Mutacins studied with mass spectrometry

Scientists have studied the development of mutacins using mass spectrometry, among additional techniques.

Published in open-access journal BMC Microbiology, the research was conducted by Guillaume Nicolas, Giseele LaPointe and Marc Lavoie.

New antibacterial substances develop due to increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics and mutacins are antibacterial peptides which display "activity against bacterial pathogens".

In order to discover new antibacterial substances, the team cultivated new mutacins.

Obtaining their molecular mass via mass spectrometry, the substances' amino acid sequences were identified through Edman degradation.

Following the experiment, the scientists concluded: "Mutacin F-59.1 is the first pediocin-like bacteriocin identified and characterised that is produced by Streptococcus mutans. Mutacin D-123.1 appears to be identical to mutacin I previously identified in different strains of S. Mutans."

BMC Microbiology is an online journal publishing articles once they have been fully reviewed by peers.

Covering a broad range of subject areas within microbiology - such as viruses and small parasites - the journal itself is published by BioMed Central.