''Saccharopolyspora spinosa'' is a species of actinobacterium first isolated from soil in a rum still in an abandoned sugar mill on the
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...
. It was discovered and described by researchers Mertz and Yao while collecting specimens to be screened for novel
antibiotic
An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of ...
s.
It develops aerial, pale, yellowish pink
hyphae
A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium.
Structure
A hypha consists of one or ...
and bears long chains of
spore
In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...
s encased in spiny spore sheaths. It can also reproduce by
fragmentation in an aqueous environment. Its type strain is A83543.1 (= NRRL 18395).
''Saccharopolyspora spinosa'' is the source of a family of insecticidal compounds called
spinosyns. They act as neurotoxins by activation of
nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or nAChRs, are receptor polypeptides that respond to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Nicotinic receptors also respond to drugs such as the agonist nicotine. They are found in the central and peripheral ne ...
s in insects. The insecticide
Spinetoram is composed of two synthetic derivatives of spinosyns.
See also
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Spinosad
Spinosad is an insecticide based on chemical compounds found in the bacterial species ''Saccharopolyspora spinosa''. The genus ''Saccharopolyspora'' was discovered in 1985 in isolates from crushed sugarcane. The bacteria produce yellowish-pink ae ...
References
Further reading
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External links
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Type strain of ''Saccharopolyspora spinosa'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
Pseudonocardineae
Bacteria described in 1990
{{Pseudonocardineae-stub