molecular analysis of enterolysin a and entl gene cluster from natural isolate enterococcus faecalis bgpt1-10p

Strain Enterococcus faecalis BGPT1-10P was isolated from artisanal semi-hard homemade cheese from Stara Planina, Serbia. Results showed that BGPT1-10P synthesized a heat labile bacteriocin with a broad spectrum of activity, including Listeria and Candida species. Further analysis revealed that synthesized bacteriocin is enterolysin A. Moreover, the entL gene encoding enterolysin A was found to be located on the chromosome. The entL gene was cloned and sequenced. Analysis of nucleotide sequence showed that the entL gene in natural isolate En. faecalis BGPT1-10P is identical to that of the entL gene described previously in En. faecalis LMG 2333. Within the cloned DNA fragment containing the entL gene, four ORFs were detected. One of them was identified as the scpE gene, which encodes a virulent factor staphopain peptidase. Functional analysis of the entL gene showed that the complete genetic information necessary for the synthesis of enterolysin A were directly linked solely to it. Strain BGPT1-10P also synthesized gelatinase and citolysin, and contained a set of virulent factors. In addition, BGPT1-10P carries the ermB and tetM genes conferring the resistance to erythromycin and tetracycline, respectively. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 173019]