Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of antibiotics, and more specifically to the isolation of nucleic acid molecules that code for the biosynthetic pathway of the glycopeptide antibiotic A40926. Disclosed are the functions of the gene products involved in A40926 production. The present invention provides biosynthetic genes that code for A40926 production, the encoded polypeptides, the recombinant vectors comprising the nucleic acid sequences that encode said polypeptides, the host cells transformed with said vectors and methods for producing glycopeptide antibiotics using said transformed host cells, including methods for producing A40926, a precursor thereof, a derivative thereof or a modified glycopeptide different from A 40926 or a precursor thereof.