Endolysins are page encoded cell wall lytic enzymes which are synthesized late during the virus multiplication and mediate the release of progeny phages. At the Institute of Microbiology, FML Weihenstephan two endolysin genes (ply118 and ply511) were isolated and sequenzed from the Listeria monocytogenes bacteriophages A118 and A511. Ply118 is a L-alanoyl-D-glutamate peptidase and Ply511 acts as N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase. Both enzymes induce a rapid lysis of Listeria cells. Listeria monocytogenes is a widely distributed, gram-positive rod and causes foodborne diseases in dairy products. The expression and secretion of these lysins in starter and ripening organisms such as Lactococcus lactis and Penicillium camemberti might be a possibility for a "natural protection" against Listeria monocytogenes contaminations in dairy products. For the expression of these endolysin genes ply118 and ply511 in Lactococcus an expression vector was constructed. The three lactococcal promoters P21, P32 and P59 were selected for transcription. First, the expression-cassettes P21-ply118, P32-ply118 and P59-ply118 were created into the E. coli vector pBluescript II (-SK) and subsequently cloned into the Lactococcus-E. coli shuttle vector pTRKH2. These new constructed Lactococcus expression vectors were called pLC-PL118-P21, pLC-PL118-P32 and pLC-PL118-P59. The Lactococcus lactis strain carrying pLC-PL118-P32 reaches the highest level of Ply118 expression. On the basis of this result, the endolysin ply511 was cloned under the control of promoter P32. The Ply511 expression vector was named pLC-PL511. High levels of active enzymes were produced and accumulated in the cytoplasmic cell fractions but were not released from the cell at significant levels. Furthermore the endolysin-genes ply118 and ply511 were fused with the SPslpA nucleotid sequence encoding the Lactobacillus brevis S-layer protein signal peptide. As a positive control for the construction the Staphylococcus aureus nuclease, truncated of its own signalsequence was also fused with SPslpA. Expression of SPslpA-ply511 and SPslpA-DSPnuc from pSL-PL511 and pSL-DSPNuc, respectively, resulted in the secretion of both enzymes by L. lactis cells. One clone expressed an unusually strong lytic activity, which was found to be due a 115 bp deletion occured within the 3'-end coding sequence. No active Lactococcus transformants carrying pSL-PL118 were detectable (GAENG et al., 2000) Plasmid pELN5 is an integrating mold expression vector, carrying a E. coli ori (origin of replication) and a constitutive promoter from the Aspergillus nidulans ATP synthase subunit 9 gene oliC31. Ply118 was inserted downstream of the promoter and the resulting plasmid pELN118 was co-transformed into Penicillium camemberti, along with the selectable plasmid p3SR2 carrying the dominant amdS marker gene of Aspergillus nidulans. Selection was carried out on minimal plates with acetamid as sole N-source. Chromosomal integration of the co-transformed vector in Penicillium was verified by PCR amplification and Southern blot analysis. With RT-PCR the endolysin mRNA was detected. Nevertheless no possibility existed to monitor the translation of the active enzyme by western-blotting or plate diffusion tests. This may have be due to very low levels of translation, or degradation of the protein by fungal proteases
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Endolysins are page encoded cell wall lytic enzymes which are synthesized late during the virus multiplication and mediate the release of progeny phages. At the Institute of Microbiology, FML Weihenstephan two endolysin genes (ply118 and ply511) were isolated and sequenzed from the Listeria monocytogenes bacteriophages A118 and A511. Ply118 is a L-alanoyl-D-glutamate peptidase and Ply511 acts as N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase. Both enzymes induce a rapid lysis of Listeria cells. Listeria mon...
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