The three-dimensional structure of carnocyclin A reveals that many circular bacteriocins share a common structural motif

Microcin C7 as a Potential Antibacterial-Immunomodulatory Agent in the Postantibiotic Era: Overview of Its Bioactivity Aspects and Applications

In the postantibiotic era, the pathogenicity and resistance of pathogens have increased, leading to an increase in intestinal inflammatory disease. Bacterial infections remain the leading cause of animal mortality. With increasing resistance to antibiotics, there has been a significant decrease in resistance to both inflammation and disease in animals, thus decreasing production efficiency and increasing production costs. These side effects have serious consequences and have detracted from the development of China's pig industry. Microcin C7 (McC7) demonstrates potent antibacterial activity against a broad spectrum of pathogens, stable physicochemical properties, and low toxicity, reducing the likelihood of resistance development. Thus, McC7 has received increasing attention as a potential clinical antibacterial and immunomodulatory agent. McC7 has the potential to serve as a new generation of antibiotic substitutes; however, its commercial applications in the livestock and poultry industry have been limited. In this review, we summarize and discuss the biosynthesis, biochemical properties, structural characteristics, mechanism of action, and immune strategies of McC7. We also describe the ability of McC7 to improve intestinal health. Our aim in this study was to provide a theoretical basis for the application of McC7 as a new feed additive or new veterinary drug in the livestock and poultry breeding industry, thus providing a new strategy for alleviating resistance through feed and mitigating drug resistance. Furthermore, this review provides insight into the new functions and anti-infection mechanisms of bacteriocin peptides and proposes crucial ideas for the research, product development, and application of bacteriocin peptides in different fields, such as the food and medical industries.

Characterization of a novel circular bacteriocin from Bacillus velezensis 1-3, and its mode of action against Listeria monocytogenes

In this study, isolate Bacillus velezensis1-3 was selected out for its anti- Listeria potency, from which a novel circular bacteriocin, velezin, was purified out of the fermentate, and then characterized. Facilitated with a broad antibacterial spectrum, velezin has demonstrated decent inhibitive activity against of foodborne pathogen L. monocytogenes ATCC 19115. It exerted the antibacterial activity through damaging the membrane integrity of targeted cell and causing leakage of vital elements, including K+ ion. It was noteworthy that velezin also inhibited the biofilm formation by L. monocytogenes ATCC 19115. At the challenge of velezin, L. monocytogenes ATCC 19115 up-regulated expression of genes associated with membrane, ion transporters, stressing-related proteins as well as the genes responsible for the synthesis of small molecule. Taken together, velezin may have potential to be a candidate as natural additive used in food/feed in the future.

Engineering circular bacteriocins: structural and functional effects of α-helix exchanges and disulfide introductions in circularin A

Circular bacteriocins form a distinct group of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) characterized by their unique head-to-tail ligated circular structure and functional properties. They belong to the ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) family. The ribosomal origin of these peptides facilitates rapid diversification through mutations in the precursor genes combined with specific modification enzymes. In this study, we primarily explored the bacteriocin engineering potential of circularin A, a circular bacteriocin produced by Clostridium beijerinckii ATCC 25752. Specifically, we employed strategies involving α-helix replacements and disulfide bond introductions to investigate their effects on both biosynthesis and bioactivity of the bacteriocin. The results show the feasibility of peptide engineering to introduce certain structural properties into circularin A through carefully designed approaches. The introduction of cysteines for potential disulfide bonds resulted in a substantial reduction in bacteriocin biosynthesis and/or bioactivity, indicating the importance of maintaining dynamic flexibility of α-helices in circularin A, while reduction of the potential disulfide in one case increased the activity. The 5 α-helices of circularin A were respectively replaced by corresponding helices from another circular peptide, enterocin AS-48, and modestly active peptides were obtained in a few cases. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the engineering potential of circular bacteriocins as antimicrobial agents, including their structural and functional restrictions and their suitability as peptide engineering scaffolds. This helps to pave the way for the development of novel antimicrobial peptides with tailored properties based on circular bacteriocins.

Production of Pumilarin and a Novel Circular Bacteriocin, Altitudin A, by Bacillus altitudinis ECC22, a Soil-Derived Bacteriocin Producer

The rise of antimicrobial resistance poses a significant global health threat, necessitating urgent efforts to identify novel antimicrobial agents. In this study, we undertook a thorough screening of soil-derived bacterial isolates to identify candidates showing antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria. A highly active antagonistic isolate was initially identified as Bacillus altitudinis ECC22, being further subjected to whole genome sequencing. A bioinformatic analysis of the B. altitudinis ECC22 genome revealed the presence of two gene clusters responsible for synthesizing two circular bacteriocins: pumilarin and a novel circular bacteriocin named altitudin A, alongside a closticin 574-like bacteriocin (CLB) structural gene. The synthesis and antimicrobial activity of the bacteriocins, pumilarin and altitudin A, were evaluated and validated using an in vitro cell-free protein synthesis (IV-CFPS) protocol coupled to a split-intein-mediated ligation procedure, as well as through their in vivo production by recombinant E. coli cells. However, the IV-CFPS of CLB showed no antimicrobial activity against the bacterial indicators tested. The purification of the bacteriocins produced by B. altitudinis ECC22, and their evaluation by MALDI-TOF MS analysis and LC-MS/MS-derived targeted proteomics identification combined with massive peptide analysis, confirmed the production and circular conformation of pumilarin and altitudin A. Both bacteriocins exhibited a spectrum of activity primarily directed against other Bacillus spp. strains. Structural three-dimensional predictions revealed that pumilarin and altitudin A may adopt a circular conformation with five- and four-α-helices, respectively.

The Circular Bacteriocin enterocin NKR-5-3B has an Improved Stability Profile over Nisin

Bacteriocins are a large family of bacterial peptides that have antimicrobial activity and potential applications as clinical antibiotics or food preservatives. Circular bacteriocins are a unique class of these biomolecules distinguished by a seamless circular topology, and are widely assumed to be ultra-stable based on this constraining structural feature. However, without quantitative studies of their susceptibility to defined thermal, chemical, and enzymatic conditions, their stability characteristics remain poorly understood, limiting their translational development. Here, we produced the circular bacteriocin enterocin NKR-5-3B (Ent53B) in mg/L quantities using a heterologous Lactococcus expression system, and characterized its thermal stability by NMR, chemical stability by circular dichroism and analytical HPLC, and enzymatic stability by analytical HPLC. We demonstrate that Ent53B is ultra-stable, resistant to temperatures approaching boiling, acidic (pH 2.6) and alkaline (pH 9.0) conditions, the chaotropic agent 6M urea, and following incubation with a range of proteases (i.e., trypsin, chymotrypsin, pepsin, and papain), conditions under which most peptides and proteins degrade. Ent53B is stable across a broader range of pH conditions and proteases than nisin, the most widely used bacteriocin in food manufacturing. Antimicrobial assays showed that differences in stability correlated with differences in bactericidal activity. Overall, this study provides quantitative support for circular bacteriocins being an ultra-stable class of peptide molecules, suggesting easier handling and distribution options available to them in practical applications as antimicrobial agents.

Bioprotective cultures and bacteriocins as food preservatives

Food preservation technologies face the challenge of extending product shelf life applying different factors to prevent the microbiological spoilage of food and inhibit/inactivate food borne pathogens maintaining or even enhancing its quality. One such preservation strategy is the application of bacteriocins or bacteriocin-producer cultures as a kind of food biopreservation. Bacteriocins are ribosomally synthesized small polypeptide molecules that exert antagonistic activity against closely related and unrelated bacteria without harming the producing strain by specific immunity proteins. This chapter aims to contribute to current knowledge about innovative natural preservative agents and their application in the food industry. Specifically, its purpose is to analyze the classification of bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria (LAB), desirable characteristics of bacteriocins that position them in a privileged place in food biopreservation technology, their success story as well as the bacteriocinogenic LAB in various food systems. Finally, challenges and barrier strategies used to enhance the efficiency of the bacteriocins antimicrobial effect are presented in this chapter.

Leader- and Terminal Residue Requirements for Circularin A Biosynthesis Probed by Systematic Mutational Analyses

Circularin A is a circular bacteriocin belonging to a subgroup of the ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) superfamily. The post-translational biosynthesis of circular bacteriocins primarily consists of leader cleavage, core peptide circularization, and bacteriocin secretion. However, none of these processes have been fully elucidated due to the complex biosynthesis of such bacteriocins and the lack of homology to the functions of other known biosynthetic enzymes. In this study, we investigated the leader- and terminal residue requirements for the biosynthesis of circularin A by systematic mutational analyses, including the mutational effects of variable leader lengths, as well as site-directed substitutions of residues at positions near the leader cleavage site and the circularization site. Results show that the leader with only one Met residue, the shortest leader possible, is sufficient to produce mature circularin A; helix-forming short-sidechain hydrophobic residues are required at positions Val1 and Ala2 of the N-terminus to form active peptide derivatives, indicating the possible steric hindrance effect at these two positions; and an aromatic residue is required at the C-terminal Tyr69 position to produce a mature circular derivative. However, the requirements for residues at position Ala68 are much more relaxed relative to the positions of Val1 and Ala2, since even substitution with the largest possible residue, i.e., tryptophan, still allows the generation of an active Ala68Trp derivative. Our findings provide new perspectives for the biosynthesis of this short-leader circular bacteriocin, which enables the application of circular bacteriocin biosynthesis in rational modified peptide engineering.

Mechanism of Action of Ribosomally Synthesized and Post-Translationally Modified Peptides

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a natural product class that has undergone significant expansion due to the rapid growth in genome sequencing data and recognition that they are made by biosynthetic pathways that share many characteristic features. Their mode of actions cover a wide range of biological processes and include binding to membranes, receptors, enzymes, lipids, RNA, and metals as well as use as cofactors and signaling molecules. This review covers the currently known modes of action (MOA) of RiPPs. In turn, the mechanisms by which these molecules interact with their natural targets provide a rich set of molecular paradigms that can be used for the design or evolution of new or improved activities given the relative ease of engineering RiPPs. In this review, coverage is limited to RiPPs originating from bacteria.

Transporter Protein-Guided Genome Mining for Head-to-Tail Cyclized Bacteriocins

Head-to-tail cyclized bacteriocins are ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial peptides that are defined by peptide backbone cyclization involving the N- and C- terminal amino acids. Their cyclic nature and overall three-dimensional fold confer superior stability against extreme pH and temperature conditions, and protease degradation. Most of the characterized head-to-tail cyclized bacteriocins were discovered through a traditional approach that involved the screening of bacterial isolates for antimicrobial activity and subsequent isolation and characterization of the active molecule. In this study, we performed genome mining using transporter protein sequences associated with experimentally validated head-to-tail cyclized bacteriocins as driver sequences to search for novel bacteriocins. Biosynthetic gene cluster analysis was then performed to select the high probability functional gene clusters. A total of 387 producer strains that encode putative head-to-tail cyclized bacteriocins were identified. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses revealed that this class of bacteriocins is more diverse than previously thought. Furthermore, our genome mining strategy captured hits that were not identified in precursor-based bioprospecting, showcasing the utility of this approach to expanding the repertoire of head-to-tail cyclized bacteriocins. This work sets the stage for future isolation of novel head-to-tail cyclized bacteriocins to serve as possible alternatives to traditional antibiotics and potentially help address the increasing threat posed by resistant pathogens.

Antimicrobial Peptides: An Update on Classifications and Databases

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are distributed across all kingdoms of life and are an indispensable component of host defenses. They consist of predominantly short cationic peptides with a wide variety of structures and targets. Given the ever-emerging resistance of various pathogens to existing antimicrobial therapies, AMPs have recently attracted extensive interest as potential therapeutic agents. As the discovery of new AMPs has increased, many databases specializing in AMPs have been developed to collect both fundamental and pharmacological information. In this review, we summarize the sources, structures, modes of action, and classifications of AMPs. Additionally, we examine current AMP databases, compare valuable computational tools used to predict antimicrobial activity and mechanisms of action, and highlight new machine learning approaches that can be employed to improve AMP activity to combat global antimicrobial resistance.

Cyclic peptide production from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and their diverse applications

In recent years, cyclic peptides gave gained increasing attention owing to their pH tolerance, heat stability and resistance to enzymatic actions. The increasing outbreaks of antibiotic resistant pathogens and food spoilage have prompted researchers to search for new approaches to combat them. The increasing number of reports on novel cyclic peptides from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is considered as a breakthrough due to their potential applications. Although an extensive investigation is required to understand the mechanism of action and range of applications, LAB cyclic peptides can be considered as potential substitutes for commercially available antibiotics and bio preservatives. This review summarizes the current updates of LAB cyclic peptides with emphasis on their structure, mode of action and applications. Recent trends in cyclic peptide applications are also discussed.

Crystal structure and site-directed mutagenesis of circular bacteriocin plantacyclin B21AG reveals cationic and aromatic residues important for antimicrobial activity

Plantacyclin B21AG is a circular bacteriocin produced by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum B21 which displays antimicrobial activity against various Gram-positive bacteria including foodborne pathogens, Listeria monocytogenes and Clostridium perfringens. It is a 58-amino acid cyclised antimicrobial peptide, with the N and C termini covalently linked together. The circular peptide backbone contributes to remarkable stability, conferring partial proteolytic resistance and structural integrity under a wide temperature and pH range. Here, we report the first crystal structure of a circular bacteriocin from a food grade Lactobacillus. The protein was crystallised using the hanging drop vapour diffusion method and the structure solved to a resolution of 1.8 Å. Sequence alignment against 18 previously characterised circular bacteriocins revealed the presence of conserved charged and aromatic residues. Alanine substitution mutagenesis validated the importance of these residues. Minimum inhibitory concentration analysis of these Ala mutants showed that Phe⁸Ala and Trp⁴⁵Ala mutants displayed a 48- and 32-fold reduction in activity, compared to wild type. The Lys¹⁹Ala mutant displayed the weakest activity, with a 128-fold reduction. These experiments demonstrate the relative importance of aromatic and cationic residues for the antimicrobial activity of plantacyclin B21AG and by extension, other circular bacteriocins sharing these evolutionarily conserved residues.

Discovery and characterisation of circular bacteriocin plantacyclin B21AG from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum B21

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum B21 isolated from Vietnamese sausage (nem chua) has previously displayed broad antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria including foodborne pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Clostridium perfringens. This study successfully identified the antimicrobial agent as plantacyclin B21AG, a 5668 Da circular bacteriocin demonstrating high thermostability, resistance to a wide range of pH, proteolytic resistance and temporal stability. We report a reverse genetics approach to identify and characterise plantacyclin B21AG from first principles. The bacteriocin was purified from culture supernatant by a three-step process consisting of concentration, n-butanol extraction and cation exchange chromatography. A de novo peptide sequencing using LC-MS/MS techniques identified two putative peptide fragments which were mapped to the genome sequence of L. plantarum B21. This revealed an ORF corresponding to a putative circular bacteriocin with a 33-amino acid leader peptide and a 58-amino acid mature peptide encoded on a native plasmid pB21AG01. The bacteriocin is shown to be a small cationic predominantly α-helical protein (69%). The corresponding gene cluster, consisted of seven genes associated with post-translational circularisation, immunity and secretion. Whilst plantacyclin B21AG is 86% identical to the newly published plantaricyclin A it is more highly cationic having a net charge of +3 due to an additional basic residue in the putative membrane interaction region. This and other substitutions may well go some way to explaining functional differences. The robust nature of plantacyclin B21AG, its antimicrobial activity and associated machinery for cyclisation make it an interesting biotechnological target for development, both as a food-safe antimicrobial or potentially a platform technology for recombinant protein circularisation.

Cloning and functional expression of a food-grade circular bacteriocin, plantacyclin B21AG, in probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1

There is an increasing consumer demand for minimally processed, preservative free and microbiologically safe food. These factors, combined with risks of antibiotic resistance, have led to interest in bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as natural food preservatives and as potential protein therapeutics. We previously reported the discovery of plantacyclin B21AG, a circular bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus plantarum B21. Here, we describe the cloning and functional expression of the bacteriocin gene cluster in the probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1. Genome sequencing demonstrated that the bacteriocin is encoded on a 20 kb native plasmid, designated as pB21AG01. Seven open reading frames (ORFs) putatively involved in bacteriocin production, secretion and immunity were cloned into an E. coli/Lactobacillus shuttle vector, pTRKH2. The resulting plasmid, pCycB21, was transformed into L. plantarum WCFS1. The cell free supernatants (CFS) of both B21 and WCFS1 (pCycB21) showed an antimicrobial activity of 800 AU/mL when tested against WCFS1 (pTRKH2) as the indicator strain, showing that functional expression of plantacyclin B21AG had been achieved. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that the relative copy number of pB21AG01 was 7.60 ± 0.79 in L. plantarum B21 whilst pCycB21 and pTRKH2 was 0.51 ± 0.05 and 25.19 ± 2.68 copies respectively in WCFS1. This indicates that the bacteriocin gene cluster is located on a highly stable low copy number plasmid pB21AG01 in L. plantarum B21. Inclusion of the native promoter for the bacteriocin operon from pB21AG01 results in similar killing activity being observed in both the wild type and recombinant hosts despite the lower copy number of pCycB21.

Purification, Characterization, Identification, and Anticancer Activity of a Circular Bacteriocin From Enterococcus thailandicus

New anticancer agents are continually needed because cancerous cells continue to evolve resistance to the currently available chemotherapeutic agents. The aim of the present study was to screen, purify and characterize a hepatotoxic bacteriocin from Enterococcus species. The production of bacteriocin from the Enterococcus isolates was achieved based on their antibacterial activity against indicator reference strains. Enterococcus isolates showed a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity by forming inhibition zones with diameters ranged between 12 and 29 mm. The most potent bacteriocin producing strain was molecularly identified as Enterococcus thailandicus. The crude extracted bacteriocin was purified by cation exchange and size exclusion chromatography that resulted in 83 fractions. Among them, 18 factions were considered as bacteriocins based on their positive antibacterial effects. The anticancer effects of the purified bacteriocins were tested against HepG2 cell line. The most promising enterocin (LNS18) showed the highest anticancer effects against HepG2 cells (with 75.24% cellular inhibition percentages), with IC50 value 15.643 μM and without any significant cytotoxic effects on normal fibroblast cells (BJ ATCC® CRL-2522™). The mode of anticancer action of enterocin LNS18 against HepG2 cells could be explained by its efficacy to induce cellular ROS, decrease HepG2 CD markers and arrest cells in G0 phase. Amino acid sequence of enterocin LNS18 was determined and the deduced peptide of the structural gene showed 86 amino acids that shared 94.7% identity with enterocin NKR-5-3B from E. faecium. Enterocin LNS18 consisted of 6 α-helices; 5 circular and one linear. Model-template alignment constructed between enterocin LNS18 and NKR-5-3B revealed 95.31% identity. The predicted 3D homology model of LNS18, after circularization and release of 22 amino acids, showed the formation of a bond between Leu23 and Trp86 amino acid residues at the site of circularization. Furthermore, areas of positive charges were due to the presence of 6 lysine residues resulting in a net positive charge of +4 on the bacteriocin surface. Based on the above mentioned results, our characterized bacteriocin is a promising agent to target liver cancer without any significant toxic effects on normal cell lines.

Bioinformatic prospecting and phylogenetic analysis reveals 94 undescribed circular bacteriocins and key motifs

Background

Circular bacteriocins are antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria with a N and C termini ligation. They have desirable properties such as activity at low concentrations along with thermal, pH and proteolytic resistance. There are twenty experimentally confirmed circular bacteriocins as part of bacteriocin gene clusters, with transport, membrane and immunity proteins. Traditionally, novel antimicrobials are found by testing large numbers of isolates against indicator strains, with no promise of corresponding novel sequence.

Results

Through bioprospecting publicly available sequence databases, we identified ninety-nine circular bacteriocins across a variety of bacteria bringing the total to 119. They were grouped into two families within class I modified bacteriocins (i and ii) and further divided into subfamilies based on similarity to experimentally confirmed circular bacteriocins. Within subfamilies, sequences overwhelmingly shared similar characteristics such as sequence length, presence of a polybasic region, conserved locations of aromatic residues, C and N termini, gene clusters similarity, translational coupling and hydrophobicity profiles. At least ninety were predicted to be putatively functional based on gene clusters. Furthermore, bacteriocins identified from Enterococcus, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species may have activity against clinically relevant strains, due to the presence of putative immunity genes required for expression in a toxin-antitoxin system. Some strains such as Paenibacillus larvae subsp. pulvifaciens SAG 10367 contained multiple circular bacteriocin gene clusters from different subfamilies, while some strains such as Bacillus cereus BCE-01 contained clusters with multiple circular bacteriocin structural genes.

Conclusions

Sequence analysis provided rapid insight into identification of novel, putative circular bacteriocins, as well as conserved genes likely essential for circularisation. This represents an expanded library of putative antimicrobial proteins which are potentially active against human, plant and animal pathogens.

Effect of in-package atmospheric cold plasma discharge on microbial safety and quality of ready-to-eat ham in modified atmospheric packaging during storage

Listeria monocytogenes is often responsible for postprocessing contamination of ready-to-eat (RTE) products including cooked ham. As an emerging technology, atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) has the potential to inactivate L. monocytogenes in packaged RTE meats. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of treatment time, modified atmosphere gas compositions (MAP), ham formulation, and post-treatment storage (1 and 7 days at 4 °C) on the reduction of a five-strain cocktail of L. monocytogenes and quality changes in ham subjected to in-package ACP treatment. Initial average cells population on ham surfaces were 8 log CFU/cm² . The ACP treatment time and gas composition significantly (P < 0.05) influenced the inactivation of L. monocytogenes, irrespective of ham formulations. When MAP1 (20% O₂ + 40% CO₂ + 40% N₂ ) was used, there was a significantly higher log reduction (>2 log reduction) in L. monocytogenes on ham in comparison to MAP2 (50% CO₂ + 50% N₂ ) and MAP3 (100% CO₂ ), irrespective of ham formulation. Addition of preservatives (that is, 0.1% sodium diacetate and 1.4% sodium lactate) or bacteriocins (that is, 0.05% of a partially purified culture ferment from Carnobacterium maltaromaticum UAL 307) did not significantly reduce cell counts of L. monocytogenes after ACP treatment. Regardless of type of ham, storage of 24 hr after ACP treatment significantly reduced cells counts of L. monocytogenes to approximately 4 log CFU/cm² . Following 7 days of storage after ACP treatment, L. monocytogenes counts were below the detection limit (>6 log reduction) when samples were stored in MAP1. However, there were significant changes in lipid oxidation and color after post-treatment storage. In conclusion, the antimicrobial efficacy of ACP is strongly influenced by gas composition inside the package and post-treatment storage. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Surface contamination of RTE ham with L. monocytogenes may occur during processing steps such as slicing and packaging. In-package ACP is an emerging nonthermal technology, which can be used as a postpackaging decontamination step in industrial settings. This study demonstrated the influence of in-package gas composition, treatment time, post-treatment storage, and ham formulation on L. monocytogenes inactivation efficacy of ACP. Results of present study will be helpful to optimize in-package ACP treatment and storage conditions to reduce L. monocytogenes, while maintaining the quality of ham.

The expanding structural variety among bacteriocins from Gram-positive bacteria

Bacteria use various strategies to compete in an ecological niche, including the production of bacteriocins. Bacteriocins are ribosomally synthesized antibacterial peptides, and it has been postulated that the majority of Gram-positive bacteria produce one or more of these natural products. Bacteriocins can be used in food preservation and are also considered as potential alternatives to antibiotics. The majority of bacteriocins from Gram-positive bacteria had been traditionally divided into two major classes, namely lantibiotics, which are post-translationally modified bacteriocins, and unmodified bacteriocins. The last decade has seen an expanding number of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) in Gram-positive bacteria that have antibacterial activity. These include linear azol(in)e-containing peptides, thiopeptides, bottromycins, glycocins, lasso peptides and lipolanthines. In addition, the three-dimensional (3D) structures of a number of modified and unmodified bacteriocins have been elucidated in recent years. This review gives an overview on the structural variety of bacteriocins from Gram-positive bacteria. It will focus on the chemical and 3D structures of these peptides, and their interactions with receptors and membranes, structure-function relationships and possible modes of action.

Circular and Leaderless Bacteriocins: Biosynthesis, Mode of Action, Applications, and Prospects

Bacteriocins are a huge family of ribosomally synthesized peptides known to exhibit a range of bioactivities, most predominantly antibacterial activities. Bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria are of particular interest due to the latter's association to food fermentation and the general notion of them to be safe. Among the family of bacteriocins, the groups known as circular bacteriocins and leaderless bacteriocins are gaining more attention due to their enormous potential for industrial application. Circular bacteriocins and leaderless bacteriocins, arguably the least understood groups of bacteriocins, possess distinctively peculiar characteristics in their structures and biosynthetic mechanisms. Circular bacteriocins have N-to-C- terminal covalent linkage forming a structurally distinct circular peptide backbone. The circular nature of their structures provides them superior stability against various stresses compared to most linear bacteriocins. The molecular mechanism of their biosynthesis, albeit has remained poorly understood, is believed to possesses huge application prospect as it can serve as scaffold in bioengineering other biologically important peptides. On the other hand, while most bacteriocins are synthesized as inactive precursor peptides, which possess an N-terminal leader peptide attached to a C-terminal propeptide, leaderless bacteriocins are atypical as they do not have an N-terminal leader peptide, hence the name. Leaderless bacteriocins are active right after translation as they do not undergo any post-translational processing common to other groups of bacteriocins. This "simplicity" in the biosynthesis of leaderless bacteriocins offers a huge commercial potential as scale-up production systems are considerably easier to assemble. In this review, we summarize the current studies of both circular and leaderless bacteriocins, highlighting the progress in understanding their biosynthesis, mode of action, application and their prospects.

Control of Propionibacterium acnes by natural antimicrobial substances: Role of the bacteriocin AS-48 and lysozyme

We report the high susceptibility of several clinical isolates of Propionibacterium acnes from different sources (skin, bone, wound exudates, abscess or blood contamination) to the head-to-tail cyclized bacteriocin AS-48. This peptide is a feasible candidate for further pharmacological development against this bacterium, due to its physicochemical and biological characteristics, even when it is growing in a biofilm. Thus, the treatment of pre-formed biofilms with AS-48 resulted in a dose- and time-dependent disruption of the biofilm architecture beside the decrease of bacterial viability. Furthermore, we demonstrated the potential of lysozyme to bolster the inhibitory activity of AS-48 against P. acnes, rendering high reductions in the MIC values, even in matrix-growing cultures, according to the results obtained using a range of microscopy and bioassay techniques. The improvement of the activity of AS-48 through its co-formulation with lysozyme may be considered an alternative in the control of P. acnes, especially after proving the absence of cytotoxicity demonstrated by these natural compounds on relevant human skin cell lines. In summary, this study supports that compositions comprising the bacteriocin AS-48 plus lysozyme must be considered as promising candidates for topical applications with medical and pharmaceutical purposes against dermatological diseases such as acne vulgaris.

The Effect of Carbohydrates and Bacteriocins on the Growth Kinetics and Resistance of Listeria monocytogenes

The aim of this study was to determine if different carbohydrates influence the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in the presence of carnocyclin A or leucocin A. Carnobacterium maltaromaticum ATCC PTA-5313 and Leuconostoc gelidum UAL187 were used to produce carnocyclin A and leucocin A, respectively. Growth curves were modeled for five strains of L. monocytogenes grown in basal medium supplemented with glucose, sucrose, fructose, mannose, or cellobiose, in the presence of carnocyclin A or leucocin A. The growth of L. monocytogenes to leucocin A or carnocyclin A was influenced by carbohydrate and/or strain. Carnocyclin A inhibited the growth of L. monocytogenes more than leucocin A. Growth in media containing glucose, mannose, and fructose increased the sensitivity of some strains of L. monocytogenes to bacteriocins, while growth in cellobiose and sucrose increased the resistance of L. monocytogenes to bacteriocins, as evidenced by a shorter lag phase. Strains of L. monocytogenes developed resistance to both leucocin A and carnocyclin A, but the time to develop resistance was longer when strains are treated with carnocyclin A. Carbohydrate influences the development of resistance of L. monocytogenes to the bacteriocins, but the ability of strains to develop resistance to leucocin A or carnocyclin A differs. Results of this study indicate that carbohydrates influence the ability of L. monocytogenes to grow in the presence of bacteriocins.

Genome-guided identification of novel head-to-tail cyclized antimicrobial peptides, exemplified by the discovery of pumilarin

The need for novel antibiotics in an era where antimicrobial resistance is on the rise, and the number of new approved antimicrobial drugs reaching the market is declining, is evident. The underused potential of post-translationally modified peptides for clinical use makes this class of peptides interesting candidates. In this study, we made use of the vast amounts of available genomic data and screened all publicly available prokaryotic genomes (~3000) to identify 394 novel head-to-tail cyclized antimicrobial peptides. To verify these in silico results, we isolated and characterized a novel antimicrobial peptide from Bacillus pumilus that we named pumilarin. Pumilarin was demonstrated to have a circular structure and showed antimicrobial activity against several indicator strains, including pathogens.

Bacteriocins as food preservatives: Challenges and emerging horizons

The increasing demand for fresh-like food products and the potential health hazards of chemically preserved and processed food products have led to the advent of alternative technologies for the preservation and maintenance of the freshness of the food products. One such preservation strategy is the usage of bacteriocins or bacteriocins producing starter cultures for the preservation of the intended food matrixes. Bacteriocins are ribosomally synthesized smaller polypeptide molecules that exert antagonistic activity against closely related and unrelated group of bacteria. This review is aimed at bringing to lime light the various class of bacteriocins mainly from gram positive bacteria. The desirable characteristics of the bacteriocins which earn them a place in food preservation technology, the success story of the same in various food systems, the various challenges and the strategies employed to put them to work efficiently in various food systems has been discussed in this review. From the industrial point of view various aspects like the improvement of the producer strains, downstream processing and purification of the bacteriocins and recent trends in engineered bacteriocins has also been briefly discussed in this review.

The Leaderless Bacteriocin Enterocin K1 Is Highly Potent against Enterococcus faecium: A Study on Structure, Target Spectrum and Receptor

Enterocin K1 (EntK1), enterocin EJ97 (EntEJ97), and LsbB are three sequence related leaderless bacteriocins. Yet LsbB kills only lactococci while EntK1 and EntEJ97 target wider spectra with EntK1 being particularly active against Enterococcus faecium, including nosocomial multidrug resistant isolates. NMR study of EntK1 showed that it had a structure very similar to LsbB – both having an amphiphilic N-terminal α-helix and an unstructured C-terminus. The α-helix in EntK1 is, however, about 3–4 residues longer than that of LsbB. Enterococcal mutants highly resistant to EntEJ97 and EntK1 were found to have mutations within rseP, a gene encoding a stress response membrane-bound Zn-dependent protease. Heterologous expression of the enterococcal rseP rendered resistant cells of Streptococcus pneumoniae sensitive to EntK1 and EntEJ97, suggesting that RseP likely serves as the receptor for EntK1 and EntEJ97. It was also shown that the conserved proteolytic active site in E. faecalis RseP is partly required for EntK1 and EntEJ97 activity, since alanine substitutions of its conserved residues (HExxH) reduced the sensitivity of the clones to the bacteriocins. RseP is known to be involved in bacterial stress response. As expected, the growth of resistant mutants with mutations within rseP was severely affected when they were exposed to higher (stressing) growth temperatures, e.g., at 45°C, at which wild type cells still grew well. These findings allow us to design a hurdle strategy with a combination of the bacteriocin(s) and higher temperature that effectively kills bacteriocin sensitive bacteria and prevents the development of resistant cells.

Structural features of many circular and leaderless bacteriocins are similar to those in saposins and saposin-like peptides

Bacteriocins are potent antimicrobial peptides that are ribosomally produced and exported by bacteria, presumably to aid elimination of competing microorganisms. Many circular and linear leaderless bacteriocins have a recuring three dimensional structural motif known as a saposin-like fold. Although these bacteriocin sizes and sequences are often quite different, and their mechanisms of action vary, this conserved motif of multiple helices appears critical for activity and may enable peptide-lipid and peptide-receptor interactions in target bacterial cell membranes. Comparisons between electrostatic surfaces and hydrophobic surface maps of different bacteriocins are discussed emphasizing similarities and differences in the context of proposed modes of action.

Bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria and their applications in meat and meat products

Meat and meat products have always been an important part of human diet, and contain valuable nutrients for growth and health. Nevertheless, they are perishable and susceptible to microbial contamination, leading to an increased health risk for consumers as well as to the economic loss in meat industry. The utilization of bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as a natural preservative has received a considerable attention. Inoculation of bacteriocin-producing LAB cell as starter or protective cultures is suitable for fermented meats, whilst the direct addition of bacteriocin as food additive is more preferable when live cells of LAB could not produce bacteriocin in the real meat system. The incorporation of bacteriocins in packaging is another way to improve meat safety to avoid direct addition of bacteriocin to meat. Utilization of bacteriocins can effectively contribute to food safety, especially when integrated into hurdle concepts. In this review, LAB bacteriocins and their applications in meat and meat products are revisited. The molecular structure and characteristics of bacteriocins recently discovered, as well as exemplary properties are also discussed.

Bacteriocins of lactic acid bacteria: extending the family

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) constitute a heterogeneous group of microorganisms that produce lactic acid as the major product during the fermentation process. LAB are Gram-positive bacteria with great biotechnological potential in the food industry. They can produce bacteriocins, which are proteinaceous antimicrobial molecules with a diverse genetic origin, posttranslationally modified or not, that can help the producer organism to outcompete other bacterial species. In this review, we focus on the various types of bacteriocins that can be found in LAB and the organization and regulation of the gene clusters responsible for their production and biosynthesis, and consider the food applications of the prototype bacteriocins from LAB. Furthermore, we propose a revised classification of bacteriocins that can accommodate the increasing number of classes reported over the last years.

Cloning and Characterization of the Gene Cluster Involved in the Production of the Circular Bacteriocin Carnocyclin A

Carnocyclin A is a circular bacteriocin of 60 amino acids produced by Carnobacterium maltaromaticum UAL307. A region of 12 kb that contained the structural gene for carnocyclin A, cclA, was sequenced using a fosmid library, and 10 genes were identified that could be responsible for carnocyclin A production and immunity. Five of those genes, cclBITCD, were found upstream of cclA: one encodes a protein containing a conserved ATP-binding domain and four encode proteins with putative membrane-spanning domains. CclC shows homology with a family of membrane proteins that contain the domain of unknown function 95 (DUF95). Downstream of cclA four additional genes, cclEFGH, were identified that show similarity to the last four genes, as-48EFGH, of the enterocin AS-48 bacteriocin gene cluster. CclFGH shows sequence homology with As-48FGH. Transformation of C. maltaromaticum UAL26 with cclBITCDA resulted in production of carnocyclin A, indicating that these genes form the minimal requirement for the secretion of fully matured bacteriocin. cclI encodes for a small hydrophobic protein with a high pI, which are characteristic features of known immunity proteins for other circular bacteriocins. Indeed, cloning of cclI behind a constitutive promoter in UAL26 resulted in immunity although the level of resistance was lower than that of UAL26 containing cclBITCDA, indicating that CclI alone is not enough to confer full immunity to carnocyclin A.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Solution Structures of Lacticin Q and Aureocin A53 Reveal a Structural Motif Conserved among Leaderless Bacteriocins with Broad-Spectrum Activity

Lacticin Q (LnqQ) and aureocin A53 (AucA) are leaderless bacteriocins from Lactococcus lactis QU5 and Staphylococcus aureus A53, respectively. These bacteriocins are characterized by the absence of an N-terminal leader sequence and are active against a broad range of Gram-positive bacteria. LnqQ and AucA consist of 53 and 51 amino acids, respectively, and have 47% identical sequences. In this study, their three-dimensional structures were elucidated using solution nuclear magnetic resonance and were shown to consist of four α-helices that assume a very similar compact, globular overall fold (root-mean-square deviation of 1.7 Å) with a highly cationic surface and a hydrophobic core. The structures of LnqQ and AucA resemble the shorter two-component leaderless bacteriocins, enterocins 7A and 7B, despite having low levels of sequence identity. Homology modeling revealed that the observed structural motif may be shared among leaderless bacteriocins with broad-spectrum activity against Gram-positive organisms. The elucidated structures of LnqQ and AucA also exhibit some resemblance to circular bacteriocins. Despite their similar overall fold, inhibition studies showed that LnqQ and AucA have different antimicrobial potency against the Gram-positive strains tested, suggesting that sequence disparities play a crucial role in their mechanisms of action.

Solution Structure of Enterocin HF, an Antilisterial Bacteriocin Produced by Enterococcus faecium M3K31

The solution structure of enterocin HF (EntHF), a class IIa bacteriocin of 43 amino acids produced by Enterococcus faecium M3K31, was evaluated by CD and NMR spectroscopy. Purified EntHF was unstructured in water, but CD analysis supports that EntHF adopts an α-helical conformation when exposed to increasing concentrations of trifluoroethanol. Furthermore, NMR spectroscopy indicates that this bacteriocin adopts an antiparallel β-sheet structure in the N-terminal region (residues 1-17), followed by a well-defined central α-helix (residues 19-30) and a more disordered C-terminal end (residues 31-43). EntHF could be structurally organized into three flexible regions that might act in a coordinated manner. This is in agreement with the absence of long-range nuclear Overhauser effect signals between the β-sheet domain and the C-terminal end of the bacteriocin. The 3D structure recorded for EntHF fits emerging facts regarding target recognition and mode of action of class IIa bacteriocins.

Identification, Characterization, and Three-Dimensional Structure of the Novel Circular Bacteriocin, Enterocin NKR-5-3B, from Enterococcus faecium

Enterocin NKR-5-3B, one of the multiple bacteriocins produced by Enterococcus faecium NKR-5-3, is a 64-amino acid novel circular bacteriocin that displays broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Here we report the identification, characterization, and three-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance solution structure determination of enterocin NKR-5-3B. Enterocin NKR-5-3B is characterized by four helical segments that enclose a compact hydrophobic core, which together with its circular backbone impart high stability and structural integrity. We also report the corresponding structural gene, enkB, that encodes an 87-amino acid precursor peptide that undergoes a yet to be described enzymatic processing that involves adjacent cleavage and ligation of Leu(24) and Trp(87) to yield the mature (circular) enterocin NKR-5-3B.

Genomic analyses of pneumococci reveal a wide diversity of bacteriocins - including pneumocyclicin, a novel circular bacteriocin

Background

One of the most important global pathogens infecting all age groups is Streptococcus pneumoniae (the ‘pneumococcus’). Pneumococci reside in the paediatric nasopharynx, where they compete for space and resources, and one competition strategy is to produce a bacteriocin (antimicrobial peptide or protein) to attack other bacteria and an immunity protein to protect against self-destruction. We analysed a collection of 336 diverse pneumococcal genomes dating from 1916 onwards, identified bacteriocin cassettes, detailed their genetic composition and sequence diversity, and evaluated the data in the context of the pneumococcal population structure.

Results

We found that all genomes maintained a blp bacteriocin cassette and we identified several novel blp cassettes and genes. The composition of the ‘bacteriocin/immunity region’ of the blp cassette was highly variable: one cassette possessed six bacteriocin genes and eight putative immunity genes, whereas another cassette had only one of each. Both widely-distributed and highly clonal blp cassettes were identified. Most surprisingly, one-third of pneumococcal genomes also possessed a cassette encoding a novel circular bacteriocin that we called pneumocyclicin, which shared a similar genetic organisation to well-characterised circular bacteriocin cassettes in other bacterial species. Pneumocyclicin cassettes were mainly of one genetic cluster and largely found among seven major pneumococcal clonal complexes.

Conclusions

These detailed genomic analyses revealed a novel pneumocyclicin cassette and a wide variety of blp bacteriocin cassettes, suggesting that competition in the nasopharynx is a complex biological phenomenon.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1729-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The bacteriocin AS-48 requires dimer dissociation followed by hydrophobic interactions with the membrane for antibacterial activity

The molecular mechanism underlining the antibacterial activity of the bacteriocin AS-48 is not known, and two different and opposite alternatives have been proposed. Available data suggested that the interaction of positively charged amino acids of AS-48 with the membrane would produce membrane destabilization and disruption. Alternatively, it has been proposed that AS-48 activity could rely on the effective insertion of the bacteriocin into the membrane. The biological and structural properties of the AS-48G13K/L40K double mutant were investigated to shed light on this subject. Compared with the wild type, the mutant protein suffered an important reduction in the antibacterial activity. Biochemical and structural studies of AS-48G13K/L40K mutant suggest the basis of its decreased antimicrobial activity. Lipid cosedimentation assays showed that the membrane affinity of AS-48G13K/L40K is 12-fold lower than that observed for the wild type. L40K mutation is responsible for this reduced membrane affinity and thus, hydrophobic interactions are involved in membrane association. Furthermore, the high-resolution crystal structure of AS-48G13K/L40K, together with the study of its dimeric character in solution showed that G13K stabilizes the inactive water-soluble dimer, which displays a reduced dipole moment. Our data suggest that the cumulative effect of these three affected properties reduces AS-48 activity, and point out that the bactericidal effect is achieved by the electrostatically driven approach of the inactive water-soluble dimer towards the membrane, followed by the dissociation and insertion of the protein into the lipid bilayer.

Solution structure of acidocin B, a circular bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus acidophilus M46

Acidocin B, a bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus acidophilus M46, was originally reported to be a linear peptide composed of 59 amino acid residues. However, its high sequence similarity to gassericin A, a circular bacteriocin from Lactobacillus gasseri LA39, suggested that acidocin B might be circular as well. Acidocin B was purified from culture supernatant by a series of hydrophobic interaction chromatographic steps. Its circular nature was ascertained by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) sequencing. The peptide sequence was found to consist of 58 amino acids with a molecular mass of 5,621.5 Da. The sequence of the acidocin B biosynthetic gene cluster was also determined and showed high nucleotide sequence similarity to that of gassericin A. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) solution structure of acidocin B in sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles was elucidated, revealing that it is composed of four α-helices of similar length that are folded to form a compact, globular bundle with a central pore. This is a three-dimensional structure for a member of subgroup II circular bacteriocins, which are classified based on their isoelectric points of ∼7 or lower. Comparison of acidocin B with carnocyclin A, a subgroup I circular bacteriocin with four α-helices and a pI of 10, revealed differences in the overall folding. The observed variations could be attributed to inherent diversity in their physical properties, which also required the use of different solvent systems for three-dimensional structural elucidation.

Structural protein reorganization and fold emergence investigated through amino acid sequence permutations

Correlation between random amino acid sequences and protein folds suggests that proteins autonomously evolved the most stable folds, with stability and function evolving subsequently, suggesting the existence of common protein ancestors from which all modern proteins evolved. To test this hypothesis, we shuffled the sequences of 10 natural proteins and obtained 40 different and apparently unrelated folds. Our results suggest that shuffled sequences are sufficiently stable and may act as a basis to evolve functional proteins. The common secondary structure of modern proteins is well represented by a small set of permuted sequences, which also show the emergence of intrinsic disorder and aggregation-prone stretches of the polypeptide chain.

Circular bacteriocins: biosynthesis and mode of action

Circular bacteriocins are a group of N-to-C-terminally linked antimicrobial peptides, produced by Gram-positive bacteria of the phylum Firmicutes. Circular bacteriocins generally exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, including against common food-borne pathogens, such as Clostridium and Listeria spp. These peptides are further known for their high pH and thermal stability, as well as for resistance to many proteolytic enzymes, properties which make this group of bacteriocins highly promising for potential industrial applications and their biosynthesis of particular interest as a possible model system for the synthesis of highly stable bioactive peptides. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on this group of bacteriocins, with emphasis on the recent progress in understanding circular bacteriocin genetics, biosynthesis, and mode of action; in addition, we highlight the current challenges and future perspectives for the application of these peptides.

Probiotics in fish and shellfish culture: immunomodulatory and ecophysiological responses

Aquaculture is emerging as one of the most viable and promising enterprises for keeping pace with the surging need for animal protein, providing nutritional and food security to humans, particularly those residing in regions where livestock is relatively scarce. With every step toward intensification of aquaculture practices, there is an increase in the stress level in the animal as well as the environment. Hence, disease outbreak is being increasingly recognized as one of the most important constraints to aquaculture production in many countries, including India. Conventionally, the disease control in aquaculture has relied on the use of chemical compounds and antibiotics. The development of non-antibiotic and environmentally friendly agents is one of the key factors for health management in aquaculture. Consequently, with the emerging need for environmentally friendly aquaculture, the use of alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters in fish nutrition is now widely accepted. In recent years, probiotics have taken center stage and are being used as an unconventional approach that has numerous beneficial effects in fish and shellfish culture: improved activity of gastrointestinal microbiota and enhanced immune status, disease resistance, survival, feed utilization and growth performance. As natural products, probiotics have much potential to increase the efficiency and sustainability of aquaculture production. Therefore, comprehensive research to fully characterize the intestinal microbiota of prominent fish species, mechanisms of action of probiotics and their effects on the intestinal ecosystem, immunity, fish health and performance is reasonable. This review highlights the classifications and applications of probiotics in aquaculture. The review also summarizes the advancement and research highlights of the probiotic status and mode of action, which are of great significance from an ecofriendly, sustainable, intensive aquaculture point of view.

Antibacterial activities of bacteriocins: application in foods and pharmaceuticals

Bacteriocins are a kind of ribosomal synthesized antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria, which can kill or inhibit bacterial strains closely-related or non-related to produced bacteria, but will not harm the bacteria themselves by specific immunity proteins. Bacteriocins become one of the weapons against microorganisms due to the specific characteristics of large diversity of structure and function, natural resource, and being stable to heat. Many recent studies have purified and identified bacteriocins for application in food technology, which aims to extend food preservation time, treat pathogen disease and cancer therapy, and maintain human health. Therefore, bacteriocins may become a potential drug candidate for replacing antibiotics in order to treat multiple drugs resistance pathogens in the future. This review article summarizes different types of bacteriocins from bacteria. The latter half of this review focuses on the potential applications in food science and pharmaceutical industry.

An 'Upp'-turn in bacteriocin receptor identification

Bacteriocins are gene encoded, bacterially produced antimicrobial peptides that have been the focus of considerable scientific interest but which are relatively underutilized by the food, veterinary and medical industries. One means via which the latter issue can be overcome is through a better understanding of how these peptides work or, more specifically, the identification of bacteriocin receptors and the subsequent application of such information to enhance the potency, and commercial value, of bacteriocins. For a time since the identification of lipid II and subunits of the mannose phosphotransferase system as receptors for several class I (modified) and class II (unmodified) bacteriocins, respectively, there were relatively few developments in this area. However, a number of recent studies have addressed this issue, resulting in the identification of a maltose ABC transporter and metallopeptidase as the targets for the garvicin ML (class IIc) and LsbB (class IId) bacteriocins, respectively, and, most recently, the identification of UppP as the receptor for lactococcin G and enterocin 1071 (both class IIb). In addition to these exciting discoveries, the development, and further application, of new strategies to facilitate receptor identification has the potential to lead to even further breakthroughs in bacteriocin research.

The gene cluster of aureocyclicin 4185: the first cyclic bacteriocin of Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus 4185 was previously shown to produce at least two bacteriocins. One of them is encoded by pRJ101. To detect the bacteriocin-encoding gene cluster, an ~9160 kb region of pRJ101 was sequenced. In silico analyses identified 10 genes (aclX, aclB, aclI, aclT, aclC, aclD, aclA, aclF, aclG and aclH) that might be involved in the production of a novel cyclic bacteriocin named aureocyclicin 4185. The organization of these genes was quite similar to that of the gene cluster responsible for carnocyclin A production and immunity. Four putative proteins encoded by these genes (AclT, AclC, AclD and AclA) also exhibited similarity to proteins encoded by cyclic bacteriocin gene clusters. Mutants derived from insertion of Tn917-lac into aclC, aclF, aclH and aclX were affected in bacteriocin production and growth. AclX is a 205 aa putative protein not encoded by the gene clusters of other cyclic bacteriocins. AclX exhibits 50 % similarity to a permease and has five putative membrane-spanning domains. Transcription analyses suggested that aclX is part of the aureocyclicin 4185 gene cluster, encoding a protein required for bacteriocin production. The aclA gene is the structural gene of aureocyclicin 4185, which shows 65 % similarity to garvicin ML. AclA is proposed to be cleaved off, generating a mature peptide with a predicted M r of 5607 Da (60 aa). By homology modelling, AclA presents four α-helices, like carnocyclin A. AclA could not be found at detectable levels in the culture supernatant of a strain carrying only pRJ101. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a cyclic bacteriocin gene cluster in the genus Staphylococcus.

Amylocyclicin, a novel circular bacteriocin produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42 is a Gram-positive plant growth-promoting bacterium with an impressive capacity to synthesize nonribosomal secondary metabolites with antimicrobial activity. Here we report on a novel circular bacteriocin which is ribosomally synthesized by FZB42. The compound displayed high antibacterial activity against closely related Gram-positive bacteria. Transposon mutagenesis and subsequent site-specific mutagenesis combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectroscopy revealed that a cluster of six genes covering 4,490 bp was responsible for the production, modification, and export of and immunity to an antibacterial compound, here designated amylocyclicin, with a molecular mass of 6,381 Da. Peptide sequencing of the fragments obtained after tryptic digestion of the purified peptide revealed posttranslational cleavage of an N-terminal extension and head-to-tail circularization of the novel bacteriocin. Homology to other putative circular bacteriocins in related bacteria let us assume that this type of peptide is widespread among the Bacillus/Paenibacillus taxon.

Functional genetic analysis of the GarML gene cluster in Lactococcus garvieae DCC43 gives new insights into circular bacteriocin biosynthesis

Garvicin ML (GarML) is a circular bacteriocin produced by Lactococcus garvieae DCC43. The recently published draft genome of this strain allowed determination of the genetic background for bacteriocin production. Bioinformatic analysis identified a gene cluster consisting of nine open reading frames likely involved in the production of and immunity to GarML. The garA gene encodes the bacteriocin precursor, garX a large transmembrane protein, garBCDE a putative immunity protein (garB) followed by an ATPase and two transmembrane proteins, and garFGH a putative ABC transporter complex. Functional genetic analysis revealed that deletion of garFGH had no effect on sensitivity to or production of GarML. In contrast, deletion of garBCDE or inactivation of garX resulted in high-level sensitivity to GarML and completely abolished production of active bacteriocin. Mass spectrometry of culture supernatants revealed that wild-type cultures contained the mature circular form as well as the linear forms of the bacteriocin, both with and without the three-amino-acid leader sequence, while bacteriocin-negative mutants contained only the linear forms. These results indicate that cleavage of the leader peptide precedes circularization and is likely performed by a functional entity separate from the GarML gene cluster. To our knowledge, this is the first conclusive evidence for these processes being separated in time. Loss of immunity and antimicrobial activity in addition to our inability to detect the circular bacteriocin in the ΔgarBCDE and garX::pCG47 mutants demonstrate that both these units are indispensable for GarML biosynthesis as well as immunity. Furthermore, the results indicate that these genes are implicated in the circularization of the bacteriocin and that their functions are probably interlinked.

Solution structures of the linear leaderless bacteriocins enterocin 7A and 7B resemble carnocyclin A, a circular antimicrobial peptide

Leaderless bacteriocins are a class of ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial peptides that are produced by certain Gram-positive bacteria without an N-terminal leader section. These bacteriocins are of great interest due to their potent inhibition of many Gram-positive organisms, including food-borne pathogens such as Listeria and Clostridium spp. We now report the NMR solution structures of enterocins 7A and 7B, leaderless bacteriocins recently isolated from Enterococcus faecalis 710C. These are the first three-dimensional structures to be reported for bacteriocins of this class. Unlike most other linear Gram-positive bacteriocins, enterocins 7A and 7B are highly structured in aqueous conditions. Both peptides are primarily α-helical, adopting a similar overall fold. The structures can be divided into three separate α-helical regions: the N- and C-termini are both α-helical, separated by a central kinked α-helix. The overall structures bear an unexpected resemblance to carnocyclin A, a 60-residue peptide that is cyclized via an amide bond between the C- and N-termini and has a saposin fold. Because of synergism observed for other two-peptide leaderless bacteriocins, it was of interest to probe possible binding interactions between enterocins 7A and 7B. However, despite synergistic activity observed between these peptides, no significant binding interaction was observed based on NMR and isothermal calorimetry.

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products: overview and recommendations for a universal nomenclature

This review presents recommended nomenclature for the biosynthesis of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs), a rapidly growing class of natural products. The current knowledge regarding the biosynthesis of the >20 distinct compound classes is also reviewed, and commonalities are discussed.