Bacteriocins of Lactobacillus gasseri K7 – Monitoring of gassericin K7 A and B genes’ expression and isolation of an active component

Evaluation of Rye Bran Enzymatic Hydrolysate Effect on Gene Expression and Bacteriocinogenic Activity of Lactic Acid Bacteria

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) bacteriocins can be considered as a bio-preservatives and an alternative to antibiotics, but the high manufacturing costs limit their commercial application. The screening of LAB strains for bacteriocinogenic activity was carried out and the effect of rye bran enzymatic hydrolysate (RBEH) on gene expression and bacteriocin production was evaluated. qPCR and RT-PCR was applied for bacteriocin gene detection and their expression quantification. The agar diffusion technique with the test strains of Bacillus spp., Staphylococcus spp. and Salmonella enterica was performed for antimicrobial activity assessment of LAB cultivated in MRS broth and RBEH (processed with proteases and cellulases). The genes of different bacteriocins were revealed for thirteen out of eighteen LAB strains, while the antimicrobial activity was detected only for four of them. The strains of Lactobacillus paracasei VKPM B-11657 and L. salivarius VKPM B-2214 with unnamed class IIb bacteriocin gene demonstrated the widest spectrum of activity. The growth patterns and bacteriocin gene expression differed between both strains and media. The activity of cell-free supernatants after cultivation in RBEH was slightly lower. However, the test strain of S. epidermidis was inhibited by L. paracasei cultivated in RBEH but not in MRS. Thus, rye bran can be applied as a sole source of nutrients for LAB fermentation and bacteriocin production.

Novel Selective Inhibition of Lactobacillus iners by Lactobacillus-Derived Bacteriocins

Lactobacillus iners is often associated with vaginal dysbiosis and bacterial vaginosis (BV), which are risk factors for adverse gynecological and obstetric outcomes. To discover natural inhibitors of L. iners, cell-free culture supernatants (CFSs) from 77 vaginal human Lactobacillus strains and 1 human intestinal strain were screened for inhibitory activity. Three active strains were identified, and Lactobacillus paragasseri K7 (K7), a human intestinal strain, produced the most potent L. iners-inhibitory activity. The active material was purified from the K7 CFS and yielded three active peptides, identified as components of two different class IIb, two-peptide bacteriocins, gassericin K7A (GasK7A) and gassericin K7B (GasK7B). The peptides corresponded to the GasK7A α peptide and the GasK7B α and β peptides. While all three peptides exhibited individual activity against L. iners, GasK7B α was the most potent, with an MIC of 23 ng/ml (4 nM). When combined in equal amounts, the GasK7B α and β peptides showed synergistic inhibition, with an MIC of 2 ng/ml (each peptide at 0.4 nM). Among the four major vaginal Lactobacillus species, the K7 bacteriocins selectively inhibited L. iners All 21 strains of L. iners tested (100%) were inhibited by the K7 bacteriocins, whereas <20% of the vaginal Lactobacillus crispatus, L. jensenii, and L. gasseri strains were inhibited. The combination of the BV treatment metronidazole and K7 bacteriocins completely killed both L. iners and Gardnerella vaginalis in a coculture experiment to mimic BV conditions. In contrast, this treatment did not inhibit L. crispatus cultures.IMPORTANCELactobacillus iners is a prevalent species of the vaginal microbiome, but unlike other major vaginal Lactobacillus species, it is not considered protective against BV and can coexist with BV-associated bacteria. L. iners is generally the first Lactobacillus species to emerge following the treatment of BV with metronidazole, and mounting evidence suggests that it may contribute to the onset and maintenance of vaginal dysbiosis. The discovery of highly potent bacteriocins that selectively kill L. iners while sparing protective vaginal lactobacilli may provide novel pharmacological tools to better understand the roles of this enigmatic bacterium in vaginal ecology and potentially lead to new and improved therapies for dysbiosis-related conditions such as BV.

Production of multiple bacteriocins, including the novel bacteriocin gassericin M, by Lactobacillus gasseri LM19, a strain isolated from human milk

Bacteriocins are antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria, and their production is regarded as a desirable probiotic trait. We found that Lactobacillus gasseri LM19, a strain isolated from human milk, produces several bacteriocins, including a novel bacteriocin, gassericin M. These bacteriocins were purified from culture and synthesised to investigate their activity and potential synergy. L. gasseri LM19 was tested in a complex environment mimicking human colon conditions; it not only survived, but expressed the seven bacteriocin genes and produced short-chain fatty acids. Metagenomic analysis of these in vitro colon cultures showed that co-inoculation of L. gasseri LM19 with Clostridium perfringens gave 16S ribosomal RNA metagenomic profiles with more similarity to controls than to vessels inoculated with C. perfringens alone. These results indicate that L. gasseri LM19 could be an interesting candidate for maintaining homeostasis in the gut environment.

Homologous Expression and Characterization of Gassericin T and Gassericin S, a Novel Class IIb Bacteriocin Produced by Lactobacillus gasseri LA327

Lactobacillus gasseri LA327, isolated from the large intestine tissue in humans, is a bacteriocinogenic strain with two kinds of class IIb bacteriocin structural genes, i.e., those for gassericin T (GT) and acidocin LF221A (Acd LF221A). In this study, DNA sequencing of the genes for GT and Acd LF221A from L. gasseri LA327 revealed that the amino acid sequences for GT corresponded with those for GT genes, except for GatK (histidine kinase). However, Acd LF221A genes had analogues which differed in at least one amino acid residue, to encode a class IIb bacteriocin designated gassericin S (GS). The LA327 strain retained antimicrobial activity after the deletion of the GT structural genes (gatAX); however, both GS and GT activities were lost by deletion of the putative ABC transporter gene (gatT). This indicates that the LA327 strain produces GS and GT and that GS secretion is performed via GT genes with the inclusion of gatT Homologous expression using deletion mutants of GS and GT, each containing a single peptide, elucidated that GS (GasAX) and GT (GatAX) showed synergistic activity as class IIb bacteriocins and that no synergistic activity was observed between GS and GT peptides. The molecular mass of GS was estimated to be theoretical ca. 5,400 Da by in situ activity assay after SDS-PAGE, clarifying that GS was actually expressed as an active class IIb bacteriocin. Furthermore, the stability of expressed GS to pH, heat, and protease was determined.IMPORTANCE Bacteriocins are regarded as potential alternatives for antibiotics in the absence of highly resistant bacteria. In particular, two-peptide (class IIb) bacteriocins exhibit the maximum activity through the synergy of two components, and their antimicrobial spectra are known to be relatively wide. However, there are few reports of synergistic activity of class IIb bacteriocins determined by isolation and purification of individual peptides. Our results clarified the interaction of each class IIb component peptide for GT and GS via the construction of homologous mutants, which were not dependent on the purification. These data may contribute to understanding the mechanisms of action by which class IIb bacteriocins exhibit wide antibacterial spectra.

Microbial production of bacteriocins: Latest research development and applications

Bacteriocins are low molecular weight peptides secreted by the predator bacterial cells to kill sensitive cells present in the same ecosystem competing for food and other nutrients. Exceptionally few bacteriocins along with their native antibacterial property also exhibit additional anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. Bacteriocins are generally produced by Gm+, Gm- and archaea bacteria. Bacteriocins from Gm + bacteria especially from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been thoroughly investigated considering their great biosafety and broad industrial applications. LAB expressing bacteriocins were isolated from fermented milk and milk products, rumen of animals and soil using deferred antagonism assay. Nisin is the only bacteriocin that has got FDA approval for application as a food preservative, which is produced by Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis. Its crystal structure explains that its antimicrobial properties are due to the binding of NH₂ terminal to lipid II molecule inhibiting the peptidoglycan synthesis and carboxy terminal forming pores in bacterial cell membrane leading to cell lysis. The hinge region connecting NH₂ and carboxy terminus has been mutated to generate mutant variants with higher antimicrobial activity. In a 50 ton fermentation of the mutant strain 3807 derived from L. lactis subsp. lactis ATCC 11454, 9,960 IU/mL of nisin was produced. Currently, high purity of nisin (>99%) is very expensive and hardly commercially available. Development of more advanced tools for cost-effective separation and purification of nisin would be commercially attractive. Chemical synthesis and heterologous expression of bacteriocins ended in low yields of pure proteins. At present, bacteriocins are almost solely applied in food industries, but they have a great potential to be used in other fields such as feeds, organic fertilizers, environmental protection and personal care products. The future of bacteriocins is largely dependent on getting FDA approval for use of other bacteriocins in addition to nisin to promote the research and applications.

Improved Draft Genome Sequence of Probiotic Strain Lactobacillus gasseri K7

Lactobacillus gasseri K7 is an isolate from infant feces and has in vitro and in vivo established probiotic properties. Here, we report the improved version of the draft genome sequence, which comprises 8 scaffolds (13 contigs), a total length of 1.99 Mb, and 1,841 predicted protein-coding sequences.