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Comparative studies of class IIa bacteriocins of lactic acid bacteria.

Four class IIa bacteriocins (pediocin PA-1, enterocin A, sakacin P, and curvacin A) were purified to homogeneity and tested for activity toward a variety of indicator strains. Pediocin PA-1 and enterocin A inhibited more strains and had generally lower MICs than sakacin P and curvacin A. The antagonistic activity of pediocin-PA1 and enterocin A was much more sensitive to reduction of disulfide bonds than the antagonistic activity of sakacin P and curvacin A, suggesting that an extra disulfide bond that is present in the former two may contribute to their high levels of activity. The food pathogen Listeria monocytogenes was among the most sensitive indicator strains for all four bacteriocins. Enterocin A was most effective in inhibiting Listeria, having MICs in the range of 0.1 to 1 ng/ml. Sakacin P had the interesting property of being very active toward Listeria but not having concomitant high levels of activity toward lactic acid bacteria. Strains producing class IIa bacteriocins displayed various degrees of resistance toward noncognate class IIa bacteriocins; for the sakacin P producer, it was shown that this resistance is correlated with the expression of immunity genes. It is hypothesized that variation in the presence and/or expression of such immunity genes accounts in part for the remarkably large variation in bacteriocin sensitivity displayed by lactic acid bacteria.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Engineering increased stability in the antimicrobial peptide pediocin PA-1.

Pediocin PA-1 is a food grade antimicrobial peptide that has been used as a food preservative. Upon storage at 4 degrees C or room temperature, pediocin PA-1 looses activity, and there is a concomitant 16-Da increase in the molecular mass. It is shown that the loss of activity follows first-order kinetics and that the instability can be prevented by replacing the single methionine residue (Met31) in pediocin PA-1. Replacing Met by Ala, Ile, or Leu protected the peptide from oxidation and had only minor effects on bacteriocin activity (for most indicator strains 100% activity was maintained). Replacement of Met by Asp was highly deleterious for bacteriocin activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Use of a single, triplicate arbitrarily primed-PCR procedure for molecular fingerprinting of lactic acid bacteria.

Arbitrarily primed (AP)-PCR can be used to generate characteristic DNA fingerprint patterns. However, small changes in reaction conditions can cause band irreproducibility. In this study, a single methodology encompassing triplicate reactions, which were intentionally exposed to three different annealing temperatures, enabled bands that were reproducibly generated to be recognized. A single triplicate AP-PCR (TAP-PCR) procedure, using an 18-mer primer, was developed and used to fingerprint representative isolates from the major genera of lactic acid bacteria and Bifidobacterium to the strain level.

Bacteria↗

Heterologous coproduction of enterocin A and pediocin PA-1 by Lactococcus lactis: detection by specific peptide-directed antibodies.

Antibodies against enterocin A were obtained by immunization of rabbits with synthetic peptides PH4 and PH5 designed, respectively, on the N- and C-terminal amino acid sequences of enterocin A and conjugated to the carrier protein KLH. Anti-PH4-KLH antibodies not only recognized enterocin A but also pediocin PA-1, enterocin P, and sakacin A, three bacteriocins which share the N-terminal class IIa consensus motif (YGNGVXC) that is contained in the sequence of the peptide PH4. In contrast, anti-PH5-KLH antibodies only reacted with enterocin A because the amino acid sequences of the C-terminal parts of class IIa bacteriocins are highly variable. Enterocin A and/or pediocin PA-1 structural and immunity genes were introduced in Lactococcus lactis IL1403 to achieve (co)production of the bacteriocins. The level of production of the two bacteriocins was significantly lower than that obtained by the wild-type producers, a fact that suggests a low efficiency of transport and/or maturation of these bacteriocins by the chromosomally encoded bacteriocin translocation machinery of IL1403. Despite the low production levels, both bacteriocins could be specifically detected and quantified with the anti-PH5-KLH (anti-enterocin A) antibodies isolated in this study and the anti-PH2-KLH (anti-pediocin PA-1) antibodies previously generated (J. M. Martínez, M. I. Martínez, A. M. Suárez, C. Herranz, P. Casaus, L. M. Cintas, J. M. Rodríguez, and P. E. Hernández, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64:4536-4545, 1998). In this work, the availability of antibodies for the specific detection and quantification of enterocin A and pediocin PA-1 was crucial to demonstrate coproduction of both bacteriocins by L. lactis IL1403(pJM04), because indicator strains that are selectively inhibited by each bacteriocin are not available.

Animals↗

Rapid two-step procedure for large-scale purification of pediocin-like bacteriocins and other cationic antimicrobial peptides from complex culture medium.

A rapid and simple two-step procedure suitable for both small- and large-scale purification of pediocin-like bacteriocins and other cationic peptides has been developed. In the first step, the bacterial culture was applied directly on a cation-exchange column (1-ml cation exchanger per 100-ml cell culture). Bacteria and anionic compounds passed through the column, and cationic bacteriocins were subsequently eluted with 1 M NaCl. In the second step, the bacteriocin fraction was applied on a low-pressure, reverse-phase column and the bacteriocins were detected as major optical density peaks upon elution with propanol. More than 80% of the activity that was initially in the culture supernatant was recovered in both purification steps, and the final bacteriocin preparation was more than 90% pure as judged by analytical reverse-phase chromatography and capillary electrophoresis.

Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides↗

Strong synergy between a eukaryotic antimicrobial peptide and bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria.

The antimicrobial effect obtained upon combining the prokaryotic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs; more commonly referred to as bacteriocins) pediocin PA-1, sakacin P, and curvacin A (all produced by lactic acid bacteria [LAB]) with the eukaryotic AMP pleurocidin (from fish) has been investigated. The three LAB AMPs alone were active against gram-positive Listeria ivanovii bacteria at nanomolar concentrations, whereas they were inactive against gram-negative Escherichia coli bacteria. Pleurocidin alone was active against both of these types of bacteria at micromolar concentrations. Little if any synergy between the LAB AMPs and pleurocidin against the gram-positive L. ivanovii strain was obtained. In contrast, the LAB AMPs and pleurocidin acted highly synergistically against the gram-negative E. coli strain. Nanomolar concentrations of LAB AMPs increased the growth inhibitory potency of pleurocidin by about fourfold. When micromolar concentrations of LAB AMPs were combined with 2 micro g of pleurocidin/ml, 100% growth inhibition was attained, whereas pleurocidin alone at a concentration of 2 micro g/ml gave no growth inhibition. Most noteworthy, when high concentrations (128 micro g/ml) of pleurocidin in the absence of LAB AMPs were used over a long period of incubation (1 week), some growth of E. coli was observed, whereas 16 micro g of pleurocidin/ml completely abolished growth in the presence of 64 to 128 ng of LAB AMPs/ml over the same period of time. The results clearly demonstrate that combining eukaryotic and prokaryotic AMPs can greatly increase the specific activity and broaden the target-cell range of these peptides.

Animals↗

Generation and utilization of polyclonal antibodies to a synthetic C-terminal amino acid fragment of divercin V41, a class IIa bacteriocin.

Polyclonal antibodies have been generated by immunization of rabbits with a chemically synthesized C-terminal part of divercin V41 (DvnCt) conjugated to the carrier protein keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). The sensitivity and reactivity of the DvnCt-KLH-generated antibodies were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using supernatant from cultures of 13 representative lactic acid bacterium strains, and specificity was confirmed by Western blot analysis. Anti-DvnCt-KLH antibodies were able to recognize not only divercin V41 but also enterocin P and piscicocin V1b, two other members of the class IIa bacteriocins. Production and activity of DvnV41 were evaluated by ELISA and activity tests during the growth of Carnobacterium divergens V41 in MRS medium containing or not containing Tween 80. Divercin V41, enterocin P, and piscicocin V1b were therefore purified by a single-step immunoaffinity chromatography method using a Sepharose matrix CNBr-activated directed binding of anti-DvnCt-KLH polyclonal antibodies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Differential real-time PCR assay for enumeration of lactic acid bacteria in wine.

Oenococcus oeni is often employed to perform the malolactic fermentation in wine production, while nonoenococcal lactic acid bacteria often contribute to wine spoilage. Two real-time PCR assays were developed to enumerate the total, and nonoenococcal, lactic acid bacterial populations in wine. Used together, these assays can assess the spoilage risk of juice or wine from lactic acid bacteria.

Lactobacillus↗

Glycerol ester hydrolase activity of lactic acid bacteria.

Seventeen strains of lactic acid bacteria were assayed for their glycerol ester hydrolase activity by using an improved agar-well technique, and eight strains by determining the activity in cell-free extracts using a pH-stat procedure. All cultures tested showed activity and hydrolyzed tributyrin more actively than they did tricaproin. The cell extract studies demonstrated that the cells contained intracellular esterases and lipases. The culture supernatant fluid was without activity. The lipase and the esterase differed in their relative activity to each other in the different extracts and in the ease by which they could be freed from the cellular debris. It is suggested that the lipase of these organisms is an endoenzyme and the esterase an ectoenzyme.

Cell-Free System↗

Sugar substrates for L-lysine fermentation by Ustilago maydis.

The extracellular production of l-lysine in media with cane sugar, blackstrap molasses, or clarified sugar-cane juice by a previously obtained mutant of Ustilago maydis was studied. Enzymatically inverted clarified juice (medium J-3) gave 2.9 g of lysine per liter under the following conditions: inoculum, 5%; pH 5.8; temperature, 30 C; K(La) in the fermentors, 0.41 mmoles of O(2) per liter per min; fermentation time, 72 hr. The concentrate, obtained by direct evaporation and drying of the fermentation broth, could be used as a possible feed supplement because of its amino-acid and vitamin content.

Autoanalysis↗

Development of a selective enterococcus medium based on manganese ion deficiency, sodium azide, and alkaline pH.

Rogosa broth, without its salt supplement and dissolved in deionized water, was adapted for the selective isolation and enumeration of enterococci. This medium supported good growth of enterococci, but it suppressed growth of other lactic acid bacteria. The sensitivity and specificity of the medium were tested after addition of various increasing concentrations of NaN(3) against known strains of enterococci and other bacteria. Many strains of Streptococcus faecium showed low azide tolerance; optimal growth was obtained at a concentration of 0.01% NaN(3), which totally or partially inhibited unrelated species of lactic acid bacteria. The selectivity of the medium was further increased by pH adjustment to 9.6. Carbonate and Tween 80 were added to overcome partial inhibition of enterococcal growth by the new combination of selective conditions. The final medium was evaluated in agar form in isolations from human and animal feces, polluted water, meat, and dairy products. Counts were obtained after 16 to 17 h of incubation at 37 C. The isolates satisfactorily conformed to the group characteristics of enterococci.

Azides↗

Deterioration of high-moisture corn.

Two small, leaky silos were filled with normal high-moisture corn (HMC), and two with HMC severely infested by Helminthosporium maydis. Counts of mesophilic bacteria, lactobacilli, coliforms, yeasts, and molds were made on corn samples as received and periodically thereafter during 220 days of storage. Temperature and gas levels also were monitored. Sequential changes in the populations of lactobacilli, yeasts, and molds were determined during spoilage of HMC. These population changes were compared on the basis of the variables encountered in the present study as well as with the results of previous studies conducted on normal HMC stored under adequate conditions. Heavy infestation by H. maydis had no appreciable effect on HMC preservation.

Aerobiosis↗

Identification, classification, and clinical relevance of catalase-negative, gram-positive cocci, excluding the streptococci and enterococci.

Several new genera and species of gram-positive, catalase-negative cocci that can cause infections in humans have been described. Although these bacteria were isolated in the clinical laboratory, they were considered nonpathogenic culture contaminants and were not thought to be the cause of any diseases. Isolation of pure cultures of these bacteria from normally sterile sites has led to the conclusion that these bacteria can be an infrequent cause of infection. This review describes the new bacteria and the procedures useful for clinical laboratories to aid in their identification. The clinical relevance and our experience with the various genera and species are reviewed and discussed.

Animals↗