Bacteriocinogenic Bacteria Isolated from Raw Goat Milk and Goat Cheese Produced in the Center of México.

Currently, there are few reports on the isolation of microorganisms from goat milk and goat cheese that have antibacterial activity. In particular, there are no reports on the isolation of microorganisms with antibacterial activity from these products in central Mexico. Our objective was to isolate bacteria, from goat products, that synthesized antimicrobial peptides with activity against a variety of clinically significant bacteria. We isolated and identified Lactobacillus rhamnosus, L. plantarum, L. pentosus, L. helveticus and Enterococcus faecium from goat cheese, and Aquabacterium fontiphilum, Methylibium petroleiphilum, Piscinobacter aquaticus and Staphylococcus xylosus from goat milk. These bacteria isolated from goat cheese were able to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, L. inoccua, Pseudomona aeruginosa, Shigella flexneri, Serratia marcescens, Enterobacter cloacae and Klebsiella pneumoniae. In addition, bacteria from goat milk showed inhibitory activity against B. cereus, L. lactis, E. coli, S. flexneri, E. cloacae and K. pneumonia; S. aureus, L. innocua, S. agalactiae and S. marcescens. The bacteriocins produced by these isolates were shown to be acid stable (pH 2-6) and thermotolerant (up to 100 °C), but were susceptible to proteinases. When screened by PCR for the presence of nisin, pediocin and enterocin A genes, none was found in isolates recovered from goat milk, and only the enterocin A gene was found in isolates from goat cheese.

The endochitinase ChiA Btt of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis DSM-2803 and its potential use to control the phytopathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides.

Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis DSM-2803 has been studied extensively and spore/crystal mixtures of this strain are used widely in commercial products to control coleopteran pests. The endochitinase chiA Btt gene of B. thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis DSM-2803 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant 6x-histidine tagged protein (rChiA Btt, ~74 kDa), was purified by a HiTrap Ni affinity column. The Km of rChiA Btt was 0.847 µmol L-1 and its optimal activity occurred at pH 7 and ~40°C. Most divalent cations reduced endochitinase activity but only Hg+2 abolished activity of the enzyme. We report for the first time the characterization of a chitinase synthesized by B. thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis DSM-2803, and show that the purified rChiA74 Btt reduced the radial growth and increased the hyphal density of Colletotrichium gloeosporioides, the etiological agent of "anthracnose" in plants.

Isolation and characterization of bacteriocinogenic lactic bacteria from M-Tuba and Tepache, two traditional fermented beverages in México.

Mexican Tuba (M-Tuba) and Tepache are Mexican fermented beverages prepared mainly with pineapple pulp and coconut palm, respectively. At present, reports on the microbiota and nutritional effects of both beverages are lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine whether M-Tuba and Tepache contain cultivable lactic acid bacteria (LAB) capable of producing bacteriocins. Tepache and M-Tuba contain mesophilic aerobic bacteria, LAB, and yeast. Bacillus subtilis, Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria innocua, Streptococcus agalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhimurium, and Salmonella spp, were the microorganisms most susceptible to metabolites produced by bacterial isolates. M-Tuba and Tepache contain bacteria that harbor genes coding for nisin and enterocin, but not pediocin. The presence of Lactococcus lactis and E. faecium in M-Tuba and Tepache, was identified by 16S rDNA. These bacteria produced bacteriocins of ∼3.5 kDa and 4.0-4.5 kDa, respectively. Partial purified bacteriocins showed inhibitory effect against Micrococcus luteus, L. monocytogenes, L. innocua, Str. agalactiae, S. aureus, Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis, E. faecalis, and K. pneumoniae. We characterized, for the first time, cultivable microbiota of M-Tuba and Tepache, and specifically, identified candidate lactic bacteria (LAB) present in these beverages that were capable of synthesizing antimicrobial peptides, which collectively could provide food preservative functions.

Characterization, N-terminal sequencing and classification of Tolworthcin 524: A bacteriocin produced by Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tolworthi.

Bacteriocins synthesized by entomopathogenic Bacillus thuringiensis are gaining attention owing to their inhibitory effects against a wide variety of pathogenic bacteria. In the present study, we purified and characterized Tolworthcin 524, a bacteriocin synthesized by B. thuringiensis subsp. tolworthi, and compared it with other bacteriocins synthesized by B. thuringiensis. Tolworthcin 524 was separated and purified from the secretome of B. thuringiensis by fast protein liquid chromatography with a gel filtration column to obtain yields of 17% and a specific activity of ∼3600U/mgprotein. The purified product showed two peptides of ∼9 and 6kDa with antimicrobial activity in a gel-screening assay. The purified product was analyzed by two-dimensional electrophoresis and the resolved peptides of ∼9 and 6kDa with isoelectric points of ∼8 were sequenced. Partial sequences (METPVVQPR and DWTCWSCLVCAACS) were obtained suggesting that the ∼9 and 6kDa correspond to the prebacteriocin and mature Tolworthcin 524, respectively. Sequences showed high identity with Thurincin H and Thuricin 17 and had a conserved motif with other bacteriocins of B. thuringiensis. Based on sequence data, Tolworthcin 524 was classified in subclass II.2 (Thuricin-like peptides) of the Bacillus bacteriocin classification scheme. The larger peptide did not harbor a sequence suggestive of a signal peptide neither did it contain the double-glycine (GG) motif characteristic of the secretion leader recognized by the ABC transport system. Implications of these properties in Tolworthcin 524 secretion are discussed.

Bacteriocins of Bacillus thuringiensis can expand the potential of this bacterium to other areas rather than limit its use only as microbial insecticide.

Various strains of Bacillus thuringiensis are among the most successful entomopathogenic bacteria used commercially as biopesticides owing to their ability to synthesize insecticidal crystal (Cry) and cytolytic (Cyt) protein toxins during sporulation, and vegetative insecticidal (VIPs) proteins during the vegetative phase of growth. Whereas much is known about the molecular biology of Cry, Cyt, and VIPs, comparatively little is known about other proteins and metabolites synthesized by B. thuringiensis that could also have applied value. Here, we review recent reports on bacteriocins synthesized by this bacterium as they relate to antibacterial activity, molecular genetics, biophysical and biochemical properties, and methods used to separate and purify these antimicrobial peptides. We highlight the potential of bacteriocins for use as food preservatives, antibiotics, plant protection, and plant growth promoters. We suggest that B. thuringiensis could be used not only in biological control of insects but also in other agronomical and industrial areas of public interest.

High-level synthesis of endochitinase ChiA74 in Escherichia coli K12 and its promising potential for use in biotechnology.

In the present study, we expressed the chiA74 gene of Bacillus thuringiensis in Escherichia coli K12 and demonstrated that the active ChiA74 enzyme was produced at a high level in this strain. The ChiA74 enzymatic activity (in units per milliliter) was approximately 500 % greater in E. coli K12 when compared to that produced in E. coli DH5α. Moreover, we showed that, when using our protocol, ChiA74 preparations obtained from recombinant E. coli K12 did not contain live bacteria, although transformable DNA (erm, bla genes) was detected. Nucleic acids were subsequently easily eliminated when samples were treated with magnesium. Importantly, ChiA74 was secreted by E. coli K12 and the active enzyme was shown to generate chitin-derived oligosaccharides (C-OGS) with degrees of polymerization of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. From an applied perspective, the C-OGS showed activity against various pathogenic bacteria. In addition, we demonstrated that ChiA74 was not toxic to Hek 293 and 3T3 L1 cells, i.e., the enzyme did not induce apoptosis or affect normal cellular cycle and also did not produce abnormal changes in cell morphology. The potential biotechnological use of producing endochitinase of B. thuringiensis in a microorganism recognized as safe (i.e., E. coli K12) is discussed.

Expanding the use of a fluorogenic method to determine activity and mode of action of Bacillus thuringiensis bacteriocins against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Previously we described a rapid fluorogenic method to measure the activity of five bacteriocins produced by Mexican strains of Bacillus thuringiensis against B. cereus 183. Here we standardize this method to efficiently determine the activity of bacteriocins against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. It was determined that the crucial parameter required to obtain reproducible results was the number of cells used in the assay, that is, ~4 × 10(8) cell/mL and ~7 × 10(8) cell/mL, respectively, for target Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Comparative analyses of the fluorogenic and traditional well-diffusion assays showed correlation coefficients of 0.88 to 0.99 and 0.83 to 0.99, respectively, for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The fluorogenic method demonstrated that the five bacteriocins of B. thuringiensis have bacteriolytic and bacteriostatic activities against all microorganisms tested, including clinically significant bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, Proteus vulgaris, and Shigella flexneri reported previously to be resistant to the antimicrobials as determined using the well-diffusion protocol. These results demonstrate that the fluorogenic assay is a more sensitive, reliable, and rapid method when compared with the well-diffusion method and can easily be adapted in screening protocols for bacteriocin production by other microorganisms.

Effects of physical culture parameters on bacteriocin production by Mexican strains of Bacillus thuringiensis after cellular induction.

We have shown previously that in the presence of inducer Bacillus cereus 183, significant increases in bacteriocin production and bactericidal activity of B. thuringiensis occur when the latter is cultivated at pH 7.2, 28°C, and 180 rpm. Here we show that this activity can be further improved when B. thuringiensis is induced with B. cereus 183 and then cultivated with modification of pH, temperature, and agitation. Five native strains of B. thuringiensis, LBIT 269, LBIT 287, LBIT 404, LBIT 420, and LBIT 524 which synthesize, respectively, morricin 269, kurstacin 287, kenyacin 404, entomocin 420, and tolworthcin 524, were cultivated in four different fermentation media. Of these, fermentation in tryptic soy broth (TSB) yielded the highest level of bacteriocin activity (~100-133 FU). Bacteria grown in TSB were induced with B. cereus 183 and cultivated at different pH (6.0, 7.2, 8.0), temperature (26, 28, 30°C), and agitation (150, 180, 210 rpm). Full factorial design was performed and results were analyzed with analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey multiple comparison tests at significant level of α ≤ 0.05 to study the influence of the three variables on bacterial growth and bacteriocin production. Our data show that the highest bacteriocin activity was found with LBIT 269 and LBIT 404 with an increase of ~95-100% compared with induced B. thuringiensis strains cultivated under fixed conditions (pH 7.2, 28°C, 180 rpm), for which the data were set at 0%. The optimal conditions for morricin 269 and kenyacin 404 production were, respectively, pH 8, 30°C, 210 rpm and pH 7.2, 26°C, 210 rpm.