Biochemical and genetic evidence of enterocin P production by two Enterococcus faecium-like strains isolated from fermented sausages

Two bacteriocin-producing Enterococcus faecium-like strains were independently isolated from fermented sausages. Bacteriocins were purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration, cationic exchange, hydrophobic interaction, and reverse-phase liquid chromatography. Two peptide inhibitory fractions were purified from each strain, denominated A and B for E. faecium AA13, and C and D for E. faecium G16. Fraction B was blocked for amino acid sequencing by Edman degradation, while the amino acid sequences obtained from peptides A, C, and D contained the YGNGV consensus motif in positions 5 to 9, and the ATRS sequence in positions 1 to 4. By use of PCR techniques and nucleotide sequencing, the structural gene of enterocin P was found both in E. faecium AA13 and E. faecium G16. Metabolic and genetic features of the two strains suggest that they are slightly different, they may produce more than one bacteriocin, and both produce enterocin P.