Previously, we reported isolation and characterization of mutacin III and genetic analysis of mutacin III biosynthesis genes from the group III strain of Streptococcus mutans, UA787 (F. Qi, P. Chen, and P. W. Caufield, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65:3880-3887, 1999). During the same process of isolating the mutacin III structural gene, we also cloned the structural gene for mutacin I. In this rep...

Mutacin I, a bacteriocin produced by streptococcus mutans, displays an antimicrobial activity against many gram positive and some gram negative bacteria. Because of its medical importance, production of this short peptide in large scale for future applications is a significant challenge. This work described the improvement of a novel system to produce the recombinant mutacin using fusion protei...

Mutacin II is a ribosomally synthesized peptide lantibiotic produced by group II Streptococcus mutans. DNA sequencing has revealed that the mutacin II biosynthetic gene cluster consists of seven specific open reading frames: a regulator (mutR), the prepromutacin structural gene (mutA), a modifying protein (mutM), an ABC transporter (mutT), and an immunity cluster (mutFEG). Transformations of a ...

Lantibiotics are ribosomally synthesized peptide antibiotics composed of an N-terminal leader peptide that promotes the core peptide's interaction with the post translational modification (PTM) enzymes. Following PTMs, mutacin 1140 is transported out of the cell and the leader peptide is cleaved to yield the antibacterial peptide. Mutacin 1140 leader peptide is structurally unique compared to o...

Previously, members of our group reported the isolation and characterization of mutacin II from Streptococcus mutans T8 and the genetic analyses of the mutacin II biosynthesis genes (J. Novak, P. W. Caufield, and E. J. Miller, J. Bacteriol. 176:4316-4320, 1994; F. Qi, P. Chen, and P. W. Caufield, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65:652-658, 1999; P. Chen, F. Qi, J. Novak, and P. W. Caufield, Appl. Env...

The production of bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances, mutacins, by mutans streptococci varies among isolates. To find if the degree of mutacin activity of an isolate was related to its transmission between mother and her child, 19 mothers and their 18-month- to 3-year-old children were sampled for their oral mutans streptococci. In addition, the stability of mutacin activity was studied wit...

Mutacin II is an antibiotic that is produced by group II Streptococcus mutans. It inhibits the growth of other streptococci as well as many other gram-positive microorganisms by a hitherto unknown mechanism. Mutacin II possess bactericidal activity against susceptible cells. It transiently depolarizes the transmembrane electrical potential (delta psi) and the transmembrane pH gradient (delta pH...

Certain members of the indigenous biota of humans produce antimicrobial substances called bacteriocins, which inhibit other bacteria, including members of their own species. One of these substances, mutacin, is made by Streptococcus mutans, a member of the oral biota. Mutacin inhibits other mutans streptococci as well as many gram-positive exogenous pathogens. Here, we report for the first time...

By means of a stepwise selection procedure, mutants capable of growing in the presence of relatively high multiplicities of a bacteriocin from Streptococcus mutans GS-5 were obtained from a sensitivie strain of Streptococcus pyogenes. Mutacin-neutralizing activity of cell extracts containing receptor protein was examined in one variant that adsorbed 1/6 the amount of bacteriocin adsorbed by the...

Mutacin II, elaborated by group II Streptococcus mutans, is a ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified polypeptide antibiotic containing unusual thioether and didehydro amino acids. To ascertain the role of specific amino acid residues in mutacin II antimicrobial activity, we developed a streptococcal expression system that facilitates the replacement of the mutA gene with a sin...