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The Mechanism of Antibacterial Action of the Lantibiotic Warnerin

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Abstract

Evidence of membranotropic activity of the lantibiotic warnerin was obtained for warnerin-sensitive bacteria Staphylococcus cohnii VKM-3165. Warnerin attack led to increased bacterial respiratory activity and accumulation of reactive oxygen species resulting in the death of staphylococci. Warnerin caused dissipation of the transmembrane potential with release of potassium ions and ATP from the cells. Dissipation of the potential resulted in activation of bacterial autolysis, which depends on the value of the electrical component of the membrane potential. ΔΨ dissipation in the presence of valinomycin, a potassium transporter, almost neutralized the activation of the peptidoglycan hydrolase complex by warnerin. Electron microscopy of bacterial internal structure and scanning of the surface of warnerin-attacked cells of S. cohnii VKM-3165 confirmed the depth and irreversibility of warnerin action.

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Funding

The present work was supported under the state-sponsored Program “Molecular Mechanisms of Microbial Adaptation to Environmental Factors,” project registration no. AAAA-A19-119112290009-1. The work was performed using the equipment of the Material and Substance Research shared use center of the Perm Federal Research Center (Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences).

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  1. Institute of Ecology and Genetics of Microorganisms, Perm Federal Research Center, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 614081, Perm, Russia

    V. P. Korobov, L. M. Lemkina & T. V. Polyudova

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  1. V. P. Korobov
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  2. L. M. Lemkina
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  3. T. V. Polyudova
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Correspondence to T. V. Polyudova.

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Translated by A. Oleskin

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Korobov, V.P., Lemkina, L.M. & Polyudova, T.V. The Mechanism of Antibacterial Action of the Lantibiotic Warnerin. Microbiology 91, 184–191 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261722020059

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