Open AccessConjugal transfer of plasmid‐borne bacteriocin production in Enterococcus faecalis 226 NWC
Author(s) -
Salzano G.,
Villani F.,
Pepe O.,
Sorrentino E.,
Moschetti G.,
Coppola S.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1992.tb05533.x
Subject(s) - bacteriocin , enterococcus faecalis , plasmid , restriction enzyme , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , pulsed field gel electrophoresis , listeria monocytogenes , ecori , bacteria , dna , staphylococcus aureus , genetics , gene , antimicrobial , genotype
Enterococcus faecalis 226 NWC, isolated from natural whey cultures utilized as starter in water‐buffalo Mozzarella cheese manufacture, produces a bacteriocin, designated Enterocin 226 NWC, which is inhibitory to Listeria monocytogenes . Plasmid analysis of E. faecalis 226 NWC showed a single 5.2‐kb plasmid, pEF226. In conjugation experiments, pEF226 was transferred into a plasmid‐free strain of E. faecalis JH2‐2. The transfer required direct cell‐to‐cell contact and was not inhibited by DNase. The identity of conjugation was confirmed by digestion with Sma I restriction endonuclease and subsequent pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of the genomic DNA of E. faecalis 226, E. faecalis JH2‐2 and of the isolates after the mating. The data indicate that the ability of E. faecalis 226 NWC to produce the bacteriocin is linked to the 5.2‐kb conjugative plasmid pEF226.