JAC Advance Access originally published online on January 9, 2007
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2007 59(2):297-300; doi:10.1093/jac/dkl495
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The spectrum of antimicrobial activity of the bacteriocin subtilosin A
1 Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, The University of Michigan School of Dentistry, 1210 Eisenhower Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA 2 Department of Chemistry and Biophysics Research Division, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Received 14 August 2006; returned 21 September 2006; revised 9 November 2006; accepted 12 November 2006
* Corresponding author. Tel: +1-734-975-0946; Fax: +1-734-975-9329; E-mail: ceshelbu{at}umich.edu
BACKGROUND: Bacterocins are antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria with a relatively narrow range of activity against closely related organisms. Subtilosin A is a bacteriocin produced by Bacillus subtilis that has activity against Listeria monocytogenes, which might indicate antimicrobial activity unusual for bacteriocins.
OBJECTIVES: To examine the antimicrobial activity and factors affecting the activity of subtilosin A against a range of potentially pathogenic bacteria.
METHODS: The peptide was purified from cultures of B. subtilis and the MIC determined for 18 species of bacteria using a microdilution methodology. The extent of capsule formation was determined using microscopic examination of cells mounted in India ink. Protease mutants of a susceptible bacteria and mild heat shock were used to examine the effect of environmental stress on subtilosin A activity.
RESULTS: Subtilosin A proved to have antimicrobial activity against a wide range of bacteria including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and both aerobes and anaerobes. The peptide was less effective against capsulated forms of two Gram-negative bacteria than the non-capsulated strains of either. Heat shock but not protease activity also altered the effectiveness of the bacteriocin.
CONCLUSIONS: Subtilosin A has limited antimicrobial activity against a number of human pathogens which, combined with its relative ineffectiveness against some capsulated pathogens, may limit its usefulness as a human therapeutic.
Keywords: antimicrobial peptides , capsules , heat shock
Present address. The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India.
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