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Reducing biofilm formation in Lactobacillus fermentum:
Targeting intervention on the AI-2/LuxS quorum sensing system
Abstract
Lactobacillus sp. are the most abundant bacterial contaminants in biofuel. Among them, L. fermentum is the most common one, accounting for 50% relative abundances of microbial species in bioethanol production. In our proposed study, L. fermentum 2-1, with a special quorum sensing (QS)-related feature given its higher level of production of autoinducer-2 (AI-2), would be examined for the effects of a dual-pronged intervention of the AI-2/LuxS QS system on biofilm formation.
One of the quorum quenching approaches would be to inhibit the activity of LuxS (AI-2 synthase) using a putative high-affinity peptide ligand that has been shown to specifically inhibit LuxS in Streptococcus suis.
The second approach would be to degrade AI-2 molecules extracellularly using the kinase LarK. We hope to achieve an effective inhibition in the formation of biofilm in biofuel through our dual-pronged intervention.