Proteome of Corynebacterium glutamicum at different pH values

Recently, we established Corynebacterium glutamicum as a suitable production host for various bacteriocins including garvicin Q (GarQ). Here, we establish secretion of GarQ by C. glutamicum via the Sec translocon. At neutral pH, the cationic peptide is efficiently adsorbed to the negatively charged envelope of producer bacteria limiting availability of the bacteriocin in culture supernatants. Using a reporter strain and proteomic analyses, we identified HtrA, a protease associated with secretion stress, as another potential factor limiting GarQ production.