C4D researchers contribute to landmark Streptomyces regulatory network resource
Photo credit: Streptomyces coelicolor, Gilles van Wezel (ULEI)
The C4D community is pleased to highlight the launch of StrepTRN, a new online resource designed to advance the study of transcriptional regulation in Streptomyces and related actinobacteria. Developed through a collaboration between Wageningen University, the DOE Joint Genome Institute, Leiden University, and the University of Liège, StrepTRN provides an unprecedented view of bacterial regulatory networks.
Twenty-five years after the publication of the Streptomyces coelicolor genome and the establishment of StrepDB as a cornerstone resource for genomic research, StrepTRN aims to become a central hub for regulatory biology. Using DNA affinity purification sequencing (DAP-seq), researchers have mapped genome-wide DNA binding for around 50% of all predicted transcription factors in S. coelicolor, expanding the known regulatory landscape by an order of magnitude and linking regulators to genes, pathways, operons, and biosynthetic gene clusters.
StrepTRN allows users to:
Search by gene or transcription factor
Explore predicted regulatory interactions
View transcription factor binding profiles
Investigate regulatory networks and pathways
Identify potential regulators of genes or biological processes of interest
A key feature of the resource is the multiDAP dataset, which extends the analysis beyond S. coelicolor to 16 additional actinobacterial genomes. This enables researchers to compare regulatory interactions across 17 genomes, revealing which networks are conserved and which have evolved across the Actinobacteria phylum.
StrepTRN is intended as a living community resource that will continue to grow as new data become available. The team welcomes feedback, suggestions, and contributions from researchers worldwide, with the goal of expanding our understanding of transcription factor regulatory networks and Actinobacterial biology.
The development of StrepTRN is closely linked to the wider C4D community. The resource was developed as part of the ERC Advanced Grant-funded project COMMUNITY, which investigates the regulatory and ecological principles underpinning microbial communities. Several C4D partners have contributed to this achievement, including Gilles van Wezel, Marnix Medema, and Nigel Mouncey, highlighting the strength of collaboration across the consortium in developing cutting-edge resources for the broader scientific community.
Learn more:
Preprint: Augustijn, H. E., Otani, H., Rigolet, A., Stuij, R., Pham, V. M., Baumgart, L., Zhang, L., Zhang, Y., Du, C., Cernat, S., Rigali, S., O’Malley, R., Medema, M. H., Mouncey, N. J., & Van Wezel, G. P. (2026). A global regulatory atlas of Streptomyces reveals conserved and diversified transcriptional networks across actinomycetes. bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory). https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.06.06.730586