Biochemical characterization of a bacteriocin-like inhibitory substance produced by Enterococcus faecium MXVK29, isolated from Mexican traditional sausage

A novel bacteriocin BM1029: physicochemical characterization, antibacterial modes and application

AIM

Bacteriocins with antimicrobial activity are considered as potential natural bio-preservatives to control the growth of food spoilage bacteria. The aim of this work was to characterize a novel bacteriocin BM1029 discovered from Lactobacillus crustorum MN047 and evaluate its antibacterial mechanism.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Bacteriocin BM1029 was purified by cation-exchange chromatography and reversed-phase chromatography. Antibacterial activity assay showed that BM1029 is antagonistic against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, it was found that BM1029 showed low haemolysis with high stability to the pretreatment with different temperatures, pH and surfactants. Moreover electron microscopy and flow cytometry suggested that BM1029 inhibit indicator strains by damaging the cell envelope integrity. Cell cycle assay suggested that BM1029 arrested cell cycle in R-phase.

CONCLUSION

The novel bacteriocin BM1029 showed high bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus through a cell envelope-associated mechanism.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Application of BM1029 inhibited the growth of indicator strains on beef meat storage at 4°C suggesting that this bacteriocin is promising to be used as a novel preservative in food processing and preservation.

Isolation and Characterization of an Anti-listerial Bacteriocin from Leuconostoc lactis SD501

Although bacteriocins with anti-listerial activity have been isolated from a wide variety of lactic acid bacteria, little is known about those from Leuconostoc lactis, a heterofermentative bacterium that produces diacetyl and exopolysaccharides in dairy foods. In this study, an anti-listerial bacteriocin was isolated from Leuc. lactis SD501 and characterized. It was particularly potent against Listeria monocytogenes and also inhibited Enterococcus faecalis. Anti-listerial activity reached a maximum during the early stationary phase and then decreased gradually. The anti-listerial substance was sensitive to proteinase K and ɑ-chymotrypsin, confirming its proteinaceous nature. Its activity remained stable at pH values ranging from 1 to 10. In addition, it was strongly resistant to high temperatures, retaining its activity even after incubation for 15 min at 121℃. The apparent molecular mass of the partially purified anti-listerial bacteriocin was approximately 7 kDa. The characteristics of the SD501 bacteriocin, including its small molecular size (<10 kDa), strong anti-listerial activity, wide pH stability and good thermostability, indicate its classification as a Class IIa bacteriocin.

Genomic and functional characterisation of two Enterococcus strains isolated from Cotija cheese and their potential role in ripening

Enterococcus spp. are present in the native microbiota of many traditional fermented foods. Their ability to produce antibacterial compounds, mainly against Listeria monocytogenes, has raised interest recently. However, there is scarce information about their proteolytic and lipolytic potential, and their biotechnological application is currently limited because enterococcal strains have been related to nosocomial infections. In this work, next-generation sequencing and optimised bioinformatic pipelines were used to annotate the genomes of two Enterococcus strains-one E. faecium and one E. faecalis-isolated from the Mexican artisanal ripened Cotija cheese. A battery of genes involved in their proteolytic system was annotated. Genes coding for lipases, esterases and other enzymes whose final products contribute to cheese aroma and flavour were identified as well. As for the production of antibacterial compounds, several peptidoglycan hydrolase- and bacteriocin-coding genes were identified in both genomes experimentally and by bioinformatic analyses. E. faecalis showed resistance to aminoglycosides and E. faecium to aminoglycosides and macrolides, as predicted by the genome functional annotation. No pathogenicity islands were found in any of the strains, although traits such as the ability of biofilm formation and cell aggregation were observed. Finally, a comparative genomic analysis was able to discriminate between the food strains isolated and nosocomial strains. In summary, pathogenic strains are resistant to a wide range of antibiotics and contain virulence factors that cause host damage; in contrast, food strains display less antibiotic resistance, include genes that encode class II bacteriocins and express virulence factors associated with host colonisation rather than invasion.

Identification of Structural and Immunity Genes of a Class IIb Bacteriocin Encoded in the Enterocin A Operon of Enterococcus faecium Strain MXVK29

The Enterococcus faecium strain MXVK29, isolated from fermented sausages, produces a bacteriocin with a molecular mass of 3.5 kDa that belongs to the class of enterocins II.1, according to the terminal amino acid sequence, and has been identified as enterocin A. This bacteriocin is active against selected strains of Listeria, Staphylococcus, Pediococcus, and Enterococcus. In this study, we identified the genes adjacent to the structural gene for this bacteriocin, such as the immunity gene (entI) and the inducer gene (entF). Accessory genes for this bacteriocin, such as entK, entR, and entT, were identified as well, in addition to the orf2 and orf3, showing a high identity with class IIb peptides bacteriocins. The orf2 shows the consensus motif GxxxG, similar to those shown by bacteriocins such as PlnNC8α, EntCα, and Ent1071A, whereas orf3 shows a consensus motif SxxxS similar to that present in PlnNC8β (AxxxA). PlnNC8 is expressed only in bacterial cocultures, so there is the possibility that the expression of this two-peptide bacteriocin can be induced by a similar mechanism. So far, only the expression of enterocin A has been found in this strain; however, the presence of the genes ent29α and ent29β opens the possibility for further research on its induction, functionality, and origin. Although there are reports on this type of bacteriocin (EntX, EntC, and Ent1071) in other strains of E. faecium, no report exists yet on an Enterococcus strain producing two different classes of bacteriocin.

Assessment of virulence factors, antibiotic resistance and amino-decarboxylase activity in Enterococcus faecium MXVK29 isolated from Mexican chorizo

Enterococcus faecium MXVK29 has the ability to produce an antimicrobial compound that belongs to Class IIa of the Klaenhammer classification, and could be used as part of a biopreservation technology through direct inoculation of the strain as a starter or protective culture. However, Enterococcus is considered as an opportunistic pathogen, hence, the purpose of this work was to study the food safety determinants of E. faecium MXVK29. The strain was sensitive to all of the antibiotics tested (penicillin, tetracycline, vancomycin, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, neomycin, kanamycin and netilmicin) and did not demonstrate histamine, cadaverine or putrescine formation. Furthermore, tyrosine-decarboxylase activity was detected by qualitative assays and PCR. Among the virulence factors analysed for the strain, only the genes encoding the sexual pheromone cCF10 precursor lipoprotein (ccf) and cell-wall adhesion (efaA_fm ) were amplified. The presence of these genes has low impact on pathogenesis, as there are no other genes encoding for virulence factors, such as aggregation proteins. Therefore, Enterococcus faecium could be employed as part of a bioconservation method, because it does not produce risk factors for consumer's health; in addition, it could be used as part of the hurdle technology in foods.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The use of molecular techniques has allowed, in recent years, to detect pathogenicity genes present in the genome of starter cultures used in food processing and preservation. The presence of these genes is undesirable, because horizontal transfer may occur with the natural biota of consumers. For this reason, it is important to analyse the presence of pathogenicity genes in such cultures. In this work, virulence factors and antibiotic resistance of Enterococcus faecium strain MXVK29, producing an antimicrobial compound with high antilisterial activity, were analysed. The results indicate that the strain is safe to be used in food processing as starter culture.

In vitro Characterization of Bacteriocin Produced by Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Nem Chua, a Traditional Vietnamese Fermented Pork

The aim of this study was to screen and In vitro characterize the properties of bacteriocin produced by lactic acid bacteria isolated from Vietnamese fermented pork (Nem chua). One hundred and fifty LAB were isolated from ten samples of Nem chua and screened for bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria. Antimicrobial activity of bacteriocin was carried out by spot on lawn method against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. One isolate, assigned as KL-1, produced bacteriocin and showed inhibitory activity against Lactobacillus sakei, Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Enterococcus faecalis. To characterize the bacteriocin-producing strain, optimum temperature, incubation period for maximum bacteriocin production and identification of bacteriocin-producing strain were determined. It was found that the optimum cultivation temperature of the strain to produce the maximum bacteriocin activity (12,800 AU/mL) was obtained at 30℃. Meanwhile, bacteriocin production at 6,400 AU/mL was found when culturing the strain at 37℃ and 42℃. The isolate KL-1 was identified as L. plantarum. Antimicrobial activity of cell-free supernatant was completely inhibited by proteolytic enzyme of trypsin, alpha-chymotrypsin and proteinase K. Bacteriocin activity was stable at high temperature up to 100℃ for 10 min and at 4℃ storage for 2 d. However, the longer heating at 100℃ and 4℃ storage, its activity was reduced.