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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 2002, p. 3575-3581, Vol. 68, No. 7
0099-2240/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.68.7.3575-3581.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Distribution of Microbes Producing Antimicrobial {varepsilon}-Poly-L-Lysine Polymers in Soil Microflora Determined by a Novel Method

Masanobu Nishikawa* and Ken'ichi Ogawa

Research Institute for Biological Sciences Okayama (RIBS), Okayama 716-1241, Japan

Received 2 January 2002/ Accepted 9 April 2002

We developed a simple and sensitive screening method to investigate the distribution of microbes producing an antimicrobial poly(amino acid), {varepsilon}-poly-L-lysine ({varepsilon}-PL), in microflora. An acidic dye, Poly R-478, incorporated in an agar plate detected {varepsilon}-PL producers by electrostatic interaction with the secreted basic polymers. All {varepsilon}-PL producers, isolated after careful and sufficient screening of soil microflora, belonged exclusively to two groups of bacteria of the family Streptomycetaceae and ergot fungi. They were characterized based on the density and diameter of the concentric zone formed by the secreted polymers. The density depended on each isolate. The increase in the diameter of the concentric zone per unit of time varied among isolates and was negatively correlated with the molecular weight. Although the distribution of {varepsilon}-PL producers was extremely limited, their products were structurally varied. The molecular masses of the secreted polymers among the isolates ranged from 0.8 to 2.0 kDa. There were also isolates producing unknown polymers inconsistent with the correlation or producing a mixture of polymers with original and modified structures. A chemically modified polymer was an {varepsilon}-PL derivative, as determined by mass spectrometry. Since the structural variations had no relation to the phylogenetic position of the isolates, it is possible that enzymes involved in the synthesis diversified after putative horizontal transfers of relevant genes.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Research Institute for Biological Sciences Okayama (RIBS), 7549-1 Kayo-cho, Okayama 716-1241, Japan. Phone: 81-866-56-9452. Fax: 81-866-56-9454. E-mail: mnishikawa{at}bio-ribs.com.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 2002, p. 3575-3581, Vol. 68, No. 7
0099-2240/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.68.7.3575-3581.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Nishikawa, M., Kobayashi, K. (2009). Streptomyces roseoverticillatus produces two different poly(amino acid)s: lariat-shaped {gamma}-poly(L-glutamic acid) and {epsilon}-poly(L-lysine). Microbiology 155: 2988-2993 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nishikawa, M., Ogawa, K. (2006). Inhibition of Epsilon-Poly-L-Lysine Biosynthesis in Streptomycetaceae Bacteria by Short-Chain Polyols. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 2306-2312 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nishikawa, M., Ogawa, K.'i. (2004). Antimicrobial Activity of a Chelatable Poly(Arginyl-Histidine) Produced by the Ergot Fungus Verticillium kibiense. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 48: 229-235 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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