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Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 08 1995, 3024-3030, Vol 61, No. 8
V Juillard, D Le Bars, ER Kunji, WN Konings, JC Gripon and J Richard
The consumption of amino acids and peptides was monitored during growth in
milk of proteinase-positive (Prt+) and -negative (Prt-) strains of
Lactococcus lactis. The Prt- strains showed monophasic exponential growth,
while the Prt+ strains grew in two phases. The first growth phases of the
Prt+ and Prt- strains were in same, and no hydrolysis of casein was
observed. Also, the levels of consumption of amino acids and peptides in
the Prt+ and Prt- strains were similar. At the end of this growth phase,
not all free amino acids and peptides were used, indicating that the
remaining free amino acids and peptides were unable to sustain growth. The
consumption of free amino acids was very low (about 5 mg/liter), suggesting
that these nitrogen sources play only a minor role in growth. Oligopeptide
transport-deficient strains (Opp-) of L. lactis were unable to utilize
oligopeptides and grew poorly in milk. However, a di- and tripeptide
transport-deficient strain (DtpT-) grew exactly like the wild type (Opp+
Dtpt+) did. These observations indicate that oligopeptides represent the
main nitrogen source for growth in milk during the first growth phase. In
the second phase of growth of Prt+ strains, milk proteins are hydrolyzed to
peptides by the proteinase. Several of the oligopeptides formed are taken
up and hydrolyzed internally by peptidases to amino acids, several of which
are subsequently released into the medium (see also E.R.S. Kunji, A.
Hagting, C.J. De Vries, V. Juillard, A.J. Haandrikman, B. Poolman, and W.N.
Konings, J. Biol. Chem. 270:1569-1574, 1995).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250
WORDS)
Copyright © 1995, American Society for Microbiology
Oligopeptides are the main source of nitrogen for Lactococcus lactis during growth in milk
Station de Recherches Laitieres, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Jouy-en-Josas, France.
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