We report the complete genome sequence of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris A76, a dairy strain isolated from a cheese production outfit. Genome analysis detected two contiguous islands fitting to the L. lactis subsp. lactis rather than to the L. lactis subsp. cremoris lineage. This indicates the existence of genetic exchange between the diverse subspecies, presumably related to the technologi...

A gene (designated ldh) that encodes fructose-1,6-bisphosphate-activated L-(+)-lactate dehydrogenase was cloned from Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis. Plasmids containing ldh conferred fructose-1,6-bisphosphate-activated L-(+)-lactate dehydrogenase activity on Escherichia coli cells. This activity was conferred only when a promoter had been introduced into the plasmid to express the cloned ldh....

A novel 51-kb conjugative transposon of Lactococcus lactis, designated Tn6098, encoding the capacity to utilize α-galactosides such as raffinose and stachyose, was identified and characterized. Alpha-galactosides are a dominant carbon source in many plant-derived foods. Most dairy lactococcus strains are unable to use α-galactosides as a growth substrate, yet many of these strains are known to ...

Lactococcus lactis is one of the most extensively used lactic acid bacteria for the manufacture of dairy products. Exploring the biodiversity of L. lactis is extremely promising both to acquire new knowledge and for food and health-driven applications. L. lactis is divided into four subspecies: lactis, cremoris, hordniae and tructae, but only subsp. lactis and subsp. cremoris are of industrial ...

Absence of the membrane protease FtsH in Lactococcus lactis hinders release of the bacteriophage TP712. In this work we have analyzed the mechanism responsible for the non-lytic phenotype of L. lactis ΔftsH after phage infection. The lytic cassette of TP712 contains a putative antiholin-pinholin system and a modular endolysin (LysTP712). Inducible expression of the holin gene demonstrated the p...

Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strains show glutamate decarboxylase activity, whereas L. lactis subsp. cremoris strains do not. The gadB gene encoding glutamate decarboxylase was detected in the L. lactis subsp. cremoris genome but was poorly expressed. Sequence analysis showed that the gene is inactivated by the frameshift mutation and encoded in a nonfunctional protein.

The aim of this work was to assess in-vitro the effect of pH and salt concentration on the rate of autolysis in L. lactis strains. Regardless autolysis variation among L. lactis strains, statistical analysis showed evidence of increase of autolysis in L. lactis under low salt concentration and acidic conditions.

The diversity in regulatory phenotypes among a collection of 84 Lactococcus lactis strains isolated from dairy and nondairy origin was explored. The specific activities of five enzymes were assessed in cell extracts of all strains grown in two different media, a nutritionally rich broth and a relatively poor chemically defined medium. The five investigated enzymes, branched chain aminotransfera...

Lactococcus lactis is one of the most important microorganisms in the dairy industry and has "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) status. L. lactis belongs to the group of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and is encountered in a wide range of environments. Recently, the use of the intramammary infusion of a live culture of LAB has been investigated as a new antibiotic alternative for treating mastit...

BACKGROUND Multiple sclerosis is a human autoimmunological disease that causes neurodegeneration. One of the potential ways to stop its development is induction of oral tolerance, whose effect lies in decreasing immune response to the fed antigen. It was shown in animal models that administration of specific epitopes of the three main myelin proteins - myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG),...