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Appl Environ Microbiol, March 1998, p. 1059-1065, Vol. 64, No. 3
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Utilization of Oligopeptides by Listeria monocytogenes Scott A

Annette Verheul,dagger Frank M. Rombouts, and Tjakko Abee*

Department of Food Science, Food Chemistry/Microbiology Section, Agricultural University Wageningen, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Received 19 June 1997/Accepted 10 December 1997

For effective utilization of peptides, Listeria monocytogenes possesses two different peptide transport systems. The first one is the previously described proton motive force (PMF)-driven di- and tripeptide transport system (A. Verheul, A. Hagting, M.-R. Amezaga, I. R. Booth, F. M. Rombouts, and T. Abee, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 61:226-233, 1995). The present results reveal that L. monocytogenes possesses an oligopeptide transport system, presumably requiring ATP rather than the PMF as the driving force for translocation. Experiments to determine growth in a defined medium containing peptides of various lengths suggested that the oligopeptide permease transports peptides of up to 8 amino acid residues. Peptidase activities towards several oligopeptides were demonstrated in cell extract from L. monocytogenes, which indicates that upon internalization, the oligopeptides are hydrolyzed to serve as sources of amino acids for growth. The peptide transporters of the nonproteolytic L. monocytogenes might play an important role in foods that harbor indigenous proteinases and/or proteolytic microorganisms, since Pseudomonas fragi as well as Bacillus cereus was found to enhance the growth of L. monocytogenes to a large extent in a medium in which the milk protein casein was the sole source of nitrogen. In addition, growth stimulation was elicited in this medium when casein was hydrolyzed by using purified protease from Bacillus licheniformis. The possible contribution of the oligopeptide transport system in the establishment of high numbers of L. monocytogenes cells in fermented milk products is discussed.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Food Science, Food Chemistry/Microbiology Section, Agricultural University Wageningen, Bomenweg 2, 6703 HD Wageningen, The Netherlands. Phone: 31317484981. Fax: 31317484893. E-mail: tjakko.abee{at}algemeen.lenm.wau.nl.

dagger Present address: Netherlands Institute for Dairy Research, 6710 BA Ede, The Netherlands.




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