Genome Sequencing Reveals a Large and Diverse Repertoire of Antimicrobial Peptides.

ABSTRACT: Competition among bacterial members of the same ecological niche is mediated by bacteriocins: antimicrobial peptides produced by bacterial species to kill other bacteria. Bacteriocins are also promising candidates for novel antimicrobials. Streptococcus pneumoniae (the "pneumococcus") is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and a frequent colonizer of the human nasopharynx. Here, 14 newly discovered bacteriocin gene clusters were identified among >6,200 pneumococcal genomes. The molecular epidemiology of the bacteriocin clusters was investigated using a large global and historical pneumococcal dataset dating from 1916. These analyses revealed extraordinary bacteriocin diversity among pneumococci and the majority of bacteriocin clusters were also found in other strept

SUBMITTER: Rezaei Javan R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6120550 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature