Staphylococcus warneri ISK-1 produces a lantibiotic, nukacin ISK-1. The nukacin ISK-1 gene cluster consists of at least six genes, nukA, -M, -T, -F, -E, and -G, and two open reading frames, ORF1 and ORF7 (designated nukH). Sequence comparisons suggested that NukF, -E, -G, and -H contribute to immunity to nukacin ISK-1. We investigated the immunity levels of recombinant Lactococcus lactis expressing nukFEG and nukH against nukacin ISK-1. The co-expression of nukFEG and nukH resulted in a high degree of immunity. The expression of either nukFEG or nukH conferred partial immunity against nukacin ISK-1. These results suggest that NukH contributes cooperatively to self-protection with Nuk-FEG. The nukacin ISK-1 immunity system might function against another lantibiotic, lacticin 481. Western blot analysis showed that NukH expressed in Staphylococcus carnosus was localized in the membrane. Peptide release/bind assays indicated that the recombinant L. lactis expressing nukH interacted with nukacin ISK-1 and lacticin 481 but not with nisin A. These findings suggest that NukH contributes cooperatively to host immunity as a novel type of lantibiotic-binding immunity protein with NukFEG.

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The paper deals with the formulation of governing equations of eccentrically stiffened functionally graded plates and shallow shells based upon the classical shell theory and the smeared stiffeners technique taking into account geometrical nonlinearity in Von Karman-Donnell sense. Material properties are assumed to be temperature-independent and graded in the thickness direction according to a simple power law distribution in terms of the volume fraction of constituents. The shells are reinforced by eccentrically longitudinal and transversal stiffeners made of full metal or full ceramic depending on situation of stiffeners at metal-rich side or ceramic-rich side of the shell respectively. Obtained governing equations can be used in research on nonlinear postbuckling of mentioned above structures. By use of the Galerkin method an approximated analytical solution to the nonlinear stability problem of reinforced FGM plates and shallow shells is performed. The postbuckling load-deflection curves of the shells are investigated and analytical expressions of the upper and lower buckling loads are presented. A comparison of the effectiveness of stiffeners in enhancing the stability of FGM plates and shallow shells is given.

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A new nonlinear approach on the buckling and postbuckling of functionally graded orthogonal and/or spiral-stiffened circular cylindrical shells subjected to torsional loads is proposed in this paper. The shells skin are stiffened by eccentrically rings, stringers, and/or spiral stiffeners at the surface of shells assuming that the material distribution laws of shell skin and stiffeners are graded by two distribution models. Lekhnitskii’s smeared stiffeners technique is improved for spiral stiffeners with effect of thermal terms. This is the significant novelty and scientific contribution of this paper. Theoretical formulations were established by using the Donnell shell theory taking into account the geometrical nonlinearity of von Kármán. The obtained results investigated in numerical forms show effects of volume fraction exponent of shell skin and stiffeners, geometrical parameter and stiffeners on the torsional buckling, and postbuckling behavior of functionally graded cylindrical shells. Especially, very large effects of spiral stiffeners on torsional stability behavior are obtained in comparison with same quantity material of orthogonal stiffeners.

A new analytical approach to investigate the nonlinear buckling and postbuckling of the sandwich functionally graded circular cylindrical shells reinforced by ring and stringer or spiral stiffeners subjected to external pressure is presented in this paper. By employing the Donnell shell theory, the geometrical nonlinearity in Von Kármán sense and developed Lekhnitskii’s smeared stiffener technique, the governing equations of sandwich functionally graded circular cylindrical shells are derived. Resulting equations are solved by applying the Galerkin method to obtain the explicit expression of critical buckling external pressure load and postbuckling load–deflection curve. Effects of spiral stiffeners, thermal environment, external pressure, and geometrical parameters on nonlinear buckling behavior of sandwich functionally graded circular cylindrical shells are shown in numerical results.