The glucose kinase gene of Streptomyces coelicolor is not required for glucose repression of the chi63 promoter

Glucose kinase is required for glucose repression of several catabolite-controlled genes in Streptomyces coelicolor and certainly plays an important role in glucose repression in these organisms. We report here that glucose kinase null mutants of S. coelicolor retain transcriptional regulation of the chitinase 63 gene, which encodes an enzyme involved in chitin utilization. Transcription of chi63 is glucose sensitive and chitin dependent. We suggest that glucose repression of chi63 is independent of glucose kinase and that there may be more than one mechanism of glucose repression in Streptomyces spp.