Production of three anti-listerial peptides by Lactobacillus curvatus in MRS broth

Novel 3D Structure Based Model for Activity Prediction and Design of Antimicrobial Peptides

The emergence and worldwide spread of multi-drug resistant bacteria makes an urgent challenge for the development of novel antibacterial agents. A perspective weapon to fight against severe infections caused by drug-resistant microorganisms is antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). AMPs are a diverse class of naturally occurring molecules that are produced as a first line of defense by all multi-cellular organisms. Limited by the number of experimental determinate 3D structure, most of the prediction or classification methods of AMPs were based on 2D descriptors, including sequence, amino acid composition, peptide net charge, hydrophobicity, amphiphilic, etc. Due to the rapid development of structural simulation methods, predicted models of proteins (or peptides) have been successfully applied in structure based drug design, for example as targets of virtual ligand screening. Here, we establish the activity prediction model based on the predicted 3D structure of AMPs molecule. To our knowledge, it is the first report of prediction method based on 3D descriptors of AMPs. Novel AMPs were designed by using the model, and their antibacterial effect was measured by in vitro experiments.

Genomics of lactic acid bacteria: Current status and potential applications

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are widely used for the production of a variety of foods and feed raw materials where they contribute to flavor and texture of the fermented products. In addition, specific LAB strains are considered as probiotic due to their health-promoting effects in consumers. Recently, the genome sequencing of LAB is booming and the increased amount of published genomics data brings unprecedented opportunity for us to reveal the important traits of LAB. This review describes the recent progress on LAB genomics and special emphasis is placed on understanding the industry-related physiological features based on genomics analysis. Moreover, strategies to engineer metabolic capacity and stress tolerance of LAB with improved industrial performance are also discussed.