Identifying the membrane receptor protein of plantaricin JK by whole genome sequencing of plantaricin JK-resistant mutants. Plantaricin JK receptor

A putative membrane protein receptor of the two-peptide bacteriocin plantaricin JK was identified by comparing Illumina sequence reads from plantaricin JK-resistant mutants to a crude assembly of the sensitive wild-type Weissella viridescens genome using the polymorphism discovery tool VAAL. Ten resistant mutants harbored altogether seven independent mutations in a gene encoding an APC superfamily protein with 12 transmembrane helices. Three of the mutations lead to truncation of the encoded protein, while four mutations lead to amino acid residue changes in either transmembrane helix 10 or an extracellular domain between helix 11 and 12.