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Putrescine production via the agmatine deiminase pathway increases the growth of Lactococcus lactis and causes the alkalinization of the culture medium

  • Applied microbial and cell physiology
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Abstract

Lactococcus lactis is the most important starter culture organism used in the dairy industry. Although L. lactis species have been awarded Qualified Presumption of Safety status by the European Food Safety Authority, and Generally Regarded as Safe status by the US Food and Drug Administration, some strains can produce the biogenic amine putrescine. One such strain is L. lactis subsp. cremoris CECT 8666 (formerly L. lactis subsp. cremoris GE2-14), which was isolated from Genestoso cheese. This strain catabolizes agmatine to putrescine via the agmatine deiminase (AGDI) pathway, which involves the production of ATP and two ammonium ions. The present work shows that the availability of agmatine and its metabolization to putrescine allows for greater bacterial growth (in a biphasic pattern) and causes the alkalinization of the culture medium in a dose-dependent manner. The construction of a mutant lacking the AGDI cluster (L. lactis CECT 8666 Δagdi) confirmed the latter’s direct role in putrescine production, growth, and medium alkalinization. Alkalinization did not affect the putrescine production pattern and was not essential for increased bacterial growth.

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Acknowledgments

This work was performed with the financial support of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (AGL2013-45431-R) and the CSIC (201270E144). B. del Rio and D. Linares were beneficiaries of a JAE DOC contract (CSIC). The authors thank Adrian Burton for the linguistic assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias, IPLA-CSIC, Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300, Villaviciosa, Spain

    Beatriz del Rio, Daniel M. Linares, Victor Ladero, Begoña Redruello, Maria Fernández, Maria Cruz Martin & Miguel A. Alvarez

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  1. Beatriz del Rio
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  2. Daniel M. Linares
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  3. Victor Ladero
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  4. Begoña Redruello
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  5. Maria Fernández
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  6. Maria Cruz Martin
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  7. Miguel A. Alvarez
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Correspondence to Beatriz del Rio.

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del Rio, B., Linares, D.M., Ladero, V. et al. Putrescine production via the agmatine deiminase pathway increases the growth of Lactococcus lactis and causes the alkalinization of the culture medium. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 99, 897–905 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-6130-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-6130-8

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