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Co-synthesis of kenyacin 404 and heterologous thurincin H enhances the antibacterial activity of Bacillus thuringiensis

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Abstract

Objectives

To develop a recombinant strain of Bacillus thuringiensis that synthesizes two bacteriocins that enhance the antibacterial potency of the strain and that could have applied clinical and industrial value.

Results

We cloned the thurincin H cluster into the pHT3101 vector by assembling two genetic cassettes harboring genes for the synthesis, modification, immunity and transport of thurincin H. This construct was used to transform a thurincin H-sensitive strain of B. thuringiensis that synthesizes the kenyacin 404 to generate the recombinant Btk 404/pThurH which was immune to thurincin H and produces bacteriocins of approximately 3 kDa. A significant increase in the inhibitory activity, respectively, ~ 40 and 300%, was observed when compared with parental Btm 269 and Btk 404. Btk 404/pThurH showed increased activity against ten Gram-positive bacteria, including B. cereus, Listeria monocytogenes and B. pseudomycoides, and the Gram-negative bacterium, Sphingobacterium cabi. However, an antagonistic effect against Vibrio parahaemolyticus, relative to native strains, was observed.

Conclusions

We have generated a recombinant strain of B. thuringiensis that co-synthesizes two bacteriocins (kenyacin 404, thurincin H) with improved inhibitory activity, when compared with parental strains. To our knowledge, this is the first study that shows that B. thuringiensis could be manipulated to produce two bacteriocins, one being of heterologous origin, that enhance the antibacterial activity of the recombinant strain.

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Acknowledgements

Zuleyka S. Oros-Flores is a graduate student of the Master in BioScience that received a scholarship by “Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología” (CONACYT) México. Luz E. Casados-Váquez is a Young Associate Research supported by CONACYT (Grant 269). This study was partially supported by Grant SEP-CONACyT (258220) to J.E. B-C, and “Problemas Nacionales”-CONACYT (Grant 3664) to L.E. C-V.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Life Science Division, Graduate Program in Biosciences, University of Guanajuato Campus Irapuato-Salamanca, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

    Zuleyka S. Oros-Flores, Luz E. Casados-Vázquez, Rubén Salcedo-Hernández & José E. Barboza-Corona

  2. Life Science Division, Food Department, University of Guanajuato Campus Irapuato-Salamanca, 36500, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

    Luz E. Casados-Vázquez, Rubén Salcedo-Hernández & José E. Barboza-Corona

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, California Baptist University, 8432 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA, 92504, USA

    Dennis K. Bideshi

  4. Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    Dennis K. Bideshi

Authors
  1. Zuleyka S. Oros-Flores
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  2. Luz E. Casados-Vázquez
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  3. Dennis K. Bideshi
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  4. Rubén Salcedo-Hernández
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  5. José E. Barboza-Corona
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Correspondence to José E. Barboza-Corona.

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Oros-Flores, Z.S., Casados-Vázquez, L.E., Bideshi, D.K. et al. Co-synthesis of kenyacin 404 and heterologous thurincin H enhances the antibacterial activity of Bacillus thuringiensis. Biotechnol Lett 40, 1531–1540 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-018-2601-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-018-2601-9

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