Eco-evolutionary dynamics sustain a potent yet rare antibiotic gene cluster in Streptomyces

Microbial secondary metabolites have been recognized and utilized for nearly a century. Nevertheless, the eco-evolutionary mechanisms governing their distribution among microorganisms remain largely unresolved. In this study, we examined intraspecific interactions within Streptomyces albidoflavus and identified a strain exhibiting potent antagonistic activity against conspecifics. This "killer" phenotype was attributed to the production of kosinostatin, a hybrid aromatic polyketide antibiotic. Evolutionary genomic analyses provided strong evidence that the kosinostatin biosynthetic gene cluster was horizontally acquired in S. albidoflavus over a relatively short evolutionary timescale, a finding consistent with its sparse distribution within this species, across the genus Streptomyces, and even throughout the phylum Actinomycetota. Using microcosm assays, we demonstrated that the kosinostatin producer outcompeted sensitive conspecifics in liquid culture but not in soil, indicating that environmental context plays a key role in altering the fitness benefits of this cluster. Moreover, the competitive advantage was observed only in the presence of sensitive strains, revealing a trade-off between fitness benefits and metabolic costs. These results highlight the role of context-dependent selection in shaping the evolutionary persistence of the kosinostatin cluster. The current distribution pattern of this cluster in S. albidoflavus likely results from a dynamic interplay of intraspecific horizontal gene transfer, vertical inheritance, and recurrent gene loss. Overall, our findings establish an eco-evolutionary framework that explains the rarity of a potent antibiotic gene cluster in Streptomyces, illustrating how environmental constraints, fitness trade-offs, and gene flux collectively orchestrate the biosynthetic architecture of Streptomyces species.