Streptomyces rochei Strains Performing Structural Modification of Steroid Compounds

The search for new microorganisms capable of structurally modifying steroid compounds to produce valuable bioactive derivatives is an urgent task aimed at solving the problems of chemical synthesis associated with its multi-stage nature and low efficiency. In the course of this work, based on analysis of the 16S rRNA gene nucleotide sequence, four microbial strains previously isolated from the mucous membranes of the African smooth spur frog Xenopus laevis were identified. The studied cultures were found to belong to the genus Streptomyces and were closest to the species Streptomyces rochei. This is the first report on the ability of this actinomycetes species to catalyze structural modifications of steroids, including the reaction of 17β reduction, oxidation of the 3β-OH group, and Δ5-4 isomerization. The data obtained expands biodiversity understanding of steroid-transforming actinomycetes inhabiting amphibians, and may be successfully used for the microbiological synthesis of in-demand steroid compounds.