Resistance of Gram-positive bacteria to nisin is not determined by Lipid II levels

• Published in: FEMS microbiology letters Vol. 239; no. 1; pp. 157 - 161
• Main Authors: Kramer, Naomi E., Smid, Eddy J., Kok, Jan, de Kruijff, Ben, Kuipers, Oscar P., Breukink, Eefjan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Elsevier B.V 01.10.2004; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Action of physical and chemical agents on bacteria; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Bacteria; Bacteriology; Bactoprenyl-phosphate; Biogenesis of cell structures, supramolecular organization; Biological and medical sciences; Corrosion resistance; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gram-positive bacteria; Gram-Positive Bacteria - drug effects; Lipid II; Lipids; Listeria; Listeria monocytogenes; Listeria monocytogenes - drug effects; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microbiology; Micrococcus - drug effects; Micrococcus flavus; Nisin; Nisin - pharmacology; Polyisoprenyl Phosphates - chemistry; Pore formation; Resistance; Spheroplasts; Uridine Diphosphate N-Acetylmuramic Acid - analogs & derivatives; Uridine Diphosphate N-Acetylmuramic Acid - chemistry; Uridine Diphosphate N-Acetylmuramic Acid - metabolism; Resistance; Nisin; Lipid II; Bactoprenyl-phosphate; Streptococcaceae; Lactococcus lactis; Peptidoglycan; Gram positive bacteria; Bacteriocin; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Lipids
• ISSN: 0378-1097; 1574-6968
• DOI: 10.1016/j.femsle.2004.08.033

Lipid II is essential for nisin-mediated pore formation at nano-molar concentrations. We tested whether nisin resistance could result from different Lipid II levels, by comparing the maximal Lipid II pool in Micrococcus flavus (sensitive) and Listeria monocytogenes (relatively insensitive) and their nisin-resistant variants, with a newly developed method. No correlation was observed between the maximal Lipid II pool and nisin sensitivity, as was further corroborated by using spheroplasts of nisin-resistant and wild-type strains of M. flavus, which were equally sensitive to nisin.