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Purification and characterisation of a lactococcal aminoacylase.

The amd1-encoded aminoacylase from Lactococcus lactis MG1363 was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified. The assumed dimeric enzyme has a subunit molecular mass of about 42 kDa and contains 2.0+/-0.1 g-atoms of zinc and cobalt, in equimolar amounts, per subunit of Amd1. The enzyme was characterised with respect to substrate specificity, pH, temperature and metal dependence. Amd1 exhibited a broad activity range towards N-acetylated- l-amino acids with a strong preference towards those containing neutral aliphatic and aromatic side chains. It hydrolysed N-acetyl- l-alanine most efficiently, and exhibited temperature and pH optima of 30 degrees C and 7.0, respectively. The activity of Amd1 towards N-acetyl- l-alanine was enhanced by the divalent cation Co(2+), while Cd(2+ )inhibited activity. Interestingly, Amd1 was shown to catalyse the hydrolysis of several dipeptides at pH 7.0, although with reduced V(max) values as compared to hydrolysis of N-acetylated- l-amino acids. This characteristic has also biological significance since Amd1 was able to complement a growth deficiency in a L. lactis triple peptidase mutant.

Amidohydrolases↗

Normal flora: living vehicles for non-invasive protein drug delivery.

Feasibility to use probiotic bacteria as a living protein delivery system through oral route was assessed in vitro. Lactococcus lactis transformed with a plasmid to express and secret beta-lactamase was used to deliver beta-lactamase through Caco-2 monolayer, an intestine epithelium. Transport of beta-lactamase through Caco-2 monolayer was carried out in the transwells. The viability and integrity of the cell monolayers co-cultured with L. lactis was examined by trypan blue exclusion method and by measuring the transport of mannitol and propranolol as well as the transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER). Results show that it is feasible to use cell culture technique to evaluate the drug delivery by normal flora. The transport rate of beta-lactamase when delivered by L. lactis was 2.0 +/- 0.1 x 10(-2)h(-1) (n = 9) and through free solution form was 1.0 +/- 0.1 x 10(-2)h-1. When co-cultured with L. lactis, Caco-2 cell viability decreased to 98, 96, and 94% at 6, 8, and 10h, respectively. Transport of mannitol through Caco-2 cell monolayer was significantly increased and the transport of propranolol through Caco-2 cell monolayer was significantly decreased in the presence of L. lactis. Increase in the amount of protein delivered is probably due to the concentrate of the protein by L. lactis on the monolayer (absorption surface) and the opening of the tight junction of Caco-2 monolayer by L. lactis.

Administration, Oral↗

16S-23S and 23S-5S intergenic spacer regions of Streptococcus thermophilus and Streptococcus salivarius, primary and secondary structure.

The 16S-23S intergenic spacer region (spacer region 1) of Streptococcus salivarius, S. thermophilus, and Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and the 23S-5S intergenic spacer region (spacer region 2) of S. salivarius and L. lactis subsp. cremoris were sequenced and compared with the spacer regions 1 and 2 of other streptococci. A high degree of intraspecific conservation was observed for S. thermophilus and L. lactis, and very similar sequences were found for S. salivarius and S. thermophilus. Whereas spacer region 1 is highly conserved in the genus Streptococcus sensu-stricto, only the tRNA gene and the rRNA processing stems are highly conserved in the three genera: Streptococcus sensu-stricto, Lactococcus, and Enterococcus. The presence of a unique tRNA(Ala) gene without the 3' terminal CCA sequence seems to be a general feature of the streptococci spacer region 1. A secondary structure model was built to show the interaction between the spacer regions 1 and 2 of S. thermophilus and S. salivarius. The rapid evolution of spacer region 1 in streptococci is in part due to insertions and deletions of small RNA stem/loop structures.

Base Sequence↗

Genome analysis of lactic acid bacteria in food fermentations and biotechnological applications.

Lactic acid bacteria are an important group of microorganisms, several of which are used in fermented food processes. Lactococcus lactis is a non-pathogenic, non-invasive and non-colonising gram-positive lactic acid bacterium, the genome sequence of which has been established. A great deal is known about the genetics, vectors, gene expression systems and protein secretion apparatus of this bacterium. Recently, recombinant strains of L. lactis have been developed that might provide in vivo delivery of cytokines and specific antigens across mucosal surfaces to the immune system of animals.

Biotechnology↗

Studies on antimutagenic effect of milk cultured with lactic acid bacteria on the Trp-P2-induced mutagenicity to TA98 strain of Salmonella typhimurium.

The inhibitory effects of cultured milk using 76 strains of lactic acid bacteria isolated from milk products were investigated on the mutagenicity of 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole (Trp-P2), a tryptophan pyrolysate for Salmonella typhimurium TA98. Each cultured milk sample displayed its characteristic antimutagenic effect against the mutagenicity of Trp-P2. The milk cultured with Lactobacillus acidophilus LA106 (LA2) showed the highest inhibition of 82.1% among the strains used. Milk samples cultured with Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lll103 (10-3) and Lll102 (KM) also exhibited higher inhibition percentages.

Animals↗

Rapid isolation of genes from bacterial lambda libraries by direct polymerase chain reaction screening.

A method for the direct screening of bacterial lambda libraries by polymerase chain reaction technology has been developed. This technique permits the identification and isolation of specific DNA sequences without the need for any filter hybridisation or radioactive probing. This strategy has been used to isolate a gene encoding lactate dehydrogenase from a Lactococcus lactis lambda library.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Development of an expression strategy using a lytic phage to trigger explosive plasmid amplification and gene expression.

A novel plasmid-based expression strategy, exploiting two features of lytic bacteriophages, was developed in Lactococcus lactis. Components of this system include a phage origin of replication and phage expression signals, which were induced to high efficiency upon phage infection of the host. Phage-specific expression signals were cloned from phi 31 in a promoter-screening strategy using the lacZ gene from Streptococcus thermophilus. One clone exhibited a significant induction in beta-galactosidase production and concomitant increase in lacZ mRNA during the phi 31 infection cycle of the host. Molecular characterization of the cloned insert revealed 888 bp positioned near the phi 31 cos site. Primer extension analysis showed that transcription was induced approximately 20 min following phi 31 infection at four points, apparently organized in two sets of tandem promoters on the cloned phage insert. One of these middle phage promoters also showed a basal level of activity prior to phage infection. The phi 31 promoter lacZ cassette was cloned into a low-copy-number vector plasmid containing the phi 31 origin of replication (ori31) and the resulting low-copy-number plasmid exhibited negligible beta-galactosidase production in L. lactis. However, > 2,000 units were detected following a deliberate infection with phi 31. A control expression plasmid without ori31 could only be induced to 85 units. The combination of these phage-inducible expression signals together with ori31 functioned synergistically to drive rapid and high efficiency expression of a heterologous gene in L. lactis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification of Mur, an atypical peptidoglycan hydrolase derived from Leuconostoc citreum.

A gene encoding a protein homologous to known bacterial N-acetyl-muramidases has been cloned from Leuconostoc citreum by a PCR-based approach. The encoded protein, Mur, consists of 209 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 23,821 Da including a 31-amino-acid putative signal peptide. In contrast to most of the other known peptidoglycan hydrolases, L. citreum Mur protein does not contain amino acid repeats involved in cell wall binding. The purified L. citreum Mur protein was shown to exhibit peptidoglycan-hydrolyzing activity by renaturing sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. An active chimeric protein was constructed by fusion of L. citreum Mur to the C-terminal repeat-containing domain (cA) of AcmA, the major autolysin of Lactococcus lactis. Expression of the Mur-cA fusion protein was able to complement an acmA mutation in L. lactis; normal cell separation after cell division was restored by Mur-cA expression.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Inhibition of Clostridium tyrobutyricum by bacteriocin-like substances produced by lactic acid bacteria.

Lactic acid bacteria were selected for their inhibitory activity against Clostridium tyrobutyricum under conditions that eliminate the effects of lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide. Four strains were isolated belonging to the species Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis. The sensitivity of the inhibitory substances to pronase and trypsine indicates that they are proteins or peptides different from nisin. Their resistance to phospholipase D indicates that they are also different from lactostrepcin. The inhibitory substances are produced during the exponential phase of growth. Their activity is bactericidal and directed toward some strains of Clostridium tyrobutyricum, Lactobacillus helveticus, and Streptococcus thermophilus, but strains used as dairy starters, Lactobacillus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Propionibacterium shermanii, are not all affected by the inhibition.

Animals↗

Genetic diversity among Lactococcus sp. and Leuconostoc sp. strains using PCR-RFLP of insertion sequences ISS1-type, IS904, and IS982.

PCR-RFLP analysis of commonly occurring insertion sequences ISS1-type, IS904 and IS982 in Lactococcus sp. and Leuconostoc sp. was used for the genetic differentiation of 17 strains of lactic acid bacteria. ISS1-type and IS982 were found in all analysed strains while IS904 was present exclusively in strains belonging to Lactococcus sp. Amplification of ISS1-type IS sequences resulted in formation of about 820 bp long amplicons, except of strains Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis E and Leuconostoc lactis R where extra DNA bands about 370 bp long were observed. Similarly for strains of Leuconostoc lactis M and N, additional DNA bands about 280 bp long were present. TaqI digestion of ISS1-type amplicons revealed that all analysed sequences belonged to the restriction type (ii) or (iii) for which major restriction products were 543 and 147 bp long. Amplification of IS904 from all strains of Lactococcus sp. generated amplicons about 1260 bp long. In three strains of Leuconostoc sp. M, N and R, shorter amplicons about 880 bp were observed whereas strains O and P did not contained IS904. Amplification of IS982 resulted in formation of amplicons about 1000 bp long and no extra bands were observed for all tested strains. TaqI digestion of amplification products showed that for strains C, I and F, G, H, belonging to Lactococcus sp. smaller DNA bands were visible suggesting that they contain two different types of IS982.

DNA Transposable Elements↗

Immune modulation by probiotic strains: quantification of phagocytosis of Aeromonas salmonicida by leukocytes isolated from gut of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) using a radiolabelling assay.

A method is described for the rapid and sensitive assay of phagocytosis that utilizes radioactively labelled bacteria. With this method, we observed that phagocytosis of heat-inactivated Aeromonas salmonicida by leukocytes isolated from gut of rainbow trout fed with different viable probiotics (Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactobacillus sakei, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides) was significantly higher (P<0.05) after 2 weeks of probiotic-feeding than the control group. However, only phagocytosis of live A. salmonicida by the leukocytes isolated from gut of rainbow trout fed with L. lactis subsp. lactis was significantly higher (P<0.05) than the control group.

Aeromonas salmonicida↗

The application of pH-sensitive fluorescent dyes in lactic acid bacteria reveals distinct extrusion systems for unmodified and conjugated dyes.

Intracellular pH in bacteria can be measured efficiently between internal pH values of 6.5 and 8.5 with the fluorescent pH indicator 2',7'-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5[and-6]-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF). A new fluorescent pH probe with a lower pKa(app) than BCECF was synthesized from fluorescein isothiocyanate and glutamate. The new probe, N-(fluorescein thio-ureanyl)-glutamate (FTUG), was much less sensitive to changes in concentrations of KCl than was BCECF. Similar to BCECF, an efflux of FTUG independent of the proton motive force, but dependent on ATP, was observed both in Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactococcus lactis. Corrections for probe efflux allowed accurate measurements of the pHin. Similar intracellular pH values were determined with FTUG and BCECF, in the range where both probes can be applied, and the pH values correlated well with those estimated from the distribution of radio-labelled benzoic acid. Since FITC can easily be coupled to substrates containing an amino group, it is possible to develop other FITC derivatives as well. The mechanisms of probe excretion and the nature of the excreted product(s) were studied in further detail for BCECF and FTUG. BCECF was excreted from wild-type L. lactis in an unmodified form as was determined by chromatographic and mass spectrometry analysis. In the case of FTUG, the excreted product was a conjugated derivative. Unmodified FTUG was not excreted, although it was present in cellular extracts from L. lactis. Exit of BCECF was completely inhibited in a BCECF efflux mutant (Bef-) of L. lactis, whereas FTUG-conjugate efflux in this mutant was similar to the wild-type. Addition of indomethacin, a known inhibitor of BCECF efflux in human epithelial cells, resulted in complete inhibition of BCECF efflux in wild-type L. lactis, whereas FTUG-conjugate exit was only slightly affected. The results of the mutant and inhibitor studies suggest that FTUG-conjugate and BCECF efflux in L. lactis are mediated by different ATP-driven extrusion systems for organic anions.

Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate↗

Sequence analysis and characterization of plasmids from Streptococcus thermophilus.

The nucleotide sequences of eight plasmids isolated from seven Streptococcus thermophilus strains have been determined. Plasmids pSt04, pER1-1, and pJ34 are related and replicate via a rolling circle mechanism. Plasmid pJ34 encodes for a replication initiation protein (RepA) and a small polypeptide with unknown function. Plasmids pSt04 and pER1-1 carry in addition to repA genes coding for small heat shock proteins (sHsp). Expression of these proteins is induced at elevated temperatures or low pH and increases the thermo- and acid resistance. Plasmids pER1-2 and pSt22-2 show identical sequences with five putative open reading frames (ORFs). The gene products of ORF1 and ORF4 reveal some similarities to transposon encoded proteins of Bacillus subtilis and Tn916. ORF1 of plasmid pSt106 encodes a protein similar to resolvases of different Gram-positive bacteria. Integrity of ORF2 and 3, encoding a putative DNA primase and a replication protein, is essential for replication. ORF1 to 3 of plasmid pSt08, which are organized in a tricistronic operon, encode a RepA protein, an adenosine-specific methyltransferase, and a type II restriction endonuclease. Another type II restriction-modification (R/M) system is encoded on plasmid pSt0 which is highly similar to those encoded on lactococcal plasmid pHW393 and B. subtilis plasmid pXH13. Plasmid-free derivatives of strains St0 and St08 show increased phage sensitivity, indicating that in the wild-type strains the R/M systems are functionally expressed. Recombinant plasmids based on the replicons of plasmids pSt04, pJ34, pSt106, pSt08, and pSt0, are able to replicate in Lactococcus lactis and B. subtilis, respectively, whereas constructs carrying pER1-2 only replicate in S. thermophilus.

Bacillus subtilis↗

An ABC transporter with a secondary-active multidrug translocator domain.

Multidrug resistance, by which cells become resistant to multiple unrelated pharmaceuticals, is due to the extrusion of drugs from the cell's interior by active transporters such as the human multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein. Two major classes of transporters mediate this extrusion. Primary-active transporters are dependent on ATP hydrolysis, whereas secondary-active transporters are driven by electrochemical ion gradients that exist across the plasma membrane. The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter LmrA is a primary drug transporter in Lactococcus lactis that can functionally substitute for P-glycoprotein in lung fibroblast cells. Here we have engineered a truncated LmrA protein that lacks the ATP-binding domain. Surprisingly, this truncated protein mediates a proton-ethidium symport reaction without the requirement for ATP. In other words, it functions as a secondary-active multidrug uptake system. These findings suggest that the evolutionary precursor of LmrA was a secondary-active substrate translocator that acquired an ATP-binding domain to enable primary-active multidrug efflux in L. lactis.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

Simple method to identify bacteriocin induction peptides and to auto-induce bacteriocin production at low cell density.

The production of some bacteriocins by lactic acid bacteria is regulated by induction peptides (IPs) that are secreted by a dedicated secretion system. The IP gene cbaX, for carnobacteriocin A production by Carnobacterium piscicola LV17A, and a presumptive IP gene (orf6), associated with the genetic locus for enterocin B production in Enterococcus faecium BFE 900, were fused to the signal peptide of the bacteriocin divergicin A from Carnobacterium divergens LV13 to access the general secretory pathway. The culture supernatants of C. piscicola UAL26 and Lactococcus lactis MG1363 containing either of these constructs were used to induce bacteriocin production by Bac(-) cultures of C. piscicola LV17A or E. faecium CTC492. The cbaX fusion product induced bacteriocin production by Bac(-) C. piscicola LV17A, but the orf6 fusion product did not induce bacteriocin production by E. faecium CTC492. This represents a relatively simple method of confirming the role of presumptive IPs. The transformation of C. piscicola LV17A with the CbaX gene under expression of the P32 promoter from L. lactis resulted in constitutive production of bacteriocin by either the dedicated transport apparatus or the general secretory pathway.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

High pressure effects on proteolytic and glycolytic enzymes involved in cheese manufacturing.

The activity of chymosin, plasmin, and Lactococcus lactis enzymes (cell envelope proteinase, intracellular peptidases, and glycolytic enzymes) were determined after 5-min exposures to pressures up to 800 MPa. Plasmin was unaffected by any pressure treatment. Chymosin activity was unaffected up to 400 MPa and decreased at 500 to 800 MPa. Fifty percent of control chymosin activity remained after the 800 MPa treatment. The lactococcal cell envelope proteinase (CEP) and intracellular peptidase activities were monitored in cell extracts of pressure-treated cells. A pressure of 100 MPa increased the CEP activity, whereas 200 MPa had no effect. At 300 MPa, CEP activity was reduced, and 400 to 800 MPa inactivated the enzyme. X-Prolyl-dipeptidyl aminopeptidase was insensitive to 5-min pressure treatments of 100 to 300 MPa, but was inactivated at 400 to 800 MPa. Aminopeptidase N was unaffected by 100 and 200 MPa. However, 300 MPa significantly reduced its activity, and 400 to 800 MPa inactivated it. Aminopeptidase C activity increased with increasing pressures up to 700 MPa. High pressure did not affect aminopeptidase A activity at any level. Hydrolysis of Lys-Ala-p-NA doubled after 300-MPa exposure, and was eliminated at 400 to 800 MPa. Glycolytic enzyme activities of pressure-treated cells were evaluated collectively by determining the titratable acidity as lactic acid produced by cell extracts in the presence of glucose. The titratable acidities produced by the 100 and 200 MPa samples were slightly increased compared to the control. At 300 to 800 MPa, no significant acid production was observed. These data demonstrate that high pressure causes no effect, activation, or inactivation of proteolytic and glycolytic enzymes depending on the pressure level and enzyme. Pressure treatment of cheese may alter enzymes involved in ripening, and pressure-treating L. lactis may provide a means to generate attenuated starters with altered enzyme profiles.

Cheese↗

Molecular and physiological characterization of dominant bacterial populations in traditional mozzarella cheese processing

The development of the dominant bacterial populations during traditional Mozzarella cheese production was investigated using physiological analyses and molecular techniques for strain typing and taxonomic identification. Analysis of RAPD fingerprints revealed that the dominant bacterial community was composed of 25 different biotypes, and the sequence analysis of 16S rDNA demonstrated that the isolated strains belonged to Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides, Leuc. lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Strep. bovis, Strep. uberis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, L. garviae, Carnobacterium divergens, C. piscicola, Aerococcus viridans, Staphylococcus carnosus, Staph. epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, Ent. sulphureus and Enterococcus spp. The bacterial populations were characterized for their physiological properties. Two strains, belonging to Strep. thermophilus and L. lactis subsp. lactis, were the most acidifying; theL. lactis subsp. lactis strain was also proteolytic and eight strains were positive to citrate fermentation. Moreover, the molecular techniques allowed the identification of potential pathogens in a non-ripened cheese produced from raw milk.

Journal Article↗

Regulation and adaptive evolution of lactose operon expression in Lactobacillus delbrueckii.

Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis are both used in the dairy industry as homofermentative lactic acid bacteria in the production of fermented milk products. After selective pressure for the fast fermentation of milk in the manufacture of yogurts, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus loses its ability to regulate lac operon expression. A series of mutations led to the constitutive expression of the lac genes. A complex of insertion sequence (IS) elements (ISL4 inside ISL5), inserted at the border of the lac promoter, induced the loss of the palindromic structure of one of the operators likely involved in the binding of regulatory factors. A lac repressor gene was discovered downstream of the beta-galactosidase gene of L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis and was shown to be inactivated by several mutations in L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. Regulatory mechanisms of the lac gene expression of L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis were compared by heterologous expression in Lactococcus lactis of the two lac promoters in front of a reporter gene (beta-glucuronidase) in the presence or absence of the lac repressor gene. Insertion of the complex of IS elements in the lac promoter of L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus increased the promoter's activity but did not prevent repressor binding; rather, it increased the affinity of the repressor for the promoter. Inactivation of the lac repressor by mutations was then necessary to induce the constitutive expression of the lac genes in L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus.

Adaptation, Physiological↗