YbfA regulates the sensitivity of Escherichia coli K12 to plantaricin BM-1 via the BasS/BasR two-component regulatory system

<i>Escherichia coli</i> is a kind of gram-negative bacteria living in environment. Some strains of <i>E. coli</i> can cause food borne diseases under certain conditions. Plantaricin BM-1 is a class IIa bacteriocin produced by <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i>. It has certain antibacterial activity against a variety of food borne pathogens including <i>E. coli</i>, and has broad application prospects in the field of food preservation. At present, the mechanism underlying the action of class IIa bacteriocins against gram-positive bacteria has been thoroughly studied, but the mechanism underlying the action of gram-negative bacteria remains to be explored. To address this important question, in this study we mainly investigate the regulatory mechanism of YbfA<i> </i>protein on the sensitivity of plantaricin BM-1 in <i>E. coli</i>. According to our results, YbfA regulates the sensitivity of <i>E. coli</i> K12 to plantaricin BM-1 via the BasS/BasR two-component regulatory system. Our findings may thus contribute to understanding the antibacterial mechanism of class IIa bacteriocins against gram-negative bacteria.<br>

大肠杆菌（Escherichia coli）是一类栖息于环境中的革兰氏阴性菌。部分大肠杆菌菌株在特定条件下可引发食源性疾病。植物乳杆菌素BM-1（Plantaricin BM-1）是由植物乳杆菌（Lactobacillus plantarum）产生的IIa类细菌素，对包括大肠杆菌在内的多种食源性致病菌具有一定抗菌活性，在食品保鲜领域拥有广阔的应用前景。目前，学界已对IIa类细菌素抗革兰氏阳性菌的作用机制开展了深入研究，但针对其抗革兰氏阴性菌的作用机制仍有待进一步探索。为解答这一重要科学问题，本研究主要探讨了YbfA蛋白对大肠杆菌中植物乳杆菌素BM-1敏感性的调控机制。研究结果显示，YbfA可通过BasS/BasR双组分调控系统调节大肠杆菌K12对植物乳杆菌素BM-1的敏感性。本研究结果可为深入解析IIa类细菌素抗革兰氏阴性菌的抗菌机制提供参考。