Characterization of maltocin S16, a phage tail‐like bacteriocin with antibacterial activity againstStenotrophomonas maltophiliaandEscherichia coli

Abstract

Aims To determine the characteristics of the novel phage tail‐like bacteriocin (PTLB) produced by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia S16. Methods and Results A screen to identify novel bacteriocins from a panel of 86 S. maltophilia strains was performed. We found that 62 tested S. maltophilia strains were sensitive to a PTLB, designated maltocin S16. In addition, 8 of 14 tested Escherichia coli strains were also susceptible to maltocin S16. Minimum inhibitory concentration determination confirmed that maltocin S16 had rather high bactericidal activity against both S. maltophilia and E. coli. Maltocin S16 was resistant to trypsin and proteinase K. Furthermore, lipopolysaccharide was found to be involved in the adsorption of maltocin S16. The gene cluster of maltocin S16 was consisted of 23 putative open reading frames. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that maltocin S16 represents a new class of PTLB in S. maltophilia. Conclusion Maltocin S16 was a novel PTLB with broad‐spectrum and high bactericidal activity against S. maltophilia and E. coli. Significance and Impact of the Study Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a multidrug‐resistant opportunistic pathogen with increasing contributions to infectious disease morbidity and mortality. Maltocin S16 could be a promising alternative for antibiotics against S. maltophilia and E. coli infections.

Purification and characterization of a novel bacteriocin produced by Acinetobacter movanagherensis AS isolated from goat rectum

“…Similar results were found in various other reports where bacteriocin was inactivated when treated with proteolytic enzymes (J. Chen et al, 2019;Le et al, 2019).…”

An Overview of the Potentialities of Antimicrobial Peptides Derived from Natural Sources

“…R-type phage-tail-like bacteriocins are nonflexible and have tubes surrounded by contractile sheaths [ 25 ]. They initially make a channel in the cell membrane and successively drive their internal core into the cell.…”

“…F-type phage-tail-like bacteriocins are flexible and noncontractile [ 25 ]. They act similarly to R-type bacteriocins [ 27 ].…”

The Potential of Phage Therapy against the Emerging Opportunistic Pathogen Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

“…These large protein complexes resemble the tails of Siphoviridae and Myoviridae phage particles and have bactericidal activity against bacteria related to the producing strain [179]. Two PTLBs have been identified in S. maltophilia, maltocin P28 and S16 [171,180]. Liu and colleagues identified maltocin P28 as phage tail-like particles in electron micrographs of filamentous phage ΦSHP2; purification of these particles indicated that they contained no genetic material but had antimicrobial activity against both environmental and clinical S. maltophilia isolates [171].…”

“…Liu and colleagues identified maltocin P28 as phage tail-like particles in electron micrographs of filamentous phage ΦSHP2; purification of these particles indicated that they contained no genetic material but had antimicrobial activity against both environmental and clinical S. maltophilia isolates [171]. In 2019, the same group of researchers published on a second maltocin, S16, that had broad antibacterial activity against 62 out of 86 S. maltophilia strains tested and remarkably eight out of 14 E. coli strains [180]. The authors suggest that maltocins are widespread in S. maltophilia, possibly providing a range of novel antimicrobial alternatives to antibiotics yet to be discovered.…”