Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1989 Mar;171(3):1597–1601. doi: 10.1128/jb.171.3.1597-1601.1989

Nisin, a peptide antibiotic: cloning and sequencing of the nisA gene and posttranslational processing of its peptide product.

C Kaletta 1, K D Entian 1
PMCID: PMC209786  PMID: 2493449

Abstract

Nisin produced by Streptococcus lactis is used as a food preservative and is the most important member of a group of antibiotics containing lanthionine bridges. To understand the genetic basis of these so-called lantibiotics (Schnell et al., Nature 333:276-278, 1988), we characterized the nisin structural gene, nisA, which is located on a plasmid and codes for a 57-amino-acid prepeptide. The prepeptide is processed posttranslationally to the pentacyclic antibiotic. Although nisin and the recently elucidated lantibiotic epidermin from Staphylococcus epidermidis are produced by different organisms, their gene organization is identical. As with epidermin, the nisin propeptide corresponds to the C-terminus of the prepeptide. The N-terminus of the prepeptide is cleaved at a characteristic splice site (Pro--2 Arg--1 Ile-+1). Remarkably, the N-terminus of prenisin shares 70% similarity with preepidermin, although the propeptide sequences are distinctly different. The structural similarities between these two lantibiotics are consistent with the fact that there is a common mechanism of biosynthesis of these lanthionine-containing antibiotics.

Full text

PDF
1597

Images in this article

1598Image
on p.1598

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Allgaier H., Jung G., Werner R. G., Schneider U., Zähner H. Epidermin: sequencing of a heterodetic tetracyclic 21-peptide amide antibiotic. Eur J Biochem. 1986 Oct 1;160(1):9–22. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1986.tb09933.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Borst P. How proteins get into microbodies (peroxisomes, glyoxysomes, glycosomes). Biochim Biophys Acta. 1986 May 5;866(4):179–203. doi: 10.1016/0167-4781(86)90044-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Buchman G. W., Banerjee S., Hansen J. N. Structure, expression, and evolution of a gene encoding the precursor of nisin, a small protein antibiotic. J Biol Chem. 1988 Nov 5;263(31):16260–16266. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. CRAIG L. C., WEISIGER J. R., HAUSMANN W., HARFENIST E. J. The separation and characterization of bacitracin polypeptides. J Biol Chem. 1952 Nov;199(1):259–266. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Chassy B. M. A gentle method for the lysis of oral streptococci. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1976 Jan 26;68(2):603–608. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(76)91188-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Consden R., Gordon A. H., Martin A. J. Gramicidin S: the sequence of the amino-acid residues. Biochem J. 1947;41(4):596–602. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fuchs P. G., Zajdel J., Dobrzański W. T. Possible plasmid nature of the determinant for production of the antibiotic nisin in some strains of Streptococcus lactis. J Gen Microbiol. 1975 May;88(1):189–192. doi: 10.1099/00221287-88-1-189. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gonzalez C. F., Kunka B. S. Transfer of Sucrose-Fermenting Ability and Nisin Production Phenotype among Lactic Streptococci. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1985 Mar;49(3):627–633. doi: 10.1128/aem.49.3.627-633.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gross E., Kiltz H. H. The number and nature of , -unsaturated amino acids in subtilin. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1973 Jan 23;50(2):559–565. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(73)90876-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gross E., Morell J. L. The structure of nisin. J Am Chem Soc. 1971 Sep 8;93(18):4634–4635. doi: 10.1021/ja00747a073. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hattori M., Sakaki Y. Dideoxy sequencing method using denatured plasmid templates. Anal Biochem. 1986 Feb 1;152(2):232–238. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(86)90403-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Ingram L. A ribosomal mechanism for synthesis of peptides related to nisin. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1970 Nov 12;224(1):263–265. doi: 10.1016/0005-2787(70)90642-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kellner R., Jung G., Hörner T., Zähner H., Schnell N., Entian K. D., Götz F. Gallidermin: a new lanthionine-containing polypeptide antibiotic. Eur J Biochem. 1988 Oct 15;177(1):53–59. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1988.tb14344.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kozak W., Rajchert-Trzpil M., Dobrzański W. T. Preliminary observations on the influence of proflavin, ethidium bromide and elevated temperature on the production of the antibiotic nisin by Streptococcus lactis strains. Bull Acad Pol Sci Biol. 1973 Dec;21(12):811–817. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kruse H., Hurst A. Preparation of spheroplasts from Streptococcus lactis. Can J Microbiol. 1972 Jun;18(6):825–831. doi: 10.1139/m72-128. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. McKay L. L., Baldwin K. A., Zottola E. A. Loss of lactose metabolism in lactic streptococci. Appl Microbiol. 1972 Jun;23(6):1090–1096. doi: 10.1128/am.23.6.1090-1096.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rogers L. A. THE INHIBITING EFFECT OF STREPTOCOCCUS LACTIS ON LACTOBACILLUS BULGARICUS. J Bacteriol. 1928 Nov;16(5):321–325. doi: 10.1128/jb.16.5.321-325.1928. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Sahl H. G. Influence of the staphylococcinlike peptide Pep 5 on membrane potential of bacterial cells and cytoplasmic membrane vesicles. J Bacteriol. 1985 May;162(2):833–836. doi: 10.1128/jb.162.2.833-836.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Schnell N., Entian K. D., Schneider U., Götz F., Zähner H., Kellner R., Jung G. Prepeptide sequence of epidermin, a ribosomally synthesized antibiotic with four sulphide-rings. Nature. 1988 May 19;333(6170):276–278. doi: 10.1038/333276a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Southern E. M. Detection of specific sequences among DNA fragments separated by gel electrophoresis. J Mol Biol. 1975 Nov 5;98(3):503–517. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(75)80083-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Steele J. L., McKay L. L. Partial characterization of the genetic basis for sucrose metabolism and nisin production in Streptococcus lactis. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1986 Jan;51(1):57–64. doi: 10.1128/aem.51.1.57-64.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Tsai H. J., Sandine W. E. Conjugal transfer of nisin plasmid genes from Streptococcus lactis 7962 to Leuconostoc dextranicum 181. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1987 Feb;53(2):352–357. doi: 10.1128/aem.53.2.352-357.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES