S92: Heterologous expression of bacteriocins

Class II bacteriocins are small, heat-stable, antimicrobial peptides produced by lactic acid bacteria. These bacteriocins generally have an antimicrobial effect on Listeria species as well as a broad range of lactic acid bacteria. Due to this spectrum of activity and the inherent stability of the bacteriocins, Class II bacteriocins have a wide range of potential industrial applications including use in food preservation, brewing, bio-industrial fermentations, and medical applications.

Because of the numerous applications of Class II bacteriocins, there is an industrial demand for the production of these peptides. Bacteriocins are most commonly produced by their native production strains and purified from the culture media. This production and purification has historically resulted in a multi-step, time-consuming purification coupled with a low production yield. High level, heterologous expression is an attractive option for bacteriocin production; heterologous expression has been attempted in Eschericia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and several species of lactic acid bacteria. However, production of bacteriocins is often hampered by the nature of the peptides: they often have an antimicrobial effect on the production strain. This antimicrobial effect hampers bacteriocin production.

We will present our novel strategies for the heterologous expression of bacteriocins for bio-industrial applications.