Annals of Microbiology

, Volume 64, Issue 2, pp 413–420 | Cite as

Mechanisms of nisin resistance in Gram-positive bacteria

Review Article
First Online:
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Accepted:

Abstract

Nisin is the most prominent lantibiotic and is used as a food preservative due to its high potency against certain Gram-positive bacteria. However, the effectiveness of nisin is often affected by environmental factors such as pH, temperature, food composition, structure, as well as food microbiota. The development of nisin resistance has been seen among various Gram-positive bacteria. The mechanisms under the acquisition of nisin resistance are complicated and may differ among strains. This paper presents a brief review of possible mechanisms of the development of resistance to nisin among Gram-positive bacteria.

Keywords

Nisin-resistance Cell wall Membrane phospholipid Two-component system 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31101334) and the Foundation of Hunan Agricultural University (No. 62020111023).

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© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg and the University of Milan 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.College of Bioscience and BiotechnologyHunan Agricultural UniversityFurong DistrictChina
  2. 2.College of Food Science and TechnologyHunan Agricultural UniversityFurong DistrictChina

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