Control of the transcription of a short gene encoding a cyclic peptide in Streptococcus thermophilus: a new quorum-sensing system?

ABSTRACT: Gram-positive bacteria secrete a variety of peptides that are often subjected to posttranslational modifications and that are either antimicrobials or pheromones involved in bacterial communication. Our objective was to identify peptides secreted by Streptococcus thermophilus, a nonpathogenic bacterium widely used in dairy technology in association with other bacteria, and to understand their potential roles in cell-cell communication. Using reverse-phase liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and Edman sequencing, we analyzed the culture supernatants of three S. thermophilus strains (CNRZ1066, LMG18311, and LMD-9) grown in a medium containing no peptides. We identified several peptides in the culture supernatants, some of them found with the three strains while others were specific to

SUBMITTER: Ibrahim M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2168622 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature