Staphylococcal Antimicrobial Peptides: Relevant Properties and Potential Biotechnological Applications

Abstract

Bacteriocins are bacterial antimicrobial peptides with bactericidal activity against other bacteria. Staphylococcins are bacteriocins produced by staphylococci, which are Gram-positive bacteria with medical and veterinary importance. Most bacteriocins produced by staphylococci are either lantibiotics (e.g., Pep5, epidermin, epilancin K7, epicidin 280, staphylococcin C55/BacR1, and nukacin ISK-1) or class II bacteriocins (e.g., aureocins A70 and 53). Only one staphylococcin belonging to class III, lysostaphin, has been described so far. Production of staphylococcins is a self-protection mechanism that helps staphylococci to survive in their natural habitats. However, since these substances generally have a broad spectrum of activity, inhibiting several human and animal pathogens, they have potential biotechnological applications either as food preservatives or therapeutic agents. Due to the increasing consumer awareness of the risks derived not only from food-borne pathogens, but also from the artificial chemical preservatives used to control them, the interest in the discovery of natural food preservatives has increased considerably. The emergence and dissemination of antibiotic resistance among human and animal pathogens and their association with the use of antibiotics constitute a serious problem worldwide requiring effective measures for controlling their spread. Staphylococcins may be used, solely or in combination with other chemical agents, to avoid food contamination or spoilage and to prevent or treat bacterial infectious diseases. The use of combinations of antimicrobials is common in the clinical setting and expands the spectrum of organisms that can be targeted, prevents the emergence of resistant organisms, decreases toxicity by allowing lower doses of both agents and can result in synergistic inhibition.

Genes Involved in Immunity to and Secretion of Aureocin A53, an Atypical Class II Bacteriocin Produced by Staphylococcus aureus A53

“…Three-component ABC transporters, whose genetic organization is similar to that of the operon aucEFG, have been shown to contribute to bacteriocin immunity by active extrusion of the peptide, reducing the concentration of the bacteriocin in direct contact with the cytoplasmic membrane (4,23,35,41). To investigate if the ABC transporter encoded by aucEFG is involved in immunity to aureocin A53, a deletion of aucG was generated.…”

Identification, Characterization, and Recombinant Expression of Epidermicin NI01, a Novel Unmodified Bacteriocin Produced by Staphylococcus epidermidis That Displays Potent Activity against Staphylococci

“…The location of the tryptophan has also been shown to affect the extent to which penetration occurs (6,9,32). In the synthetic peptide cecropin A (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8) -magainin 2 (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12) (consisting of residues 1 to 8 of cecropin A and residues 1 to 12 o f magainin 2), tryptophan has been proposed as a potential anchor site on the membrane (37). Epidermicin, aureocin A53, and lacticin Z are highly cationic with a net charge of ϩ8, and lacticin Q has a net charge of ϩ6.…”

“…Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis are prolific producers of bacteriocins, often referred to as staphylococcins (2). Many bacteriocins have been isolated from S. aureus, including staphylococcin C55 (34), type II bacteriocin aureocin A53 (36), and Bsa (bacteriocin of S. aureus) lantibiotic identified in community strains of S. aureus (7).…”

Prolonged Growth of a Clinical Staphylococcus aureus Strain Selects for a Stable Small-Colony-Variant Cell Type

“…Type A (I) lantibiotics act similarly to bacteriocins and have a similar effect on sensitive bacteria, including other Grampositive bacteria and S. aureus itself. They have multiple modes of bactericidal activity, mainly through the targeting of lipid II (51). Slow-growing and stable SCV cells could therefore have an inherent resistance (in addition to the resistance that is mediated by an export pump, which was also induced in the stable SCV cells).…”