Advances in Biochemical Engineering/
Biotechnology, Vol. 68
Managing Editor: Th. Scheper
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2000
Antimicrobial Peptides of Lactic Acid Bacteria:
Mode of Action, Genetics and Biosynthesis
E. Sablon 1 , B. Contreras 2 , E. Vandamme 2
1 Innogenetics N.V., Industriepark Zwijnaarde 7/4, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium
2 University of Ghent, Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology and Biocatalysis, Department of
Biochemical and Microbial Technology, Coupure links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
E-mail: erick.vandamme@rug.ac.be
A survey is given of the main classes of bacteriocins, produced by lactic acid bacteria:
I. lantibiotics II. small heat-stable non-lanthionine containing membrane-active peptides and
III. large heat-labile proteins. First, their mode of action is detailed, with emphasis on pore
formation in the cytoplasmatic membrane. Subsequently, the molecular genetics of several
classes of bacteriocins are described in detail, with special attention to nisin as the most
prominent example of the lantibiotic-class. Of the small non-lanthionine bacteriocin class,
the Lactococcus lactococcins, and the Lactobacillus sakacin A and plantaricin A-bacteriocins
are discussed. The principles and mechanisms of immunity and resistance towards bacteriocins are also briefly reported. The biosynthesis of bacteriocins is treated in depth with emphasis on response regulation, post-translational modification, secretion and proteolytic
activation of bacteriocin precursors. To conclude, the role of the leader peptides is outlined
and a conceptual model for bacteriocin maturation is proposed.
Keywords. Antimicrobial peptides, Bacteriocins, Biosynthesis, Genetics, Immunity, Lactic acid
bacteria, Lantibiotics
1
Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Bacteriocins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.1 Lactic Acid Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.2 Bacteriocins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
1.2.1 Lantibiotics (Class I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
1.2.2 Small, Heat-Stable, Non-Lanthionine-Containing,
Membrane-Active Peptides (Class II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
1.2.3 Large Heat-Labile Proteins (Class III) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2
Mode ofAction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3
Genetics of Bacteriocins Produced by Lactic Acid Bacteria . . . . . 27
3.1 Nisin, the Most Prominent Member of the Class IA I Lantibiotics . . 27
3.2 Conjugative Transposition of the Sucrose-Nisin Gene Cluster . . . . 28
3.3 Genetic Organization of the Sucrose-Nisin Transposon Tn5276 . . . 29
3.4 The Class IA II Lantibiotics Lactococcin DR and Lactocin S . . . . . 30
3.5 Class II Non-Lantibiotic Bacteriocins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.5.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.5.2 The Lactococcal bacteriocins, Lactococcin A, B and M . . . . . . . . 31
3.5.3 The Class IIA Bacteriocins Pediocin PA-l/AcH
and Mesentericin Y105 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Biotechnology, Vol. 68
Managing Editor: Th. Scheper
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2000
Antimicrobial Peptides of Lactic Acid Bacteria:
Mode of Action, Genetics and Biosynthesis
E. Sablon 1 , B. Contreras 2 , E. Vandamme 2
1 Innogenetics N.V., Industriepark Zwijnaarde 7/4, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium
2 University of Ghent, Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology and Biocatalysis, Department of
Biochemical and Microbial Technology, Coupure links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
E-mail: erick.vandamme@rug.ac.be
A survey is given of the main classes of bacteriocins, produced by lactic acid bacteria:
I. lantibiotics II. small heat-stable non-lanthionine containing membrane-active peptides and
III. large heat-labile proteins. First, their mode of action is detailed, with emphasis on pore
formation in the cytoplasmatic membrane. Subsequently, the molecular genetics of several
classes of bacteriocins are described in detail, with special attention to nisin as the most
prominent example of the lantibiotic-class. Of the small non-lanthionine bacteriocin class,
the Lactococcus lactococcins, and the Lactobacillus sakacin A and plantaricin A-bacteriocins
are discussed. The principles and mechanisms of immunity and resistance towards bacteriocins are also briefly reported. The biosynthesis of bacteriocins is treated in depth with emphasis on response regulation, post-translational modification, secretion and proteolytic
activation of bacteriocin precursors. To conclude, the role of the leader peptides is outlined
and a conceptual model for bacteriocin maturation is proposed.
Keywords. Antimicrobial peptides, Bacteriocins, Biosynthesis, Genetics, Immunity, Lactic acid
bacteria, Lantibiotics
1
Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Bacteriocins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.1 Lactic Acid Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.2 Bacteriocins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
1.2.1 Lantibiotics (Class I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
1.2.2 Small, Heat-Stable, Non-Lanthionine-Containing,
Membrane-Active Peptides (Class II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
1.2.3 Large Heat-Labile Proteins (Class III) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2
Mode ofAction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3
Genetics of Bacteriocins Produced by Lactic Acid Bacteria . . . . . 27
3.1 Nisin, the Most Prominent Member of the Class IA I Lantibiotics . . 27
3.2 Conjugative Transposition of the Sucrose-Nisin Gene Cluster . . . . 28
3.3 Genetic Organization of the Sucrose-Nisin Transposon Tn5276 . . . 29
3.4 The Class IA II Lantibiotics Lactococcin DR and Lactocin S . . . . . 30
3.5 Class II Non-Lantibiotic Bacteriocins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.5.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.5.2 The Lactococcal bacteriocins, Lactococcin A, B and M . . . . . . . . 31
3.5.3 The Class IIA Bacteriocins Pediocin PA-l/AcH
and Mesentericin Y105 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34