Updated scheme for the classification of bacteriocins in gram-positive bacteria and a comprehensive overview for Lactobacillaceae

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorDillen, Jelle
dc.contributor.authorMaeyens, Laurence T.
dc.contributor.authorHill, Colin
dc.contributor.authorLebeer, Sarah
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-14T11:50:04Z
dc.date.available2026-07-14T11:50:04Z
dc.date.issued2026-04-29
dc.description.abstractSUMMARYMany gram-positive bacteria, particularly those within the family Lactobacillaceae, possess significant biotechnological potential across food, feed, supplement, pharmaceutical, and agricultural sectors. Numerous species produce bacteriocins or ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial peptides, some of which undergo post-translational modifications that may confer a competitive advantage in complex microbial communities. These beneficial properties, along with their capacity to produce such bioactive molecules, make Lactobacillaceae a valuable microbial group with broad application potential. This review provides a comprehensive overview of bacteriocin classes within Lactobacillaceae, detailing their classification, mechanisms of action, and genetic organization. We propose a unified classification system, including an extension of existing classes and a standardized, source-based nomenclature for ribosomally produced and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) and unmodified bacteriocins from gram-positive bacteria to enhance clarity and consistency. While proposed for Lactobacillaceae, our proposal fits within the broader scope of the field for the development of community standards in line with the scope of, for example, the "Minimum Information about a Biosynthetic Gene cluster" (MIBiG) database. We also systematically reviewed all reported bacteriocins within Lactobacillaceae, identifying 474 individual bacteriocins to date. Despite advances in genome and peptidome technologies, most remain only partially characterized. Notably, the majority of producing strains originate from food-related niches, highlighting the untapped potential of species from underexplored environments. Given the growing threat of antibiotic resistance and the demand for natural food preservatives, there is an urgent need to fully characterize these bioactive molecules and discover new ones from lesser-studied Lactobacillaceae species for future applications.en
dc.description.versionAccepted Version
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleide0031725
dc.identifier.authororcidDillen, Jelle
dc.identifier.authororcidMaeyens, Laurence T.
dc.identifier.authororcidHill, Colin§0000-0002-8527-1445
dc.identifier.authororcidLebeer, Sarah
dc.identifier.citationDillen, J, Maeyens, L T, Hill, C & Lebeer, S 2026, 'Updated scheme for the classification of bacteriocins in gram-positive bacteria and a comprehensive overview for Lactobacillaceae', Microbiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR, vol. 90, no. 2, e0031725, pp. 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.00317-25
dc.identifier.doi10.1128/mmbr.00317-25
dc.identifier.endpage28
dc.identifier.issn1092-2172
dc.identifier.issued2
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-8527-1445/work/220716774
dc.identifier.startpage1
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/19067
dc.identifier.volume90
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherAmerican Society for Microbiology
dc.rights© 2026, ASM. All Rights Reserved.
dc.rights.accessrightsopen access
dc.rights.licensenameAttribution 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.statusPeer reviewed
dc.subjectAntimicrobial peptides
dc.subjectBacteriocins
dc.subjectFood safety
dc.subjectLactic acid bacteria
dc.subjectLactobacillaceae
dc.subjectProbiotics
dc.subjectRibosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides
dc.subject[Microbiology]
dc.titleUpdated scheme for the classification of bacteriocins in gram-positive bacteria and a comprehensive overview for Lactobacillaceaeen
dc.typeReview
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Thumbnail Image
Name:
a222747.pdf
Size:
3.77 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
Thumbnail Image
Name:
mmbr.00317-25-s0001.xlsx
Size:
97.24 KB
Format:
Microsoft Excel XML
Download
Collections
School of Microbiology