Showing papers on "Lactococcus lactis published in 1990"

Analysis of the genetic determinant for production of the peptide antibiotic nisin.

Abstract: SUMMARY: The structural gene for the precursor of the peptide antibiotic nisin was isolated and characterized. As with other lanthionine-containing antibiotics, nisin is synthesized as a pre-propeptide which undergoes post-translational modification to generate the mature antibiotic. The sequence data obtained agreed with those of precursor nisin genes isolated by other workers from different Lactococcus lactis strains. Analysis of regions flanking the precursor nisin gene revealed the presence of a downstream open reading frame that may be involved in maturation of the precursor molecule. Nucleotide sequences characteristic of an IS element were located upstream of the nisin determinant. This element, termed IS904, is present in multiple copies in the genome of L. lactis. The nisin determinant of L. lactis is a component of a large transmissible gene block that also encodes nisin resistance and sucrose-metabolizing genes. Gene probe experiments indicated that the nisin/sucrose gene block was located in the chromosome. Furthermore, the copy of IS904 identified adjacent to the precursor nisin gene lies at, or very close to, one end of this transmissible DNA segment and may play a role in mediating its transfer between strains.

Stability of Integrated Plasmids in the Chromosome of Lactococcus lactis

Abstract: Derivatives of plasmids pBR322, pUB110, pSC101, and pTB19, all containing an identical fragment of lactococcal chromosomal DNA, were integrated via a Campbell-like mechanism into the same chromosomal site of Lactococcus lactis MG1363, and the transformants were analyzed for the stability of the integrated plasmids. In all cases the erythromycin resistance gene of pE194 was used as a selectable marker. Transformants obtained by integration of the pBR322 derivatives contained a head-to-tail arrangement of several plasmid copies, which most likely was caused by integration of plasmid multimers. Single-copy integrations were obtained with the pSC101 and pTB19 derivatives. In all of these transformants no loss of the erythromycin gene was detected during growth for 100 generations in the absence of the antibiotic. In contrast, transformants containing integrated amplified plasmid copies of pUB110 derivatives were unstable under these conditions. Since pUB110 appeared to have replicative activity in L. lactis, we suggest that this activity destabilized the amplified structures in L. lactis.

Purification and characterization of an aminopeptidase from lactococcus-lactis subsp cremoris wg2

Abstract: An aminopeptidase was purified to homogeneity from a crude cell extract of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris Wg2 by a procedure that included diethyl-aminoethane-Sephacel chromatography, phenyl-Sepharose chromatography, gel filtration, and high-performance liquid chromatography over an anion-exchange column. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified enzyme showed a single protein band with a molecular weight of 95,000. The aminopeptidase was capable of degrading several peptides by hydrolysis of the N-terminal amino acid. The peptidase had no endopeptidase or carboxypeptidase activity. The aminopeptidase activity was optimal at pH 7 and 40°C. The enzyme was completely inactivated by the p-chloromecuribenzoate mersalyl, chelating agents, and the divalent cations Cu2+ and Cd2+. The activity that was lost by treatment with the sulfhydryl-blocking reagents was restored with dithiothreitol or β-mercapto-ethanol, while Zn2+ or Co2+ restored the activity of the 1,10-phenantroline-treated enzyme. Kinetic studies indicated that the enzyme has a relatively low affinity for lysyl-p-nitroanilide (Km, 0.55 mM) but that it can hydrolyze this substrate at a high rate (Vmax, 30 μmol/min per mg of protein).

Identification of the Minimal Replicon of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis UC317 Plasmid pCI305.

Abstract: Replication functions of the stable, cryptic 8.7-kilobase (kb) plasmid pCI305 from multi-plasmid-containing Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis UC317 were studied. Analysis of this replicon was facilitated by the construction of replication probe vectors that consisted of the pBR322 replication region, a pUC18-derived multiple cloning site, and either the cat gene of pC194 (pCI341; 3.1 kb) or the erm gene of pAMβ1 (pCI3330; 4.0 kb). Plasmid pCI305 was introduced into plasmid-free L. lactis subsp. lactis MG1363Sm, a streptomycin-resistant derivative of MG1363, by a transformation procedure with the 75-kb lactose-proteinase plasmid pCI301 of UC317 as a marker plasmid. A combination of transposon Tn5 mutagenesis and subcloning in pCI341 and pCI3330 with individual Tn5 insertions around the replication region facilitated the identification of a 1.6-kb minimal replicon on pCI305. This region was separable into two domains: (i) a 1.3-kb region (repB) encoding a trans-acting function (in vitro transcription-translation studies suggested the involvement of a 48-kilodalton protein); and (ii) a 0.3-kb region (repA) sufficient to direct replication when provided with repB in trans and thus probably containing the origin of replication. Lactococcus-Escherichia coli shuttle vectors based on the pCI305 replication region were constructed.

Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis of SmaI Digests of Lactococcal Genomic DNA, a Novel Method of Strain Identification.

Abstract: The pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern of SmaI digests of 29 strains of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and subsp. cremoris were determined. Unrelated strains yielded markedly different patterns of digestion products. Bacteriophage-resistant derivatives of four strains, generated by a method analogous to that used regularly in some cheese factories, yielded patterns that were identical or almost identical to that of the parent strain. It is proposed that a 16-h PFGE run with a pulse time increasing linearly from 1 to 20 s, which separates fragments between 50 and 240 kilobase pairs (kbp) and produces a pattern containing around 15 bands, can be used as a reliable procedure for strain identification in the lactococci. SmaI digests of 24 of the strains were analyzed by PFGE at three different pulse times to determine accurately the sizes of fragments bigger than 8 kbp. The sum of the sizes of all of the fragments in the digest of a strain provided an estimate of the genome size of the strain. For all the strains analyzed, this estimate was within the range of 2.0 to 2.7 Mbp, with no apparent difference between L. lactis subsp. lactis, L. lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis and L. lactis subsp. cremoris strains. Images

Intracellular X-prolyl dipeptidyl peptidase from Lactococcus lactis spp. lactis: purification and properties

Abstract: An X-prolyl dipeptidyl peptidase (EC 3.4.14.5) has been purified from a crude intracellular extract from Lactococcus lactis spp. lactis NCDO 763 by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. One protein band was detected after electrophoresis of the purified enzyme in the presence or absence of sodium dodecyl sulphate. The enzyme is a 190 kDa dimer composed of identical subunits. Optimal activity occurs at pH 8.5 and 40–45°C and the enzyme is inhibited by reagents specific for serine proteases, such as diisopropylfluorophosphate. The enzyme hydrolyzes p-nitroanilide- or β-naphthylamide-substituted X-Pro dipeptides, as well as β-casomorphin.

Heterologous gene expression in Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis: synthesis, secretion, and processing of the Bacillus subtilis neutral protease.

Abstract: The Bacillus subtilis nprE gene lacking its own promoter sequence was inserted in the lactococcal expression vector pMG36e. Upon introduction of the recombinant plasmid into Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strain MG1363, neutral protease activity could be visualized by the appearance of large clearing zones around colonies grown on milk agar plates. By measuring the activities of the neutral protease and the intracellular enzyme lactate dehydrogenase in culture supernatants and cell fractions, it was demonstrated that the neutral protease was actively secreted into the growth medium. This was corroborated by using the Western blot (immunoblot) technique, which showed the presence of the mature form of the neutral protease in the culture supernatant. On the basis of these results, it is concluded that the B. subtilis neutral protease gene was expressed in L. lactis and that the gene product was secreted into the growth medium and was apparently correctly processed to produced a biologically active protein. The secretion of this particular enzyme may be helpful in achieving accelerated cheese ripening.

The bacteriophage kh receptor of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris KH is the rhamnose of the extracellular wall polysaccharide.

Abstract: A receptor for bacteriophages of lactic acid bacteria, including Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris KH, was found on the cell wall and not on the cell membrane, as determined by a phage-binding assay of sodium dodecyl sulfate- and mutanolysin-treated cell walls. The cell wall carbohydrates of L. lactis subsp. cremoris KH were analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry and found to contain rhamnose, galactose, glucose and N-acetylglucosamine. Similar analysis of mutants that were reduced in the ability to bind phages kh, 643, c2, ml3, and 1 indicated that galactose was essential for binding all phages. In addition, rhamnose was required for binding phages kh and ml3. Inhibition studies of phage binding by using two different lectins with a specificity for galactose indicated that phage kh may not bind directly to galactose. Rather, galactose may be an essential structural component located in the vicinity of the receptor. Incubation of any of the five phages with rhamnose or of phage kh with purified cell walls inactivated the phages. Inactivation required divalent cations and was irreversible. Inactivation of phages was stereospecific for rhamnose, as neither L-(+)- nor D-(-)-fucose (the stereoisomers of rhamnose) inhibited the phage. Furthermore, phage infection of a culture was completely inhibited by the addition of rhamnose to the medium. Therefore, the receptor for phage kh appears to be a rhamnose component of the extracellular wall polysaccharide.

Cloning, expression, and sequence determination of a bacteriophage fragment encoding bacteriophage resistance in Lactococcus lactis.

Abstract: A number of host-encoded phage resistance mechanisms have been described in lactococci. However, the phage genome has not been exploited as a source of additional resistance determinants. A 4.5-kb BamHI-HindIII fragment of phage nck202.50 (phi 50) was subcloned in streptococcus-Escherichia coli shuttle plasmid pSA3 and introduced into Lactococcus lactis NCK203 and MG1363 by protoplast transformation. This cloned phage fragment directed a bacteriophage resistance phenotype designated Per (phage-encoded resistance). Both phi 50 and a distantly related phage, nck202.48 (phi 48), formed small plaques on strain NCK213 at a slightly reduced efficiency of plaquing on the Per+ host. The per locus was further reduced to a 1.4-kb fragment through in vitro deletion analysis. The 1.4-kb fragment was sequenced, and the Per phenotype was found to be associated with a ca. 500-bp region rich in direct and inverted repeats. We present evidence that the Per region contains a phage origin of replication which, in trans, may interfere with phage replication by titration of DNA polymerase or other essential replication factors. It was demonstrated that the Per+ phenotype is not a result of reduced adsorption or action of a restriction and modification system. Per+ activity was not detected against six independent phages which were previously shown to be sensitive to the Hsp+ mechanism. The mutually exclusive resistance mechanisms could be combined to confer resistance to both types of phages (Hsp resistant and Per resistant) in a single host. This is the first description in lactococci of a phage resistance phenotype, other than superinfection immunity, originating from a lactococcal phage genome.

Heterologous Gene Expression in Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis: Synthesis, Secretion, and Processing of the Bacillus subtilis Neutral Protease

Abstract: The Bacillus subtilis nprE gene lacking its own promoter sequence was inserted in the lactococcal expression vector pMG36e. Upon introduction of the recombinant plasmid into Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strain MG1363, neutral protease activity could be visualized by the appearance of large clearing zones around colonies grown on milk agar plates. By measuring the activities of the neutral protease and the intracellular enzyme lactate dehydrogenase in culture supernatants and cell fractions, it was demonstrated that the neutral protease was actively secreted into the growth medium. This was corroborated by using the Western blot (immunoblot) technique, which showed the presence of the mature form of the neutral protease in the culture supernatant. On the basis of these results, it is concluded that the B. subtilis neutral protease gene was expressed in L. lactis and that the gene product was secreted into the growth medium and was apparently correctly processed to produce a biologically active protein. The secretion of this particular enzyme may be helpful in achieving accelerated cheese ripening.

Acetoin fermentation by citrate-positive Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis 3022 grown aerobically in the presence of hemin or Cu2+

Abstract: Citr+Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis 3022 produced more biomass and converted most of the glucose substrate to diacetyl and acetoin when grown aerobically with hemin and Cu2+. The activity of diacetyl synthase was greatly stimulated by the addition of hemin or Cu2+, and the activity of NAD-dependent diacetyl reductase was very high. Hemin did not affect the activities of NADH oxidase and lactate dehydrogenase. These results indicated that the pyruvate formed via glycolysis would be rapidly converted to diacetyl and that the diacetyl would then be converted to acetoin by the NAD-dependent diacetyl reductase to reoxidize NADH when the cells were grown aerobically with hemin or Cu2+. On the other hand, the YGlu value for the hemincontaining culture was lower than for the culture without hemin, because acetate production was repressed when an excess of glucose was present. However, in the presence of lipoic acid, an essential cofactor of the dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase part of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, hemin or Cu2+ enhanced acetate production and then repressed diacetyl and acetoin production. The activity of diacetyl synthase was lowered by the addition of lipoic acid. These results indicate that hemin or Cu2+ stimulates acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) formation from pyruvate and that lipoic acid inhibits the condensation of acetyl-CoA with hydroxyethylthiamine PPi. In addition, it appears that acetyl-CoA not used for diacetyl synthesis is converted to acetate.

Differences in short peptide-substrate cleavage by two cell-envelope-located serine proteinases of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris are related to secondary binding specificity.

Abstract: Various chromophoric peptides have been tested as substrates for two genetically related types (PI and PIII) of cell-envelope proteinases of Lactococcus lactis subsp cremoris The positively charged peptide methoxy-succinyl-arginyl-prolyl-tyrosyl-p-nitroanilide appeared to be cleaved with the highest catalytic efficiency by both enzymes, although in the case of PIII only at high ionic strength A cation binding site in the PI-type proteinase that is not present in the related PIII-type appears to be mainly responsible for the difference between these enzymes with respect to the rate of conversion of this chromophoric substrate at relatively low ionic strength This cation binding site most probably resides in the aspartic acid residue 166,which in PIII is substituted by asparagine Substitution of the threonine residue 138 by lysine in PIII may also play a role The binding step in the reactionpathway catalysed by PI at low ionic strength is governed mainly by an ionic interaction involving the cation binding site In addition, hydrophobic interactions contribute to the binding process Masking of the cation binding site only increases the Michaelis constant Km; the catalytic constant kcatis not affected In the absence of the cation binding site (viz in PIII) the free energy derived from the hydrophobic interactions only is too small to promote binding of the substrate effectively High activities are measured only if a high ionic strength is introduced Removal of electrostatic repulsion between the substrate and positively charged residues of the enzyme, among which is lysine 138, may contribute to this activation Inhibition by n-butanol suggests the presence of an essential hydrophobic (binding) site which is primarily involved in the orientation of the substrate molecule for the catalytic reaction to be initiated

Oral immunization with recombinant Streptococcus lactis carrying the Streptococcus mutans surface protein antigen gene.

Abstract: A recombinant Streptococcus lactis strain which carries the structural gene for a surface protein antigen (PAc) of 190,000 daltons from Streptococcus mutans serotype c was constructed for development of an oral vaccine against dental caries. The gene from S. mutans MT8148 joined to shuttle vector pSA3 was successfully transformed into S. lactis IL1403. A small amount of PAc was detected in the cell homogenate and cytoplasmic fraction of the recombinant S. lactis, but not in the culture supernatant of the recombinant, by Western immunoblotting and dot immunoblotting. The level of PAc-specific mRNA in the recombinant strain was lower than that in S. mutans MT8148. However, significant salivary immunoglobulin A and serum immunoglobulin G responses to PAc were induced in mice immunized orally with the recombinant S. lactis.

Purification and characterization of a tripeptidase from lactococcus-lactis subsp cremoris wg2

Abstract: A tripeptidase from a cell extract of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris Wg2 has been purified to homogeneity by DEAE-Sephacel and phenyl-Sepharose chromatography followed by gel filtration over a Sephadex G-100 SF column and a high-performance liquid chromatography TSK G3000 SW column. The enzyme appears to be a dimer with a molecular weight of between 103,000 and 105,000 and is composed of two identical subunits each with a molecular weight of about 52,000. The tripeptidase is capable of hydrolyzing only tripeptides. The enzyme activity is optimal at pH 7.5 and at 55°C. EDTA inhibits the activity, and this can be reactivated with Zn2+, Mn2+, and partially with Co2+. The reducing agents dithiothreitol and β-mercaptoethanol and the divalent cation Cu2+ inhibit tripeptidase activity. Kinetic studies indicate that the peptidase hydrolyzes leucyl-leucyl-leucine with a Km of 0.15 mM and a Vmax of 151 μmol/min per mg of protein.

Nucleotide Sequence and Expression in Escherichia coli of the Lactococcus lactis Citrate Permease Gene

Abstract: The plasmid-encoded citrate determinant of the Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis var. diacetylactis NCDO176 was cloned and functionally expressed in a Cit- Escherichia coli K-12 strain. From deletion derivative analysis, a 3.4-kilobase region was identified which encodes the ability to transport citrate. Analysis of proteins encoded by the cloned fragment in a T7 expression system revealed a 32,000-dalton protein band, which correlated with the ability of cells to transport citrate. Energy-dependent [1,5-14C]citrate transport was found with membrane vesicles prepared from E. coli cells harboring the citrate permease-expressing plasmid. The gene encoding citrate transport activity, citP, was located on the cloned fragment by introducing a site-specific mutation that abolished citrate transport and resulted in a truncated form of the 32,000-dalton expression product. The nucleotide sequence for a 2.2-kilobase fragment that includes the citP gene contained an open reading frame of 1,325 base pairs coding for a very hydrophobic protein of 442 amino acids, which shows no sequence homology with known citrate carriers.

Relationship between utilization of proline and proline-containing peptides and growth of Lactococcus lactis.

Abstract: Proline, which is the most abundant residue in beta-casein, stimulates growth of Lactococcus lactis in a proline-requiring strain (Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris Wg2) and in a proline-prototrophic strain (Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis ML3). Both strains lack a proline-specific uptake system, and free proline can enter the cell only by passive diffusion across the cytoplasmic membrane. On the other hand, lactococci can actively take up proline-containing peptides via the lactococcal di- and tripeptide transport system, and these peptides are the major source of proline. Consequently, lactococcal growth on amino acid-based media is highly stimulated by the addition of proline-containing di- and tripeptides. Growth of L. lactis subsp. lactis ML3 on chemically defined media supplemented with casein does not appear proline limited. Addition of dipeptides (including proline-containing peptides) severely inhibits growth on a casein-containing medium, which indicates that the specific growth rate is determined by the balanced supply of different di- or tripeptides which compete for the same di- and tripeptide transport system.

Isolation and characterization of lipoteichoic acid, a cell envelope component involved in preventing phage adsorption, from lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris sk110

Abstract: The cell envelope of the phage-resistant Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris SK110 differed from its phage-sensitive variant by the presence of a galactosyl-containing component. This component was present in material obtained from SK110 by a mild alkali treatment. In a similar fraction extracted from SK112, no galactosyl-containing components were detected. With respect to gel permeation chromatography and electrophoretic mobility, identical characteristics of the alkali-extracted material and purified lipoteichoic acid (LTA) were measured. Chemical analysis of the latter component showed the absence of galactose in LTA isolated from SK112, whereas it was present in LTA obtained from SK110. In this paper, we propose that galactosyl-containing LTA is involved in preventing phage adsorption to L. lactis subsp. cremoris SK110.

Genetics of Lactic Acid Bacteria

Abstract: Preface. 1. Introduction: Background, Relevant Genetic Techniques and Terms J.E. Rixton, P.J. Warner. 2. Plasmid Biology, Conjugation and Transposition M.J. Gasson, C.A. Shearman. 3. Comparative Genomics of Bacteriophage Infecting Lactic Acid Bacteria E. Stanley, et al. 4. Genetics of the Metabolism of Lactose and Other Sugars E.E. Vaughan, et al. 5. Regulation of Gene Expression in Lactococcus Lactis O.P. Kuipers, K.J. Leenhouts. 6. Gene Expression in Lactocobacilli P.A. Pouwels, S. Chaillou. 7. Genetics of Proteolysis in Lactococcus Lactis J. Kok, G. Buist. 8. Genetics of Bacteriocin Production in Lactic Acid Bacteria M. Skaugen, et al. 9. Lactic Acid Bacteria as Mucosal Delivery Systems J.M. Wells, A. Mercenier. 10. The Genetics of Phage Resistance in Lactococcus Lactis S.A. Walker, T.R. Klaenhammer. 11. Antibiotic Resistance and Transfer in Lactic Acid Bacteria M. Teuber, et al. 12. The Ratio between Benefits and Risk of Fermented Foods Produced by Genetically Modified Lactic Acid Bacteria T. Verrips, A. Ledeboer. Glossary/Abbreviations.

Isolation of a replication region of a large lactococcal plasmid and use in cloning of a nisin resistance determinant

Abstract: The replication region of a 28-kilobase-pair (kbp) cryptic plasmid from Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis SSD207 was cloned in L. lactis subsp. lactis MG1614 by using the chloramphenicol resistance gene from the streptococcal plasmid pGB301 as a selectable marker. The resulting 8.1-kbp plasmid, designated pVS34, was characterized further with respect to host range, potential cloning sites, and location of replication gene(s). In addition to lactococci, pVS34 transformed Lactobacillus plantarum and, at a very low frequency, Staphylococcus aureus but not Escherichia coli or Bacillus subtilis. The 4.1-kbp ClaI fragment representing lactococcal DNA in pVS34 contained unique restriction sites for HindIII, EcoRI, XhoII, and HpaII, of which the last three could be used for molecular cloning. A region necessary for replication was located within a 2.5-kbp fragment flanked by the EcoRI and ClaI restriction sites. A 3.8-kbp EcoRI fragment derived from a nisin resistance plasmid, pSF01, was cloned into the EcoRI site of pVS34 to obtain a nisin-chloramphenicol double-resistance plasmid, pVS39. From this plasmid, the streptococcal chloramphenicol resistance region was subsequently eliminated. The resulting plasmid, pVS40, contains only lactococcal DNA. Potential uses for this type of a nisin resistance plasmid are discussed.

Insertion Elements on Lactococcal Proteinase Plasmids

Abstract: DNA segments of 809 and 808 nucleotides, with 18-base-pair terminal inverted repeats, are present on the proteinase plasmids pWV05 from Lactococcus lactis subsp cremoris Wg2 and pSK111 from L lactis subsp cremoris SK11, respectively These DNA segments are highly similar: 77% identical nucleotides and both contain an open reading frame that can encode a protein of 226 amino acids Furthermore, both DNA segments are located downstream of the proteinase maturation gene prtM, but they differ individually in their orientation with respect to the prtM gene On the basis of the striking similarity between ISS1, an 808-base-pair insertion sequence (IS) from L lactis subsp lactis ML3 lactose plasmid pSK08, and the DNA segments of pWV05 and pSK111, we propose that these DNA segments comprise IS elements The IS elements from strains Wg2 and SK11 were named ISS1W and ISS1N, respectively On pWV05, ISS1W is flanked on one side by only part of a second IS element, indicating that pWV05 evolved as a deletion derivative of a precursor plasmid that carried at least two IS elements

Properties of 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenases from Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis in relation to citrate fermentation.

Abstract: Two 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenases (enzymes 1 and 2; molecular weight of each, 170,000) have been partially purified from Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis (Streptococcus diacetylactis) D10 and shown to have reductase activity with either diacetyl or acetoin as the substrate. However, the reductase activity with 10 mM diacetyl was far greater for both enzymes (7.0- and 4.7-fold for enzymes 1 and 2, respectively) than with 10 mM acetoin as the substrate. In contrast, when acetoin and diacetyl were present together, acetoin was the preferred substrate for both enzymes, with enzyme 1 showing the more marked preference for acetoin. meso-2,3-Butanediol was the only isomeric product, with enzyme 1 independent of the substrate combinations. For enzyme 2, both the meso and optical isomers of 2,3-butanediol were formed with acetoin as the substrate, but only the optical isomers were produced with diacetyl as the substrate. With batch cultures of strain D10 at or near the point of citrate exhaustion, the main isomers of 2,3-butanediol present were the optical forms. If the pH was sufficiently high (>pH 5), acetoin reduction occurred over time and was followed by diacetyl reduction, and meso-2,3-butanediol became the predominant isomer. Interconversion of the optical isomers into the meso isomer did occur. The properties of 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenases are consistent with diacetyl and acetoin removal and the appearance of the isomers of 2,3-butanediol.

Cloning of the citrate permease gene of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis and expression in Escherichia coli.

Abstract: The citrate plasmid (Cit+ plasmid) from Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis was cloned into the EcoRI site of plasmid pUC18. This recombinant plasmid enabled Escherichia coli K-12 to transport and utilize citrate as a source of energy, indicating expression of the citrate permease from L. lactis biovar diacetylactis. The citrate permease was under the control of the lac promoter of pUC18. Genetic expression of the Cit+ plasmid in maxicells revealed that the plasmid encoded two polypeptides of 47 and 32 kilodaltons, determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Thymidylate synthase gene from Lactococcus lactis as a genetic marker: an alternative to antibiotic resistance genes.

Abstract: The potential of the thymidylate synthase thyA gene cloned from Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis as a possible alternative selectable marker gene to antibiotic resistance markers has been examined. The thyA mutation is a recessive lethal one; thyA mutants cannot survive in environments containing low amounts of thymidine or thymine (such as Luria-Bertani medium) unless complemented by the thyA gene. The cloned thyA gene was strongly expressed in L. lactis subsp. lactis, Escherichia coli, Rhizobium meliloti, and a fluorescent Pseudomonas strain. In addition, when fused to a promoterless enteric lac operon, the thyA gene drove expression of the lac genes in a number of gram-negative bacteria. In transformation experiments with thyA mutants of E. coli and conjugation experiments with thyA mutants of R. meliloti, the lactococcal thyA gene permitted selection of transformants and transconjugants with the same efficiency as did genes for resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, or tetracycline. Starting from the broad-host-range plasmid pGD500, a plasmid, designated pPR602, was constructed which is completely free of antibiotic resistance genes and has the lactococcal thyA gene fused to a promoterless lac operon. This plasmid will permit growth of thyA mutant strains in the absence of thymidine or thymine and has a number of unique restriction sites which can be used for cloning.

Biochemical characterization of lactococcus Lactis IO-1 whose optimal temperature is as high as 37.DEG.C..

Abstract: An L-lactate producing strain whose optimal temperature for growth and L-lactate production was 37°C, previously labeled as Streptococcus species I0-1, was characterized biochemically and genetically and identified as a variant strain of Lactococcus lactis. This strain tolerated 6.5°c NaC1 and grew on bile esculin agar. Thus the strain resembled enterococci biochemically. However, there was no Lancefield's group D antigen in the strain, but group N antigen was present. Quantitative DNA-DNA hybridization experiments showed that the strain did not resemble enterococci and should be assigned to the genus Lactococcus. Strain JO-1 was identified as a strain of Lactococcus lactic because the homology values between it and the type strain of the L. lactis, NCFB 604T were in a range of 62-77%. The growth of L. lactis is usually suppressed and very slow at 42°C but strain JO-1 grew confluently and very quickly at that temperature. It was also different from the type strain of L. lactis in that it produced antibiotics, which were not nisin but were similar to nisin to which other lactococci and some species of genus Bacillus and Clostridium were sensitive. This strain has been deposited in the Japan Collection of Microorganisms as L. lactis I0-1 JCM 7638.