Induction of Bacteriocin Synthesis

Induction of Bacteriocin Synthesis in Carnobacterium Divergens and Piscicola

Presenter: Ethan Ng

Presenter Status: Undergraduate student

Department: Chemistry

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1WOD4-pN-L6KuqYaL2K4huz1OgXd3ksPE

Abstract:
Carnobacterium Piscicola (C. Pisc.) and Carnobacterium divergens (C. Div.) are lactic acid bacteria which produce small anti-microbial peptides, known as bacteriocins, which are designed to kill similar, competing strains of bacteria. These bacteriocins are used in food industry to inhibit the growth of foodborne pathogens, such as Listeria Monocytogenes. The bacteriocins produced by C. Pisc. and C. Div., are classified as Class IIa, meaning that they are heat-stable with a conserved YGNGV motif within its N-Terminus. In order to study these peptides, we aimed to isolate the two bacteriocins secreted by the two bacterium in supernatants which would be isolated for testing. To attempt induction of bacteriocin production in the bacterium, different grow media, incubation times, and other different growth conditions were attempted to find the optimal growth procedure. Successful induction of bacteriocin production was tested for using sheep's blood assays against Listeria Monocytogenes.