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Food-grade expression of human glutathione S-transferase and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase in Lactococcus lactis.

A food-grade gene expression system in Lactococcus lactis was established by the combination of a vector containing the lacF gene as the selection marker and a strain WZ103 carrying an in-frame deletion of this gene in the chromosome as the host. The human glutathione S-transferase A1-1 (hGSTA1) and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (hSOD) genes were respectively cloned into a food-grade vector under the control of the lactococcal inducible promoter P(lacA). The resulting expression plasmids were separately introduced into the lactose-deficient (Lac(-)) host, and the lactose-utilizing (Lac(+)) transformants were directly selected on a chemically defined medium, using lactose as the sole carbon source. The successful food-grade expression of hGSTA1 and hSOD in the L. lactis WZ103 transformed with these plasmids were analyzed by Western blotting and enzymatic activity assay, respectively.

Cloning, Molecular↗

Cloning and partial characterization of genes for ribosomal ribonucleic acid in Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis.

A cosmid gene library of the genome of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis 712 was probed for the presence of 16S rRNA genes, using 32P 5' end-labelled 16S rRNA fragments. Cosmid DNA from positive clones responsible for hybridisation was subcloned into a high copy number vector and a restriction map was constructed. The location of the 16S, 23S and 5S rRNA genes was determined on this map. Transcriptional promoter activity was identified upstream of the 5' end of the 16S rRNA gene. By probing L. lactis 712 chromosomal DNA cut with a range of restriction endonucleases, with a conserved oligonucleotide to the 5' end of the 16S rRNA gene, 6 copies of rRNA genes were identified.

Base Sequence↗

Cell membrane damage induced by lacticin 3147 enhances aldehyde formation in Lactococcus lactis IFPL730.

Amino acid catabolism is mainly initiated in Lactococcus lactis by a transamination reaction that leads to the formation of alpha-keto acids. In addition, a novel alpha-keto acid decarboxylase enzyme, rare in lactic acid bacteria, responsible for the conversion of alpha-keto acids into aldehydes has been reported in L. lactis IFPL730. The effect of lacticin 3147-induced cell damage on both amino acid transamination and alpha-keto acid decarboxylation by L. lactis IFPL730 leading to the formation of aldehydes from amino acids was investigated. Cell membrane permeabilization induced by lacticin 3147 facilitated the diffusion of amino acids into the cells and thus, enhanced amino acid transamination and formation of alpha-keto acids. However, alpha-keto acid decarboxylation was not affected by cell membrane permeabilization since decarboxylation of alpha-keto acids in both control and lacticin 3147-treated cells were similar, suggesting that these substrates could freely diffuse inside the cells. Nevertheless, the formation of 2-methylbutyraldehyde from isoleucine was enhanced in lacticin 3147-treated cells. The increase in alpha-keto acids formation rate by L. lactis IFPL730 due to lacticin 3147-induced cell damage, led to a concomitant increase in the subsequent decarboxylation reaction that complete the metabolic pathway to aldehyde production from amino acids. The present study points out to the use of the food grade lacticin 3147 along with L. lactis IFPL730 as a valuable tool in the development of cheese flavour.

Aldehydes↗

Cloning and sequencing of the Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis groESL operon.

The operon (groESL) coding for the Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis heat-shock proteins GroEL and GroES, has been isolated and its complete nucleotide (nt) sequence determined. A set of degenerate PCR primers, deduced from amino acids which are conserved in a number of prokaryotic GroELs, were synthesized and used to amplify a 957-bp fragment. This PCR fragment was used as a probe to isolate a 5.0-kb EcoRI chromosomally derived fragment. A region of this 5.0-kb EcoRI fragment was sequenced and revealed that the groES gene was located 5' to groEL. This sequence was then used to design a set of inverse PCR primers and a 2.5-kb HindIII fragment was cloned which contained the region 5' to groEL. The complete nt sequence of the groESL operon was determined from overlapping fragments. It revealed that the groESL operon was preceded by a stem-loop structure and the promoter appears similar to most L. lactis subsp. lactis and other Gram+ bacterial promoters. Northern analysis demonstrated that the groESL operon is under tight regulation and a dramatic induction of mRNA synthesis occurs within 15 min after heat shock.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Detection and localization of peptidases in Lactococcus lactis with monoclonal antibodies.

Monoclonal antibodies against peptidases of Lactococcus lactis were isolated and characterized: PEPN1-4 against a lysyl aminopeptidase PepN, PEPT1-5 against a tripeptidase PepT and PEPD1-3 against a dipeptidase PepD. These monoclonal antibodies reacted specifically with their respective antigens in crude cell extracts of Lc. lactis subspp. cremoris and lactis. A number of monoclonal antibodies cross reacted with proteins of other (lactic acid) bacteria. PEPT1, 2, 4 and 5 cross reacted weakly with a 35 kDa protein in Lactobacillus delbrueckii, while PEPT1 and PEPT2 reacted with proteins in the cell-free extract of Streptococcus thermophilus and Clostridium fervidus. Of the four isolated monoclonal antibodies against PEPN, only PEPN3 cross reacted weakly with a 90 kDa protein in Escherichia coli cell-free extract, and the other three antibody species against PEPN3 cross reacted with 80 kDa proteins of Lb. casei, Lb. delbrueckii, and Str. bovis, but not of Esch. coli. Of the three monoclonal antibodies against PepD, only PEPD1 and PEPD2 cross reacted with 40 kDa proteins of Lb. casei, Lb. delbrueckii and Str. bovis. All PEPN, PEPD and PEPT antibodies reacted with components in cell-free extracts of eleven different Lc. lactis strains, indicating that the peptidases of these strains were very similar to those of Lc. lactis subsp. cremoris WG2. However, Lc. lactis subsp. hordniae appeared to differ from the other Lc. lactis subspecies since only PEPT1, 2 and 5 reacted with a protein in the cell-free extract. Immunogold labelling of Lc. lactis WG2 with the isolated monoclonal antibodies revealed that PepN, PepD and PepT were located intracellularly. The intracellular location of these peptidases is discussed in relation to the supply of essential amino acids and peptides.

Aminopeptidases↗

Cloning and analysis of the pepV dipeptidase gene of Lactococcus lactis MG1363.

The gene pepV, encoding a dipeptidase from Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris MG1363, was identified in a genomic library in pUC19 in a peptidase-deficient Escherichia coli strain and subsequently sequenced. PepV of L. lactis is enzymatically active in E. coli and hydrolyzes a broad range of dipeptides but no tri-, tetra-, or larger oligopeptides. Northern (RNA) and primer extension analyses indicate that pepV is a monocistronic transcriptional unit starting 24 bases upstream of the AUG translational start codon. The dipeptidase of L. lactis was shown to be similar to the dipeptidase encoded by pepV of L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis, with 46% identity in the deduced amino acid sequences. A PepV-negative mutant of L. lactis was constructed by single-crossover recombination. Growth of the mutant strain in milk was significantly slower than that of the wild type, but the strains ultimately reached the same final cell densities.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cloning and sequence analysis of putative histidine protein kinases isolated from Lactococcus lactis MG1363.

Eight recombinant plasmids harboring chromosomal fragments of Lactococcus lactis MG1363 were shown to phenotypically suppress a histidine protein kinase (HPK) deficiency in either of two different E. coli strains. Sequence analysis of the plasmid inserts revealed five different complete or partial open reading frames (ORFs) specifying proteins with high similarity to HPKs. One of the plasmids also harbored an additional ORF, unrelated to HPKs, with suppressing activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

[Fusion expression of a peptide antibiotic-apidaecin gene in Lactococcus lactis].

The ubiquitin fusion of apidaecin was expressed in Lactococcus lactis, using a novel nisin-inducible expression system. After induction, a specific band could be detected in the extracts of the host strain by Tricine-SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Production of the fusion was up to 7.2% of the total soluble protein of the host strain. While the fusion was cut by ubiquitin specific protease-UBP1, the product had distinct antibacterial activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification of the lantibiotic nisin Q, a new natural nisin variant produced by Lactococcus lactis 61-14 isolated from a river in Japan.

Lactococcus lactis 61-14 isolated from river water produced a bacteriocin active against a wide range of Gram-positive bacteria. N-terminal amino acid sequencing, mass spectral analysis of the purified bacteriocin, and genetic analysis using nisin-specific primers showed that the bacteriocin was a new natural nisin variant, termed nisin Q. Nisin Q and nisin A differ in four amino acids in the mature peptide and two in the leader sequence.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cloning and characterization of the abortive infection genetic determinant abiD isolated from pBF61 of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis KR5.

A 6.3-kb fragment from pBF61 in Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis KR5 was cloned and found to confer an abortive phage infection (Abi+) phenotype exhibiting a reduction in efficiency of plating and plaque size for small isometric- and prolate-headed bacteriophages sk1 and c2, respectively, and to produce a 10-fold decrease in c2 phage burst size. Phage adsorption was not significantly reduced. An open reading frame of 1,098 bp was sequenced and designated abiD. Tn5 mutagenesis confirmed that abiD was required for the Abi+ phenotype.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Dynamics of pyruvate metabolism in Lactococcus lactis.

The pyruvate metabolism in the lactic acid bacterium Lactococcus lactis was studied in anaerobic cultures under transient conditions. During growth of L. lactis in continuous culture at high dilution rate, homolactic product formation was observed, i.e., lactate was produced as the major end product. At a lower dilution rate, the pyruvate metabolism shifted towards mixed acid-product formation where formate, acetate, and ethanol were produced in addition to lactate. The regulation of the shift in pyruvate metabolism was investigated by monitoring the dynamic behavior of L. lactis in continuous cultures subjected to step changes in dilution rate. Both shift-up and shift-down experiments were carried out, and these experiments showed that the enzyme pyruvate formate-lyase (PFL) plays a key role in the regulation of the shift. Pyruvate formate-lyase in vivo activity was regulated both at the level of gene expression and by allosteric modulation of the enzyme. A simple mathematical model was proposed to estimate the relative significance of the regulatory mechanisms involved.

Acetates↗

Volatile compounds in Hispánico cheese manufactured using a mesophilic starter, a thermophilic starter, and bacteriocin-producing Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis INIA 415.

The effect of the addition of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis INIA 415, a strain harboring the structural genes of nisin Z and lacticin 481, on the formation of volatile compounds in Hispánico cheese manufactured with a mesophilic starter or with the mesophilic starter and a thermophilic starter was investigated. Addition of bacteriocin-producing L. lactis subsp. lactis INIA 415 to milk enhanced the formation of 2-methyl-propanal, 2-methylbutanal, 3-methylbutanal, 2-methyl-1-propanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 1-octanol, 2-butanone, and 2,3-butanedione. On the other hand, addition of thermophilic starter enhanced the formation of acetaldehyde, ethanol, 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol, ethyl butanoate, ethyl hexanoate, 2-butanone, and 2,3-butanedione in Hispánico cheese. Stepwise discriminant analysis using the relative abundances of volatile compounds classified cheeses by type of starter, with function 1 related to thermophilic starter and function 2 to bacteriocin producer.

Alcohols↗

Characterization of the lactose-specific enzymes of the phosphotransferase system in Lactococcus lactis.

The plasmid-encoded lactose genes of the Lactococcus lactis phosphotransferase system encoding Enzyme IIIlac (lacF) and Enzyme IIlac (lacE) have been identified and cloned in Escherichia coli and L. lactis. Nucleotide sequence and transcription analysis showed that these genes are organized into a lactose-inducible operon with the gene order lacF-lacE-lacG-lacX, the latter two genes encoding phospho-beta-galactosidase and a 34-kDa protein with an unknown function, respectively. The lac-operon is immediately followed by an IS element that is homologous to ISS1. Enzyme IIIlac was purified from L. lactis and determination of its NH2-terminal sequence demonstrated that the lacF gene starts with a TTG codon and encodes a 105 amino acid protein (Mr = 11416). Cross-linking studies with the purified enzyme showed that Enzyme IIIlac is active as a trimer. A mutant lacF gene was identified in strain YP2-5 and appeared to encode Enzyme IIIlac containing the missense mutation G18E. The lacF gene could be expressed under control of vector-located promoter sequences resulting in overproduction of Enzyme IIIlac in E. coli and complementation of the L. lactis lacF mutant YP2-5. The deduced amino acid sequence of Enzyme IIlac consists of 586 amino acids (Mr = 61562) and shows the characteristics of a hydrophobic, integral membrane protein. The deduced primary structures of the L. lactis Enzyme IIIlac and Enzyme IIlac are homologous to those of Staphylococcus aureus (72 and 71% identity, respectively) and Lactobacillus casei (48 and 47% identity, respectively). In contrast, the organization of the lactose genes differs significantly between those Gram-positive bacteria. Heterogramic homology in specific domains was observed between the derived amino acid sequences of the lactose-specific enzymes and that of E. coli Enzyme IIIcel and Enzyme IIcel, which suggest a common function in the transport and phosphorylation of these structurally related beta-glucosides.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Note: genetic and biochemical characterization on nisin Z produced by Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis UL 719.

The bacteriocin produced by Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis UL 719 was purified and characterized. Two peaks exhibiting antimicrobial activity were obtained after purification. Primary structure of the peptide of major peak 2 was identical to that of nisin Z when determined by Edman degradation and confirmed by DNA sequence analysis. The molecular mass as determined by mass spectrometry was 3346.39 +/- 0.40 Da for peak 1 and 3330.39 +/- 0.27 Da for peak 2, which suggests that peak 1 may correspond to an oxidized form of nisin Z. The two purified peaks exhibiting antimicrobial activity appear to correspond with oxidized and native forms of nisin Z.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The plasmid-encoded lactococcal envelope-associated proteinase is encoded by a chromosomal gene in Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris BC101.

The plasmid-free strain Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris BC101 produced an extracellular proteinase physicochemically similar to the proteinase encoded by the plasmid-linked prtP gene of other lactococcal strains. The absence of detectable plasmids in strain BC101 indicated that the prtP proteinase gene may be chromosomally located. The chromosomal linkage of the prtP proteinase gene in BC101 was confirmed by pulsed-field electrophoresis of chromosomal DNA and hybridization, using as a probe the plasmid-linked prtP gene from L. lactis subsp. cremoris Wg2. The prtM gene necessary for the maturation of the proteinase was also chromosomally located adjacent to prtP in BC101. By using as a hybridization probe the ISS1-like element ISS1W, which is found adjacent to the proteinase genes in both pWV05 and pSK111, specific homology to the chromosomal fragment containing the proteinase gene was found. DNA sequencing of a polymerase chain reaction product of chromosomal DNA upstream from prtM revealed a 123-nucleotide sequence which was 100% identical to the equivalent sequence in the ISS1W-containing plasmid. The terminal inverted repeat (18 nucleotides) of the ISS1W element was found in this sequenced DNA. These findings suggest that the chromosomal proteinase gene is organized in a fashion similar to that of the plasmid-linked proteinase gene.

Base Sequence↗

Lactococcus lactis as host for overproduction of functional membrane proteins.

Lactococcus lactis has many properties that are ideal for enhanced expression of membrane proteins. The organism is easy and inexpensive to culture, has a single membrane and relatively mild proteolytic activity. Methods for genetic manipulation are fully established and a tightly controlled promoter system is available, with which the level of expression can be varied with the inducer concentration. Here we describe our experiences with lactococcal expression of the mechanosensitive channel, the human KDEL receptor and transporters belonging to the ABC transporter family, the major facilitator superfamily, the mitochondrial carrier family and the peptide transporter family. Previously published expression studies only deal with the overexpression of prokaryotic membrane proteins, but in this paper, experimental data are presented for the overproduction of mitochondrial and hydrogenosomal carriers and the human KDEL receptor. These eukaryotic membrane proteins were expressed in a functional form and at levels amenable to structural work.

Animals↗

Identification and characteristics of nisin Z-producing Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis isolated from Kimchi.

We isolated bacteriocin-producing Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis from Kimchi. The bacteriocin inhibited strains of Clostridium perfringens, C. difficile, Listeria monocytogenes, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, and one out of four methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains, as well as some closely related lactic acid bacteria. In tricine-SDS-PAGE, the bacteriocin migrated with an apparent molecular weight of about 4 kDa to the same location as nisin A and crude nisin Z. The gene encoding this bacteriocin was found to be identical to that of nisin Z with direct PCR sequence methods. The inhibitory activity was stable against heat and pH, but it was lost at 100 degrees C for 1 h and at 121 degrees C for 15 min. The bacteriocin was inactivated by proteolytic enzymes, but was not affected by lysozyme, lipase, catalase, or beta-glucosidase. There were some differences in characteristics from those of nisins described previously.

Bacteria↗

Optimization of nisin production by Lactococcus lactis.

The production of nisin by batch culture of Lactococcus lactis ATCC 11454 in MRS broth (pH 6.5), as treated in 30 assays, that were set up by a fractional factorial design of two levels (2[4-1]), was improved. The minimum and maximum concentrations of sucrose (5.0-12.5 g/L), asparagine (7.5-75 g/L), potassium phosphate (6.0-18.0 g/L), and Tween-80 (1.0-6.6 g/L) were added to MRS broth. The best nisin activities ranged from 1.5 x 10(4) to 1.8 x 10(4) arbitrary units (AU)/mL for the maximum levels of sucrose, asparagine, and monobasic potassium phosphate, and for the minimum concentration of Tween-80. The best following proportions between nutrients were adopted as optimum for maximum specific nisin productivity of about 6.0 mg/mg of dry cell weight (related to 2.5 mg of pure nisin preparation with a specific activity of 1.0 x 10(5) AU/mL): C/N = 0.17, C/P = 0.69, N/P = 4.17 (C = sucrose, N = asparagine, P = phosphate, T = Tween-80).

Asparagine↗