.r colony, designated TH405, was saved for further studies. The expression of thiA in TH405 was increased by obtaining colonies that were resistant to successively higher levels of chloramphenicol. Specifically, a strain of TH405 resistant to 60 .mu.g/ml chloramphenicol could be obtained. SDS-PAGE analysis of crude extracts of strain TH405 resistant to 60 .mu.g/ml chloramphenicol showed a significantly higher level of ThiA protein than strain TH405 resistant to only 5 .mu.g/ml, which is identical to the level obtained after amplification of the P.sub.26 thiA-cat cassette in strain TH116 (Example 4).

[0128] Thiamin production with the TH405 engineered strain was tested in 20-liter lab scale fermentors using standard fed-batch conditions (start volume: 6 liter). Strain TH405 resistant to 60 .mu.g/ml chloramphenicol produced between 34-37 mg/liter thiamin in 48 h (Table 13), which is a 6-fold increase in thiamin production compared to TH95 fermentation with 0.54 g/liter co-feed of HMP (Table 8). Thiamin production, however, was significantly lower than observed in co-feeding studies or with a strain overexpressing the thiB operon only (Table 12, Example 7). This result confirms our observation from Example 4, i.e. formation of HMP is rate-limiting, and that the putative missing gene that needs to be overexpressed in addition to thiA and the thiB operon, is not part of the thiB operon. TABLE-US-00013 TABLE 13 Thiamin production of TH404 in 6-liter fermentation. Thiamin products (mg/L) OD.sub.600 OD.sub.600 Thiamin TMP Thiamin Strain 24 hr 48 hr 24 hr 24 hr TPP 24 hr 48 hr TMP 48 hr TPP 48 hr TH405 78 20 34 2 1 37 2 1

EXAMPLE 9

Methods for Increasing Thiamin Compounds Production by Increasing Glycine or Cysteine Availability

[0129] This example describes experiments that increase thiamin production by growing thiamin-deregulated strains in the presence of glycine or cysteine, which are both precursors in the HET pathway.

[0130] Thiamin production with B. subtilis TH95 (tx26 txl .DELTA.thiL) was tested in 6-liter lab scale fermentation using standard fed-batch conditions with HMP (0.54 g/liter) and glycine co-feeding (2 g/liter). Thiamin, TMP, and TPP production reached 14 mg/liter, 3 mg/liter, and 0.5 mg/liter, respectively, in 48 hours (Table 14), which is substantially higher than thiamin products levels in TH95 grown with just a HMP feed (Table 8).

[0131] Next, thiamin production with B. subtilis TH95 (tx26 txl .DELTA.thiL) was tested in 6-liter lab scale fermentation using standard fed-batch conditions with HMP (0.54 g/liter) and cysteine co-feeding (0.5 g/liter); threonine (0.4 g/liter) and isoleucine (0.2 g/liter) were also added to facilitate cysteine assimilation. Thiamin production reached 8 mg/liter in 48 hours (Table 14), which is substantially higher than thiamin titers in TH95 grown with just a HMP feed (Table 8).

[0132] Increasing thiamin production could also be achieved by addition of all four amino acids, glycine, cysteine, isoleucine, and threonine to the fermentation of TH95 (Table 14). Moreover increasing the expression of biosynthetic genes involved in the synthesis of these amino acids, or introducing mutations in regulatory genes or cis-acting regulatory sites that lead to increased expression of the said amino acid biosynthetic genes or by introducing mutations that lead to increased activity of said biosynthetic enzymes could increase thiamin productivity. TABLE-US-00014 TABLE 14 Thiamin production of TH95 in 6-liter fermentation with the addition of glycine, cysteine-isoleucine-threonine, or glycine cysteine-isoleucine-threonine. Feed OD.sub.600 Thiamin products (mg/L) Strain 60% Glucose plus 48 hr Thiamin TMP TPP TH95 0.54 g/L HMP, 65 14 3 0.5 2 g/L glycine TH95 0.54 g/L HMP, 60 8 2 0.5 0.54 g/L L-cysteine, 0.4 g/L D,L-threonine, 0.2 g/L L-isoleucine TH95 0.54 g/L HMP, 75 11 2 0.4 2 g/L glycine, 0.2 g/L L-cysteine, 0.4 g/L D,L-threonine, 0.2 g/L L-isoleucine

EXAMPLE 10

Methods for Producing Thiamin Compounds Using Grewe Diamine as a Precursor

[0133] This example describes experiments demonstrating the production of thiamin by growing thiamin-deregulated strains in the presence of a derivative of HMP, 4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinemethaneamine (Grewe Diamine).

[0134] Grewe Diamine is a derivative of HMP in which the C-5 hydroxymethyl group is substituted by an aminomethyl group. Thiamin production with B. subtilis TH95 (tx26 txl .DELTA.thiL) was tested in 6-liter lab scale fermentation using standard fed-batch conditions with Grewe Diamine and HET co-feeding (0.54 g/liter each). Thiamin production reached 53 mg/liter in 45.5 hours (Table 15). Increasing the level of Grewe Diamine in the feed solution to 2.7 g/liter increased thiamin production to 120 mg/liter in 46.5 hours (Table 15). These results demonstrate the feasibility of developing a fermentation process to produce thiamin from Grewe Diamine and HET. Moreover, these results demonstrate that Bacillus subtilis encodes one or more enzyme activities that can convert Grewe Diamine to HMP or a structurally similar compound that can then be used to produce thiamin. TABLE-US-00015 TABLE 15 Thiamin production of TH95 in 6-liter fermentation with a Grewe Diamine and HET co-feed. Feed OD.sub.600 Thiamin products (mg/L) Strain 60% Glucose plus 48 hr Thiamin TMP TPP TH95 0.54 g/L HET, 44 53 7 1 0.54 g/L Grewe Diamine TH95 2.7 g/L HET, 60 118 8 1 2.7 g/L Grewe Diamine

EXAMPLE 11

Isolated Genes and Mutations

yloS/tx1

[0135] Strain Tx1 carries the txl mutation (see SEQ ID NO: 30 for a copy of the polynucleotide sequence having the mutation), which was isolated by screening thiA-lacZ fusion-containing bacteria for the Lac.sup.+ phenotype in the presence of TPP. This strain (.DELTA.thiL::cat4 amyE::thiA-lacZ tx1) was shown to be a strong thiamin bradytroph indicating that this mutation appeared to inactivate a residual TMP kinase activity or an unknown gene product involved in a secondary route that leads to the formation of TPP from thiamin. Reconstitution studies indicated that the Lac.sup.+ phenotype of Tx1 was not caused by a general defect in the thiazole or HMP pathways as judged by analysis of TH22 derivatives containing a block in either the HET (.OMEGA.thiF::pMUTIN) or HMP-P (.OMEGA.thiA::Tn917) pathways.

[0136] Strains with txl were confirmed to be bradytrophs based on their ability to grow in minimal medium supplemented with 2.5% nutrient broth, which does not contain any significant amounts of thiamin products. In these cultures, Tx1 produced approximately 10-fold more extracellular thiamin products than the control strain TH22 (.OMEGA.thiL::cat.sub.4 .OMEGA.amyE::thiA-lacZ). Interestingly all the detectable thiamin produced was either in the form of thiamin or TPP; TMP was not detected in the culture medium. Genetic studies indicated that the thiamin bradytroph phenotype of Tx1 required .DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.4.

[0137] Genetic mapping studies using PBS1 generalized transduction under standard conditions showed that the txl mutation was not linked to either .DELTA.thiL::cat.sub.4 or .OMEGA.amyE::thiA-lacZ. However, txl showed 90% transduction linkage to zdi-82::Tn917 (BGSC# 1A633) located at 140'. The transformation linkage to the same marker was 8%. Several Tn917-linked mutations located between 121.degree. and 140.degree. also showed significant linkage to tx1. One mutation, urc83::Tn917 (strain 1A611), showed high transduction linkage (>60%) and significant transformation linkage (10%). This insertion, which causes an auxotrophy for uracil+cysteine or uracil+methionine, is at the junction between the pyr operon and the cys operon (139.degree.). A second mutation, yloA::Tn917 showed a similar linkage to tx1. Much higher transduction and DNA transformation linkage of txl to .OMEGA.spoVM::Tn917 mutation was observed suggesting that txl was allelic to yloS, which is adjacent to spoVM. The yloS gene shows weak amino acid similarity (P=0.23) to the TNR3 gene protein of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, which has been previously shown to have thiamin pyrophosphokinase activity. To determine if txl is allelic to yloS, a stable 448 bp long deletion mutation, starting at base 124 of the yloS gene (.DELTA.yloS::cat.sub.4) was constructed by PCR using standard methods and introduced into PY79. After introduction of .OMEGA.thiL::pMUTIN, the resulting double mutant was phenotypically similar to the original Tx1 mutant. Moreover, DNA sequencing of yloS in the Tx1 mutant revealed a single base mutation that resulted in a leucine-to-phenylalanine substitution at amino acid residue 116 (L116>F116; see SEQ ID NO: 31).

[0138] Based on these results, B. subtilis contains two biosynthetic routes to synthesize TPP from TMP: (1) direct enzymatic transformation of TMP to TPP by the product of thiL; and (2) enzymatic transformation of TMP to THI by an unknown phosphatase, followed by the pyrophosphorylation of THI to TPP by the product of yloS.

[0139] Route (1) has been shown to be present in Gram-negative organisms (e.g. Salmonella typhimurium and E. coli). Route (2) is present only in several Gram.sup.+ bacteria and some other eukaryotic microorganisms, including yeast (Llorente et al. (1999) Mol. Microbiol. 32:1140-1152). In addition, B. subtilis must contain a kinase activity that converts thiamin to TMP. This conclusion is based on genetic studies that showed that strain TH109 containing mutations .DELTA.yloS::cat.sub.4 and .OMEGA.thiA84::Tn917 could grow on minimal medium containing thiamin.

[0140] Protein database searches indicated that at least 13 bacterial genera contain one or more genes that encode a protein with significant homology to YloS: Oceanobacillus, Listeria, Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Clostridium, Fusobacterium, Tropheryma, Mesorhizobium, Brucella, Thermotoga, Agrobacterium, and Helicobacter. Most of these microorganisms are Gram.sup.+ bacteria. Weaker homology to genes from non-bacterial organisms (e.g. yeast, Drosophila melanogaster, Mus musculus, and Treponema pallidum) was also detected. Interestingly, most of the yloS-containing bacterial species do not contain a thiL ortholog gene, and conversely most of the thiL-containing bacterial species do not contain a yloS ortholog (Table 16). This latter group consisted mostly of Gram-negative genera. Like B. subtilis, Oceanobacillus iheyensis contains both genes. These results indicate that eubacteria can be classified into two groups depending on the ability to form TPP by pyrophosphorylation of thiamin or by phosphorylation of TMP. Moreover, many of the Gram.sup.+ bacteria that contain only a yloS ortholog and not a thiL ortholog are known pathogens, suggesting the yloS gene could be used as a target for developing anti-bacterial agents. TABLE-US-00016 TABLE 16 Presence or absence of yloS and thiL orthologs in various bacterial genera. Microorganism yloS ortholog thiL ortholog Bacillus subtilis 168 Yes Yes Oceanobacillus iheyensis HTE831 Yes Yes Bacillus stearothermophilus Yes No Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e Yes No Staphylococcus aureus Yes No Enterococcus faecalis V583 Yes No Enterococcus faecium Yes No Streptococcus pneumoniae TIGR4 and R6 Yes No Streptococcus pyogenes Yes No Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC-824D Yes No Clostridium tetani E88 Yes No Clostridium perfringens str.13 Yes No Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e Yes No Escherichia coli K12 No Yes Escherichia coli 0157: H7 EDL933 No Yes Shigella flexneri 2a str. 301 No Yes Haemophilus influenzae Rd No Yes Salmonella typhimurium LT2 No Yes

yuaJ/tx26-1

[0141] PBS1 generalized transduction experiments, using standard conditions, showed that the Tx26 mutant contained two mutations located at different regions of the chromosome. In these experiments, phage lysates were first prepared on standard wild-type B. subtilis strains containing a phenotypically-silent Tn917 insertion located around the chromosome (Bacillus Genetic Stock Center). Two of these lysates, one carrying .OMEGA.yujR::Tn917 (BGSC# 1A642) at map position 277.degree. and the other carrying .OMEGA.motA::Tn917 (BGSC# 1A631) at map position 122.5.degree., were able to revert the Tx26 phenotype to wild type (reversion of Lac.sup.+ to Lac.sup.- on minimal medium containing 1 .mu.M TPP and reversion of pyrithiamine-resistance to pyrithiamine-sensitivity using 0.1 .mu.M pyrithiamine). These unexpected results indicated that both mutations are required for the thiamin-deregulation phenotype exhibited by Tx26. One mutation, designated tx26-1, showed 70% linkage to .OMEGA.yufR::Tn917, and the other mutation, designated tx26-2, showed 59% linkage to .OMEGA.motA::Tn917. Moreover, in back-cross experiments, the pyrithiamine-resistance marker of Tx26 could be transferred into sensitive B. subtilis strains by congression DNA transformation. These pyrithiamine-resistant transformants were also thiamin-deregulated (Lac.sup.+ on minimal medium containing 1 .mu.M TPP and resistant to 0.1 .mu.M pyrithiamine).

[0142] Three-factor cross experiments using donor strains containing different combinations of antibiotic insertions in yufR/maeN (277.1.degree.), yuiGH (281.degree.), yurI (285.6.degree.), gerAB and yvaC (294.degree.) further mapped the tx26-1 mutation close to yuaJ, a thiamin-regulated gene, which was identified using microarray analysis (see below). To determine if tx26-1 is allelic to yuaJ, a deletion mutation of yuaJ was first constructed using standard PCR methods. To achieve this, a 324 bp-long internal fragment of yuaJ starting at position 353 was PCR-amplified and inserted between the BamHI and HindIII sites of pMUTIN2 using primers BsyuaJ/for/Hind3 (SEQ ID NO: 16) and BsyuaJ/rev/Bam (SEQ ID NO: 17), creating plasmid pTH31. As expected, introduction of .OMEGA.yuaJ::pMUTIN into wild type strains, (e.g. PY79) or thiA mutants were without phenotype. However, in several genetic crosses, the .OMEGA.yuaJ::pMUTIN2 disruption showed very high transduction and transformation linkages (100%) to tx26-1. These linkage results placed tx26-1 within or near yuaJ. Moreover, transduction and transformation of .OMEGA.yuaJ::pMUTIN into strain TH112 (tx26-1.sup.+ tx26-2 .DELTA.thiL), resulted in Erm.sup.r colonies that were resistant to 0.1 .mu.M pyrithiamine. Finally, DNA sequence analysis of yuaJ from Tx26 confirmed that tx26-1 (see SEQ ID NO: 33 for a copy of the polynucleotide sequence containing the mutation) was an allele of yuaJ. Comparison of DNA sequences from four independent PCR fragments from Tx26 and two from the wild type parent strain (PY79) detected a single base mutation that resulted in the change of a glutamine residue at amino acid position 35 to an Ocher stop codon (Q35 (CAA)>Stop (TAA); see SEQ ID NO: 34 in comparison to the amino acid sequence ID NO: 35 of the wild type YuaJ). Protein database searches indicated that yuaJ encodes a thiamin permease or a regulator of surface antigen protein genes. Hydrophobicity analysis indicated that YuaJ contains six membrane-spanning domains. Introduction of the tx26-1 mutation is predicted to produce a truncated 35 amino acid protein, which is likely to undergo proteolysis. These results, together with the genetic data presented above, suggest that loss-of-function of yuaJ is responsible for the thiamin-deregulation phenotype. Moreover, microarray data (see below) indicated that expression of yuaJ is regulated by TPP and inspection of the predicted 5' leader region revealed a DNA sequence with strong homology to the consensus THI box regulatory sequence.

tx26-2

[0143] Generalized transduction mapping studies (two-factor crosses), using a collection of PBS1 phage lysates prepared on strains containing Tn917 insertions, showed 60% linkage of tx26-2 to .OMEGA.motA::Tn917 (BGSC# 1A631) located at 122.5.degree. on the B. subtilis genome. This genetic map position corresponded to a cluster of genes, ykoFEDC, whose transcript levels were shown to increase in microarray studies of the thiamin deregulated Tx26 strain (see Table 17). Moreover, these genes appeared to be organized as an operon and contain a THI box regulatory elements in the promoter region upstream of ykoF. DNA sequencing of this operon, including a 400 bp region upstream of ykoF, detected a single base mutation in the ykoD gene that resulted in a Asp.sub.80 (GAC) to Asn.sub.180 (AAC) substitution (see SEQ ID NO: 37 for the amino acid sequence in comparison to amino acid sequence ID NO: 38 of the wild type YkoD). Protein database searches indicated that ykoD encodes a HMP transport ATP-binding protein. Two other genes in this operon, ykoE and C, are predicted to encode HMP transport permeases. These results indicated that the tx26-2 mutation is an allele of ykoD and affect cellular transport of thiamin (see SEQ ID NO: 36 for a copy of the polynucleotide sequence containing the mutation).

Thiamin-regulated Genes Identified Through Microarray Profiling

[0144] In order to perform microarray profiling, PY79 was grown in shake-flask cultures that contained 50 ml Spizizen minimal medium with or without added thiamin pyrophosphate. Overnight cultures were diluted to Klett=10 units into fresh medium and grown to exponential growth phase (Klett=100 units). Cells from half of the culture were collected by centrifugation, and the total RNA was immediately extracted as previously described (Lee et al. (2001) J. Bacteriol. 183:7371-7380). The remaining culture was grown to early stationary phase before RNA extraction. Early stationary phase was judged to be 30 min after glucose exhaustion; glucose content in the medium was measured by a glucose analyzer 2 (Beckman, Fullerton, Calif.) using standard procedures. Preparation of labeled cDNA targets, microarray hybridization and staining procedures, and data analysis are described in Lee et al. above.

[0145] In addition to known thiamin-regulated B. subtilis genes thiA and tenAI-thiOSGFD, analysis of the results also showed a 3-fold or higher transcript level of several other genes in cells grown in the absence of TPP. These genes are listed in Table 17. These results were confirmed by comparison of microarray data of wild-type and thiamin-deregulated (Tx26) strains grown in minimal medium in the presence of TPP. Moreover, in several of these genes, a consensus cis-acting regulatory site (thi box) could be visualized within the 5' leader region, confirming regulation by TPP. It can be anticipated that increasing or decreasing the expression of these genes individually or in concert together, or in combination with known biosynthetic genes, could also lead to higher thiamin, HMP and/or thiazole production. TABLE-US-00017 TABLE 17 Change in transcript levels of genes in B. subtilis in response to TPP.sup.a. wt.sup.-vit/ deg.sup.+vit/ Gene Enzyme/Function wt.sup.+vit wt.sup.+vit thiA Biosynthesis of hydroxymethylpyrimidine 62 22 phosphate thiK Hydroxyethylthiazole kinase n/c 4.7 thiC Thiamin phosphate pyrophosphorylase n/c 2.4 thiO Glycine oxidase 67 19 (goxB) thiS Biosynthesis of hydroxyethylthiazole 84 33 (yjbS) phosphate thiG Biosynthesis of hydroxyethylthiazole 82 13 (yjbT) phosphate thiF Biosynthesis of hydroxyethylthiazole 90 11 (yjbU) phosphate thiD1 Possible phosphomethylpyrimidine kinase 32 14 (yjbV) thiD2 Possible phosphomethylpyrimidine kinase n/c.sup.b n/c thiL Unknown/possible thiL ortholog (TMP n/c n/c (ydiA) kinase) ytbJ Unknown/possible thiI ortholog (sulfur n/c n/c transferase) dxs 1-deoxy-D-xylulose synthase n/c n/c (yqiE) ykoC Unknown; similar to unknown proteins 12 4 ykoD Unknown; similar to cation ABC 26 5 transporter ykoE Unknown 17 32 ykoF Unknown 20 5 yloS Thiamin pyrophosphorylase 1.6 0.3 yuaA Thiamin permease 7.4 5.3 ylmB Unknown; similar to acetylornithine 5.0 7.6 deacetylase .sup.aTranscript ratios were calculated by dividing the average difference values (after normalization) from hybridization experiments of wild-type cells grown to exponential phase in minimal medium without TPP treatment by those with TPP treatment (wt.sup.-/wt.sup.+) or from hybridization experiments

[0146]

Sequence CWU 1

1

38 1 29 DNA Artificial PCR primer 1 atgccatatg caaaacaatt cagtgcagc 29 2 36 DNA Artificial PCR primer 2 gcatggatcc tcattattga tataaattgc ttcccg 36 3 32 DNA Artificial PCR primer 3 acgtgtttaa acgcaggttg ttctcaatgt cg 32 4 33 DNA Artificial PCR primer 4 acgtgcggcc gcgatcaatt ttgaactctc tcc 33 5 27 DNA Artificial PCR primer 5 atgccatatg gatgcacaat cagcagc 27 6 36 DNA Artificial PCR primer 6 gcatcccggg tcagtctgaa aaccttgatg gacagc 36 7 31 DNA Artificial PCR primer 7 gggaagcttt gcggtacctt caaaatggac t 31 8 29 DNA Artificial PCR primer 8 gggggatcca atctgccgac gcttactct 29 9 28 DNA Artificial PCR primer 9 gggggtaccg aaaattggat aaagtggg 28 10 29 DNA Artificial PCR primer 10 gggacgcgtt caactaacgg ggcaggtta 29 11 33 DNA Artificial PCR primer 11 gggacgcgta agtacagtcg gcattatctc ata 33 12 23 DNA Artificial PCR primer 12 atgcggatcc cgtccggacc gcc 23 13 25 DNA Artificial PCR primer 13 cgatcccggg gcctcccatc gcggc 25 14 33 DNA Artificial PCR primer 14 atgccccggg atttgcctaa gcttcatcct aac 33 15 29 DNA Artificial PCR primer 15 cgatgaattc agcccttctg caaaacctt 29 16 33 DNA Artificial PCR primer 16 agctaagctt ggcagccgtt attttagaca ttg 33 17 34 DNA Artificial PCR primer 17 tgcaggatcc ataaaaactg cgctgaccac tgaa 34 18 24 DNA Artificial PCR primer 18 gagagaattc gctgaaagga cagc 24 19 35 DNA Artificial PCR primer 19 tctcggatcc ttagatcaat ttcccttcaa atacg 35 20 26 DNA Artificial PCR primer 20 gagaggatcc atcgttgaca ttatcc 26 21 27 DNA Artificial PCR primer 21 ctctctgcag ctttctaaca ctgtctg 27 22 30 DNA Artificial PCR primer 22 atcaggatcc cgctcctgct gcttgcgctg 30 23 53 DNA Artificial PCR primer 23 tatgagataa tgccgactgt acttacgcgt ccttatttgg tcaagattta tcc 53 24 64 DNA Artificial PCR primer 24 cccactttat ccaattttcg ggtacctaag gaggtaactc atatgatttg tgaagttttc 60 agaa 64 25 31 DNA Artificial PCR primer 25 ctgctcgagc cagccttctt ttcgataggc c 31 26 64 DNA Artificial PCR primer 26 cttctgaaaa cttcacaaat catatgagtt acctccttag gtacccgaaa attggataaa 60 gtgg 64 27 53 DNA Artificial PCR primer 27 ggataaatct tgaccaaata aggacgcgta agtacagtcg gcattatctc ata 53 28 33 DNA Artificial PCR primer 28 gggttacgcg tggccgctaa ctacactaac agc 33 29 31 DNA Artificial PCR primer 29 gggttggtac ctttaattct cgagtgttaa g 31 30 642 DNA Bacillus subtilis mutation (346)..(346) Mutation tx1 in yloS gene 30 atgaaaacaa ttaatatcgt tgcgggaggc ccgaaaaatc tcattcccga tctaaccggc 60 tatacggatg aacacacgct ttggatcggt gttgacaaag gcaccgtcac tctcttagat 120 gccgggatca ttcctgttga agccttcgga gattttgaca gcataacgga gcaagaacgc 180 cggcgaatag aaaaagccgc tcccgccctt catgtgtatc aagcagaaaa agatcaaaca 240 gatttagacc tcgcccttga ttgggcgctg gaaaagcagc cggatattat tcagattttc 300 ggcattacag gcggcagagc tgatcatttt ttaggaaaca ttcagtttct gtataaaggt 360 gtaaaaacga acataaaaat taggctgata gacaaacaaa atcatattca aatgttccct 420 cctggtgaat atgatattga gaaggatgaa aataagcgat atatctcctt cataccgttt 480 tccgaagaca tacatgagct gaccctgacc ggttttaaat atcctctaaa taattgtcat 540 attacgctcg gttcaacact atgtattagt aacgaactca ttcattcacg aggtactttt 600 tcgtttgcaa aaggcatatt aataatgata agaagcacgg at 642 31 214 PRT Bacillus subtilis 31 Met Lys Thr Ile Asn Ile Val Ala Gly Gly Pro Lys Asn Leu Ile Pro 1 5 10 15 Asp Leu Thr Gly Tyr Thr Asp Glu His Thr Leu Trp Ile Gly Val Asp 20 25 30 Lys Gly Thr Val Thr Leu Leu Asp Ala Gly Ile Ile Pro Val Glu Ala 35 40 45 Phe Gly Asp Phe Asp Ser Ile Thr Glu Gln Glu Arg Arg Arg Ile Glu 50 55 60 Lys Ala Ala Pro Ala Leu His Val Tyr Gln Ala Glu Lys Asp Gln Thr 65 70 75 80 Asp Leu Asp Leu Ala Leu Asp Trp Ala Leu Glu Lys Gln Pro Asp Ile 85 90 95 Ile Gln Ile Phe Gly Ile Thr Gly Gly Arg Ala Asp His Phe Leu Gly 100 105 110 Asn Ile Gln Phe Leu Tyr Lys Gly Val Lys Thr Asn Ile Lys Ile Arg 115 120 125 Leu Ile Asp Lys Gln Asn His Ile Gln Met Phe Pro Pro Gly Glu Tyr 130 135 140 Asp Ile Glu Lys Asp Glu Asn Lys Arg Tyr Ile Ser Phe Ile Pro Phe 145 150 155 160 Ser Glu Asp Ile His Glu Leu Thr Leu Thr Gly Phe Lys Tyr Pro Leu 165 170 175 Asn Asn Cys His Ile Thr Leu Gly Ser Thr Leu Cys Ile Ser Asn Glu 180 185 190 Leu Ile His Ser Arg Gly Thr Phe Ser Phe Ala Lys Gly Ile Leu Ile 195 200 205 Met Ile Arg Ser Thr Asp 210 32 214 PRT Bacillus subtilis 32 Met Lys Thr Ile Asn Ile Val Ala Gly Gly Pro Lys Asn Leu Ile Pro 1 5 10 15 Asp Leu Thr Gly Tyr Thr Asp Glu His Thr Leu Trp Ile Gly Val Asp 20 25 30 Lys Gly Thr Val Thr Leu Leu Asp Ala Gly Ile Ile Pro Val Glu Ala 35 40 45 Phe Gly Asp Phe Asp Ser Ile Thr Glu Gln Glu Arg Arg Arg Ile Glu 50 55 60 Lys Ala Ala Pro Ala Leu His Val Tyr Gln Ala Glu Lys Asp Gln Thr 65 70 75 80 Asp Leu Asp Leu Ala Leu Asp Trp Ala Leu Glu Lys Gln Pro Asp Ile 85 90 95 Ile Gln Ile Phe Gly Ile Thr Gly Gly Arg Ala Asp His Phe Leu Gly 100 105 110 Asn Ile Gln Leu Leu Tyr Lys Gly Val Lys Thr Asn Ile Lys Ile Arg 115 120 125 Leu Ile Asp Lys Gln Asn His Ile Gln Met Phe Pro Pro Gly Glu Tyr 130 135 140 Asp Ile Glu Lys Asp Glu Asn Lys Arg Tyr Ile Ser Phe Ile Pro Phe 145 150 155 160 Ser Glu Asp Ile His Glu Leu Thr Leu Thr Gly Phe Lys Tyr Pro Leu 165 170 175 Asn Asn Cys His Ile Thr Leu Gly Ser Thr Leu Cys Ile Ser Asn Glu 180 185 190 Leu Ile His Ser Arg Gly Thr Phe Ser Phe Ala Lys Gly Ile Leu Ile 195 200 205 Met Ile Arg Ser Thr Asp 210 33 576 DNA Bacillus subtilis mutation (103)..(103) Mutation tx26-1 in yuaJ 33 atgaatcaat ctaagcaact ggttcgcctt attgaaattg ccattatgac agcggcagcc 60 gttattttag acattgtctc aggaatgttt cttagcatgc cttaaggagg ctcggtctcc 120 atcatgatga ttccgatctt tttaatttcg tttcgctggg gtgtcaaagc aggtcttact 180 acaggtttgt tgacaggtct agtacaaata gcaatcggaa acttgtttgc tcaacatcct 240 gtacagctat tgttagatta cattgtcgct ttcgcagcaa tcggcataag cggctgtttc 300 gcttcttctg tccgtaaagc cgctgtatca aaaacaaaag ggaaattgat tgtttcagtg 360 gtcagcgcag tttttatcgg cagtttgctg cgctatgccg cgcatgtcat ttcaggagct 420 gtgtttttcg gcagctttgc tccaaaagga acaccggtat ggatttattc tttaacttat 480 aatgcgactt acatggttcc ttcattcatt atttgtgcaa ttgtcctatg tttattattt 540 atgacagcac cccgtctgct taaaagtgac aaagcg 576 34 34 PRT Bacillus subtilis 34 Met Asn Gln Ser Lys Gln Leu Val Arg Leu Ile Glu Ile Ala Ile Met 1 5 10 15 Thr Ala Ala Ala Val Ile Leu Asp Ile Val Ser Gly Met Phe Leu Ser 20 25 30 Met Pro 35 192 PRT Bacillus subtilis 35 Met Asn Gln Ser Lys Gln Leu Val Arg Leu Ile Glu Ile Ala Ile Met 1 5 10 15 Thr Ala Ala Ala Val Ile Leu Asp Ile Val Ser Gly Met Phe Leu Ser 20 25 30 Met Pro Gln Gly Gly Ser Val Ser Ile Met Met Ile Pro Ile Phe Leu 35 40 45 Ile Ser Phe Arg Trp Gly Val Lys Ala Gly Leu Thr Thr Gly Leu Leu 50 55 60 Thr Gly Leu Val Gln Ile Ala Ile Gly Asn Leu Phe Ala Gln His Pro 65 70 75 80 Val Gln Leu Leu Leu Asp Tyr Ile Val Ala Phe Ala Ala Ile Gly Ile 85 90 95 Ser Gly Cys Phe Ala Ser Ser Val Arg Lys Ala Ala Val Ser Lys Thr 100 105 110 Lys Gly Lys Leu Ile Val Ser Val Val Ser Ala Val Phe Ile Gly Ser 115 120 125 Leu Leu Arg Tyr Ala Ala His Val Ile Ser Gly Ala Val Phe Phe Gly 130 135 140 Ser Phe Ala Pro Lys Gly Thr Pro Val Trp Ile Tyr Ser Leu Thr Tyr 145 150 155 160 Asn Ala Thr Tyr Met Val Pro Ser Phe Ile Ile Cys Ala Ile Val Leu 165 170 175 Cys Leu Leu Phe Met Thr Ala Pro Arg Leu Leu Lys Ser Asp Lys Ala 180 185 190 36 1470 DNA Bacillus subtilis mutation (538)..(538) Mutation tx26-2 in ykoD 36 atgcaagcct ttgatgagct tctgacggtt gagcagctca gcttctctta tgaagaagac 60 gagaaaccgg tttttcaaga catttcgttt gagcttcaaa aaggagaatg tgttttatta 120 ttaggaccga gcggatgcgg taaaagctcg ctcgcccttt gtttaaacgg tctatatccg 180 gaggcttgcg acggcattca gtccggacat gtatttctat ttcaaaagcc ggtcacagat 240 gctgaaacct ccgaaacgat tactcagcat gccggggtcg tttttcagga tcctgatcag 300 cagttctgca tgctgacggt ggaggacgaa atagcgttcg ggctggaaaa tctgcaaatt 360 ccaaaagaag aaatgacaga gaaaatcaac gccgtattag gaaaattacg cattacccat 420 ttaaaagaaa aaatgatctc aaccctttca ggaggacaaa agcagaaagt ggctctcgcc 480 tgtattttgg cgatggagcc tgagcttatt attttagatg agccgacctc tcttttaaac 540 cctttctcag ctcgggagtt cgttcatctg atgaaggatc ttcagcggga aaaaggtttc 600 agcctcctcg tcattgagca ccagcttgat gaatgggcgc cttggattga gagaacgatc 660 gtactcgaca aatcaggcaa aaaggcactg gatggcctga cgaaaaatct atttcagcat 720 gaagcggaga cactaaagaa attgggcatc gcaattccaa aggtctgtca tctgcaggaa 780 aagctgagta tgccgtttac tttatcaaaa gagatgctgt tcaaagagcc tattcctgcc 840 gggcatgtca aaaagaagaa agccccttct ggggagagtg tgcttgaagt cagcagcctt 900 tcgttcgcga gaggacagca ggcgattttc aaagacatca gcttttcgtt gcgcgaaggc 960 tctttaacgg cgcttgtcgg tccgaacgga actggaaaat cgacgctcct atcagttctg 1020 gccagtctca tgaaaccgca aagcggcaaa atccttctct atgatcagcc gctgcagaaa 1080 tataaagaaa aagaattgcg taaacggatg ggatttgttt ttcaaaaccc tgagcatcaa 1140 ttcgtcaccg atacggtgta tgacgagctt ctgttcggcc agaaagcaaa tgctgaaact 1200 gagaaaaaag cgcaacacct gctgcagcgt tttggtcttg cgcatttggc tgatcatcat 1260 ccgtttgcga tcagccaagg gcaaaaacgg cgactgagcg tagctactat gctcatgcat 1320 gacgtaaagg ttttattatt agacgaacca acctttggcc aggatgcccg cacggcggct 1380 gaatgcatgg aaatgattca acgtatcaag gcagagggaa ctgctgtcct tatgattaca 1440 caaggatatg gagcaagtct cttcgtatgc 1470 37 490 PRT Bacillus subtilis 37 Met Gln Ala Phe Asp Glu Leu Leu Thr Val Glu Gln Leu Ser Phe Ser 1 5 10 15 Tyr Glu Glu Asp Glu Lys Pro Val Phe Gln Asp Ile Ser Phe Glu Leu 20 25 30 Gln Lys Gly Glu Cys Val Leu Leu Leu Gly Pro Ser Gly Cys Gly Lys 35 40 45 Ser Ser Leu Ala Leu Cys Leu Asn Gly Leu Tyr Pro Glu Ala Cys Asp 50 55 60 Gly Ile Gln Ser Gly His Val Phe Leu Phe Gln Lys Pro Val Thr Asp 65 70 75 80 Ala Glu Thr Ser Glu Thr Ile Thr Gln His Ala Gly Val Val Phe Gln 85 90 95 Asp Pro Asp Gln Gln Phe Cys Met Leu Thr Val Glu Asp Glu Ile Ala 100 105 110 Phe Gly Leu Glu Asn Leu Gln Ile Pro Lys Glu Glu Met Thr Glu Lys 115 120 125 Ile Asn Ala Val Leu Gly Lys Leu Arg Ile Thr His Leu Lys Glu Lys 130 135 140 Met Ile Ser Thr Leu Ser Gly Gly Gln Lys Gln Lys Val Ala Leu Ala 145 150 155 160 Cys Ile Leu Ala Met Glu Pro Glu Leu Ile Ile Leu Asp Glu Pro Thr 165 170 175 Ser Leu Leu Asn Pro Phe Ser Ala Arg Glu Phe Val His Leu Met Lys 180 185 190 Asp Leu Gln Arg Glu Lys Gly Phe Ser Leu Leu Val Ile Glu His Gln 195 200 205 Leu Asp Glu Trp Ala Pro Trp Ile Glu Arg Thr Ile Val Leu Asp Lys 210 215 220 Ser Gly Lys Lys Ala Leu Asp Gly Leu Thr Lys Asn Leu Phe Gln His 225 230 235 240 Glu Ala Glu Thr Leu Lys Lys Leu Gly Ile Ala Ile Pro Lys Val Cys 245 250 255 His Leu Gln Glu Lys Leu Ser Met Pro Phe Thr Leu Ser Lys Glu Met 260 265 270 Leu Phe Lys Glu Pro Ile Pro Ala Gly His Val Lys Lys Lys Lys Ala 275 280 285 Pro Ser Gly Glu Ser Val Leu Glu Val Ser Ser Leu Ser Phe Ala Arg 290 295 300 Gly Gln Gln Ala Ile Phe Lys Asp Ile Ser Phe Ser Leu Arg Glu Gly 305 310 315 320 Ser Leu Thr Ala Leu Val Gly Pro Asn Gly Thr Gly Lys Ser Thr Leu 325 330 335 Leu Ser Val Leu Ala Ser Leu Met Lys Pro Gln Ser Gly Lys Ile Leu 340 345 350 Leu Tyr Asp Gln Pro Leu Gln Lys Tyr Lys Glu Lys Glu Leu Arg Lys 355 360 365 Arg Met Gly Phe Val Phe Gln Asn Pro Glu His Gln Phe Val Thr Asp 370 375 380 Thr Val Tyr Asp Glu Leu Leu Phe Gly Gln Lys Ala Asn Ala Glu Thr 385 390 395 400 Glu Lys Lys Ala Gln His Leu Leu Gln Arg Phe Gly Leu Ala His Leu 405 410 415 Ala Asp His His Pro Phe Ala Ile Ser Gln Gly Gln Lys Arg Arg Leu 420 425 430 Ser Val Ala Thr Met Leu Met His Asp Val Lys Val Leu Leu Leu Asp 435 440 445 Glu Pro Thr Phe Gly Gln Asp Ala Arg Thr Ala Ala Glu Cys Met Glu 450 455 460 Met Ile Gln Arg Ile Lys Ala Glu Gly Thr Ala Val Leu Met Ile Thr 465 470 475 480 Gln Gly Tyr Gly Ala Ser Leu Phe Val Cys 485 490 38 490 PRT Bacillus subtilis 38 Met Gln Ala Phe Asp Glu Leu Leu Thr Val Glu Gln Leu Ser Phe Ser 1 5 10 15 Tyr Glu Glu Asp Glu Lys Pro Val Phe Gln Asp Ile Ser Phe Glu Leu 20 25 30 Gln Lys Gly Glu Cys Val Leu Leu Leu Gly Pro Ser Gly Cys Gly Lys 35 40 45 Ser Ser Leu Ala Leu Cys Leu Asn Gly Leu Tyr Pro Glu Ala Cys Asp 50 55 60 Gly Ile Gln Ser Gly His Val Phe Leu Phe Gln Lys Pro Val Thr Asp 65 70 75 80 Ala Glu Thr Ser Glu Thr Ile Thr Gln His Ala Gly Val Val Phe Gln 85 90 95 Asp Pro Asp Gln Gln Phe Cys Met Leu Thr Val Glu Asp Glu Ile Ala 100 105 110 Phe Gly Leu Glu Asn Leu Gln Ile Pro Lys Glu Glu Met Thr Glu Lys 115 120 125 Ile Asn Ala Val Leu Gly Lys Leu Arg Ile Thr His Leu Lys Glu Lys 130 135 140 Met Ile Ser Thr Leu Ser Gly Gly Gln Lys Gln Lys Val Ala Leu Ala 145 150 155 160 Cys Ile Leu Ala Met Glu Pro Glu Leu Ile Ile Leu Asp Glu Pro Thr 165 170 175 Ser Leu Leu Asp Pro Phe Ser Ala Arg Glu Phe Val His Leu Met Lys 180 185 190 Asp Leu Gln Arg Glu Lys Gly Phe Ser Leu Leu Val Ile Glu His Gln 195 200 205 Leu Asp Glu Trp Ala Pro Trp Ile Glu Arg Thr Ile Val Leu Asp Lys 210 215 220 Ser Gly Lys Lys Ala Leu Asp Gly Leu Thr Lys Asn Leu Phe Gln His 225 230 235 240 Glu Ala Glu Thr Leu Lys Lys Leu Gly Ile Ala Ile Pro Lys Val Cys 245 250 255 His Leu Gln Glu Lys Leu Ser Met Pro Phe Thr Leu Ser Lys Glu Met 260 265 270 Leu Phe Lys Glu Pro Ile Pro Ala Gly His Val Lys Lys Lys Lys Ala 275 280 285 Pro Ser Gly Glu Ser Val Leu Glu Val Ser Ser Leu Ser Phe Ala Arg 290 295 300 Gly Gln Gln Ala Ile Phe Lys Asp Ile Ser Phe Ser Leu Arg Glu Gly 305 310 315 320 Ser Leu Thr Ala Leu Val Gly Pro Asn Gly Thr Gly Lys Ser Thr Leu 325 330 335 Leu Ser Val Leu Ala Ser Leu Met Lys Pro Gln Ser Gly Lys Ile Leu 340 345 350 Leu Tyr Asp Gln Pro Leu Gln

Lys Tyr Lys Glu Lys Glu Leu Arg Lys 355 360 365 Arg Met Gly Phe Val Phe Gln Asn Pro Glu His Gln Phe Val Thr Asp 370 375 380 Thr Val Tyr Asp Glu Leu Leu Phe Gly Gln Lys Ala Asn Ala Glu Thr 385 390 395 400 Glu Lys Lys Ala Gln His Leu Leu Gln Arg Phe Gly Leu Ala His Leu 405 410 415 Ala Asp His His Pro Phe Ala Ile Ser Gln Gly Gln Lys Arg Arg Leu 420 425 430 Ser Val Ala Thr Met Leu Met His Asp Val Lys Val Leu Leu Leu Asp 435 440 445 Glu Pro Thr Phe Gly Gln Asp Ala Arg Thr Ala Ala Glu Cys Met Glu 450 455 460 Met Ile Gln Arg Ile Lys Ala Glu Gly Thr Ala Val Leu Met Ile Thr 465 470 475 480 Gln Gly Tyr Gly Ala Ser Leu Phe Val Cys 485 490

Claims

1. A microorganism selected from the group consisting of Bacillaceae, Lactobacillaceae, Streptococcaceae, Corynebacteriaceae and Brevibacteriaceae, the microorganism containing a mutation that deregulates thiamin production and causes thiamin products to be released into a culture media.

2. The microorganism of claim 1 wherein the mutation is selected from the group consisting of .DELTA.thiL, txl, tx26 and combinations thereof.

3. The microorganism of claim 1 which is selected from the group consisting of Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Corynebacterium and Brevibacterium.

4. The microorganism of claim 3 which is a Bacillus subtilis cell.

5. The microorganism of claim 4 which is B. subtilis TH95 (ATCC PTA-5221).

6. The microorganism according to claim 1 further comprising a DNA cassette containing a polynucleotide sequence being selected from the group consisting of: (a) a polynucleotide sequence that encodes a thiA gene product, wherein one or more copies of said polynucleotide sequence are contained in said DNA cassette; (b) a polynucleotide sequence that encodes gene products from a thiKC operon, wherein one or more copies of said polynucleotide sequence are contained in said DNA cassette; and (c) a polynucleotide sequence that encodes gene products of a tenAl-thiOSGFD operon; which polynucleotide sequence is operatively controlled by a strong constitutive promoter.

7. The microorganism according to claim 1 further comprising (a) a DNA cassette containing a polynucleotide sequence that encodes gene products of a tenAlthiOSGFD operon and (b) a DNA cassette containing at least one copy of a polynucleotide sequence that encodes a thiA gene product, which polynucleotide sequences are operatively controlled by a strong constitutive promoter.

8. The microorganism according to claim 6 which is selected from the group consisting of B. subtilis TH116 (ATCC PTA-5224), TH115 (ATCC PTA-5223), TH404 (DSM 16333) and TH405 (DSM 16334).

9. The microorganism according to claim 1 further comprising a first mutation that deregulates expression of a purine operon of B. subtilis and a second mutation that blocks conversion of 5-aminoimidazole ribotide (AIR) to carboxyaminoimidazole ribotide (CAIR).

10. The microorganism according to claim 9 wherein the first mutation comprises a mutation within the leader region of the pur operon and the second mutation comprises a mutation within the purE gene encoding phosphoribosylaminoimidazole carboxylase 1.

11. The microorganism according to claim 10 which is B. subtilis TH101 (ATCC PTA-5222).

12. A process for producing thiamin products comprising: (a) culturing, in a suitable medium, a microorganism according to claim 1 that overproduces thiamin products into the medium; and (b) recovering the thiamin products.

13. The process according to claim 12 further comprising culturing the microorganism in the presence of a component which is selected from the group consisting of: (a) thiamin precursors, (b) a thiamin precursor and a purine source, (c) a precursor of a HET pathway, (d) a precursor of a HMP pathway, and (e) a derivative of HMP.

14. The process according to claim 13 wherein the thiamin precursors are selected from the group consisting of 4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-2-methylpyrimidine (HMP), 5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methylthiazole (HET) and a combination thereof.

15. The process according to claim 13 wherein the thiamin precursor is HET and the purine source is xanthine.

16. The process according to claim 13 wherein the precursor of the HET pathway is selected from the group consisting of glycine, cysteine, isoleucine, threonine and combinations thereof.

17. The process according to claim 13 wherein the derivative of HMP is 4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinemethaneamine (Grewe Diamine).

18. An isolated polynucleotide sequence comprising a txl mutation.

19. The isolated polynucleotide sequence according to claim 18 wherein the mutation results in a leucine to phenylalanine substitution at amino acid residue 116.

20. The isolated polynucleotide sequence according to claim 18 wherein the sequence is SEQ ID NO: 31 or a polynucleotide sequence that hybridizes to SEQ ID NO: 31 under stringent conditions and, when present in a microorganism, causes a deregulation of thiamin production.

21. An isolated polynucleotide sequence comprising a first mutation with 70% linkage to .DELTA.yufR::Tn917 (tx26-1) and a second mutation with 59% linkage to .OMEGA.motA::Tn917 (tx26-2), wherein the presence of both of the mutations in a thiamin-producing microorganism causes a deregulation of thiamin production.

22. The isolated polynucleotide sequence according to claim 21 wherein the tx26-1 mutation is encoded by a polynucleotide sequence which is SEQ ID NO: 33 or a polynucleotide sequence that hybridizes to SEQ ID NO: 33 under stringent conditions and wherein the tx26-2 mutation is encoded by a polynucleotide sequence which is SEQ ID NO: 36 or a polynucleotide sequence that hybridizes to SEQ ID NO: 36 under stringent conditions and, when present in a microorganism, causes a deregulation of thiamin production.

23. A DNA cassette comprising one or more polynucleotides according to claim 18.

24. A microorganism containing the DNA cassette of claim 23.

25. A method for detecting a pathogenic microorganism in a clinical sample from a patient comprising: (a) determining whether a Gram.sup.+ microorganism is present in the sample, (b) determining whether the microorganism contains a yloS ortholog, and (c) determining whether the microorganism contains a thiL ortholog, wherein the presence of a yloS ortholog and the absence of a thiL ortholog in a Gram.sup.+ microorganism indicates that the microorganism is pathogenic.

26. The method according to claim 25 wherein the microorganism is selected from the group of group consisting of Listeria, Staphylococcus, Clostridium, Enterococcus, and Streptococcus.

27. The method according to claim 26 wherein the microorganism is selected from the group consisting of Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Clostridium tetani, Clostridium perfringens, Enterococcus sp., Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Streptococcus pneumoniae.

28. An assay for identifying an antibiotic comprising: (a) contacting an assay composition comprising a YloS protein with a test compound, and (b) determining whether the test compound inhibits YloS protein activity, wherein the compound is identified as an antibiotic based on the compound's ability to inhibit the activity of the YloS protein activity.

29. The assay according to claim 28 wherein the YloS protein comprised in the assay composition is selected from the group consisting of a purified YloS protein, a partially purified YloS protein, and a crude cell extract from a cell producing YloS protein.

30. The assay according to claim 28 wherein the YloS protein is encoded by a polynucleotide derived from a pathogenic microorganism selected from the group consisting of Listeria, Staphylococcus, Clostridium, Enterococcus, and Streptococcus.

31. The assay according to claim 30 wherein the microorganism is selected from the group consisting of Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Clostridium tetani, Clostridium perfringens, Enterococcus sp., Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Streptococcus pneumoniae.