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Journal ArticleDOI

Genetics of bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria

01 Sep 1993-Fems Microbiology Reviews (FEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS)-Vol. 12, pp 39-85
TL;DR: The biochemical and genetic characteristics of these antimicrobial proteins are reviewed and common elements are discussed between the different classes of bacteriocins produced by these Gram-positive bacteria.
Abstract: Lactic acid bacteria produce a variety of bacteriocins that have recently come under detailed investigation. The biochemical and genetic characteristics of these antimicrobial proteins are reviewed and common elements are discussed between the different classes of bacteriocins produced by these Gram-positive bacteria.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A group of antibacterial proteins produced by gram-positive bacteria have attracted great interest in their potential use as food preservatives and as antibacterial agents to combat certain infections due to gram- positive pathogenic bacteria.

2,819 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Bacteriocins are bacterially produced antimicrobial peptides with narrow or broad host ranges that can be used to confer a rudimentary form of innate immunity to foodstuffs, helping processors extend their control over the food flora long after manufacture.
Abstract: Bacteriocins are bacterially produced antimicrobial peptides with narrow or broad host ranges. Many bacteriocins are produced by food-grade lactic acid bacteria, a phenomenon which offers food scientists the possibility of directing or preventing the development of specific bacterial species in food. This can be particularly useful in preservation or food safety applications, but also has implications for the development of desirable flora in fermented food. In this sense, bacteriocins can be used to confer a rudimentary form of innate immunity to foodstuffs, helping processors extend their control over the food flora long after manufacture.

2,051 citations


Cites background from "Genetics of bacteriocins produced b..."

  • ...Bacteriocins are a heterogeneous group of peptides and proteins and as many as five main classes of LAB bacteriocins have been moote...

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Toxicity data exist for only a few bacteriocins, but research and their long-time intentional use strongly suggest that bacteriOCins can be safely used.

1,782 citations


Cites background from "Genetics of bacteriocins produced b..."

  • ...They are ribosomally synthesized and Ž .kill closely related bacteria Klaenhammer, 1993 ....

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  • ...The genetic determinants for bacteriocins are disŽcussed in detailed reviews Klaenhammer, 1993; En- tian and de Vos, 1996; Nes et al., 1996; Sahl and ....

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  • ...Bacteriocins are commonly divided into three or Ž .four groups Klaenhammer, 1993; Nes et al., 1996 Ž ....

    [...]

  • ...A fourth class consists of bacteriocins that form large complexes with other macromoleŽ .cules, has been proposed Klaenhammer, 1993 ....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review presents recommended nomenclature for the biosynthesis of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs), a rapidly growing class of natural products.

1,560 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There is increasing evidence that lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, which inhabit the gastrointestinal microbiota, develop antimicrobial activities that participate in the host's gastrointestinal system of defence.
Abstract: The gastrointestinal tract is a complex ecosystem that associates a resident microbiota and cells of various phenotypes lining the epithelial wall expressing complex metabolic activities. The resident microbiota in the digestive tract is a heterogeneous microbial ecosystem containing up to 1×1014 colony-forming units (CFUs) of bacteria. The intestinal microbiota plays an important role in normal gut function and maintaining host health. The host is protected from attack by potentially harmful microbial microorganisms by the physical and chemical barriers created by the gastrointestinal epithelium. The cells lining the gastrointestinal epithelium and the resident microbiota are two partners that properly and/or synergistically function to promote an efficient host system of defence. The gastrointestinal cells that make up the epithelium, provide a physical barrier that protects the host against the unwanted intrusion of microorganisms into the gastrointestinal microbiota, and against the penetration of harmful microorganisms which usurp the cellular molecules and signalling pathways of the host to become pathogenic. One of the basic physiological functions of the resident microbiota is that it functions as a microbial barrier against microbial pathogens. The mechanisms by which the species of the microbiota exert this barrier effect remain largely to be determined. There is increasing evidence that lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, which inhabit the gastrointestinal microbiota, develop antimicrobial activities that participate in the host's gastrointestinal system of defence. The objective of this review is to analyze the in vitro and in vivo experimental and clinical studies in which the antimicrobial activities of selected lactobacilli and bifidobacteria strains have been documented.

1,116 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A new method for identifying secretory signal sequences and for predicting the site of cleavage between a signal sequence and the mature exported protein is described.
Abstract: A new method for identifying secretory signal sequences and for predicting the site of cleavage between a signal sequence and the mature exported protein is described. The predictive accuracy is estimated to be around 75-80% for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteins.

4,517 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A group of antibacterial proteins produced by gram-positive bacteria have attracted great interest in their potential use as food preservatives and as antibacterial agents to combat certain infections due to gram- positive pathogenic bacteria.

2,819 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, some such patterns, based on a sample of 78 eukaryotic signal sequences, are presented and discussed, and a first attempt at formulating rules for the prediction of cleavage sites is made.
Abstract: According to the signal hypothesis, a signal sequence, once having initiated export of a growing protein chain across the rough endoplasmic reticulum, is cleaved from the mature protein at a specific site. It has long been known that some part of the cleavage specificity resides in the last residue of the signal sequence, which invariably is one with a small, uncharged side-chain, but no further specific patterns of amino acids near the point of cleavage have been discovered so far. In this paper, some such patterns, based on a sample of 78 eukaryotic signal sequences, are presented and discussed, and a first attempt at formulating rules for the prediction of cleavage sites is made.

2,126 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The range of inhibitory activity by bacteriocins of lactic acid bacteria can be either narrow, inhibiting only those strains that are closely related to the producer organism, or wide, inhibited a diverse group of Gram-positive microorganisms as mentioned in this paper.

1,754 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A total of 221 strains of Lactobacillus isolated from meat and meat products were screened for antagonistic activities under conditions that eliminated the effects of organic acids and hydrogen peroxide, indicating that this substance is a bacteriocin, which was designated sakacin A.
Abstract: A total of 221 strains of Lactobacillus isolated from meat and meat products were screened for antagonistic activities under conditions that eliminated the effects of organic acids and hydrogen peroxide. Nineteen strains of Lactobacillus sake, three strains of Lactobacillus plantarum, and one strain of Lactobacillus curvatus were shown to inhibit the growth of some other lactobacilli in an agar spot test; and cell-free supernatants from 6 of the 19 strains of L. sake exhibited inhibitory activity against indicator organisms. Comparison of the antimicrobial spectra of the supernatants suggested that the inhibitory compounds were not identical. One of the six strains, L. sake Lb 706, was chosen for further study. The compound excreted by L. sake Lb 706 was active against various lactic acid bacteria and Listeria monocytogenes. Its proteinaceous nature, narrow inhibitory spectrum, and bactericidal mode of action indicated that this substance is a bacteriocin, which we designated sakacin A. Curing experiments with two bacteriocin-producing strains of L. sake resulted in mutants that lacked both bacteriocin activity and immunity to the bacteriocin. Plasmid profile analysis of L. sake Lb 706 and two bacteriocin-negative variants of this strain indicated that a plasmid of about 18 megadaltons may be involved in the formation of bacteriocin and immunity to this antibacterial compound. In mixed culture, the bacteriocin-sensitive organisms were killed after the bacteriocin-producing strain reached maximal cell density, whereas there was no decrease in cell number in the presence of the bacteriocin-negative variant. Images

1,355 citations