The group of ZHANG Lixin used gene silencing and other techniques to clarify the roles of promoters in Streptomyces secondary metabolite production in S. avermitilis, using lycopene production as a model. Based on a single cell reporter gene (sfGFP) and flow cytometry, a synthetic module of regulatory elements could be designed which activates S. avermitilis gene cluster expression, greatly improving the yield and efficiency of lycopene production.
China Bio news release, September 17, 2015