Comparative genomic analysis of bacteriocin genes in Lactobacillus crispatus strains
Abstract Lactobacillus crispatus, a key member of the vaginal microbiota, exhibits strain-specific diversity with important implications for host–microbe interactions and probiotic potential. This study investigates the genomic relationships and bacteriocin diversity across 95 L. crispatus strains t...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08321-7 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849238883912384512 |
|---|---|
| author | Giulia Santarelli Maurizio Sanguinetti Giovanni Delogu Flavio De Maio |
| author_facet | Giulia Santarelli Maurizio Sanguinetti Giovanni Delogu Flavio De Maio |
| author_sort | Giulia Santarelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Lactobacillus crispatus, a key member of the vaginal microbiota, exhibits strain-specific diversity with important implications for host–microbe interactions and probiotic potential. This study investigates the genomic relationships and bacteriocin diversity across 95 L. crispatus strains to elucidate the mechanisms underlying strain-specific adaptation and microbial competitiveness. Using publicly available data from NCBI, we applied BAGEL4 and core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) approaches to identify and characterize bacteriocin genes, revealing a high level of conservation of major bacteriocins among strains. Analysis of nucleotide polymorphisms within bacteriocin-encoding sequences showed that these genes are generally conserved, likely due to strong purifying selection. These findings suggest that bacteriocins in L. crispatus are functionally conserved, underscoring their potential role in maintaining vaginal health through microbial competition and pathogen exclusion. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fa642afac00c4ab28a59e952b452153a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-fa642afac00c4ab28a59e952b452153a2025-08-20T04:01:23ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111010.1038/s41598-025-08321-7Comparative genomic analysis of bacteriocin genes in Lactobacillus crispatus strainsGiulia Santarelli0Maurizio Sanguinetti1Giovanni Delogu2Flavio De Maio3Dipartimento di Scienze Biotecnologiche di Base, Cliniche Intensivologiche e Perioperatorie-Sezione di Microbiologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro CuoreDipartimento di Scienze Biotecnologiche di Base, Cliniche Intensivologiche e Perioperatorie-Sezione di Microbiologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro CuoreDipartimento di Scienze Biotecnologiche di Base, Cliniche Intensivologiche e Perioperatorie-Sezione di Microbiologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro CuoreDipartimento Scienze di Laboratorio ed Ematologiche, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “A. Gemelli”, IRCCSAbstract Lactobacillus crispatus, a key member of the vaginal microbiota, exhibits strain-specific diversity with important implications for host–microbe interactions and probiotic potential. This study investigates the genomic relationships and bacteriocin diversity across 95 L. crispatus strains to elucidate the mechanisms underlying strain-specific adaptation and microbial competitiveness. Using publicly available data from NCBI, we applied BAGEL4 and core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) approaches to identify and characterize bacteriocin genes, revealing a high level of conservation of major bacteriocins among strains. Analysis of nucleotide polymorphisms within bacteriocin-encoding sequences showed that these genes are generally conserved, likely due to strong purifying selection. These findings suggest that bacteriocins in L. crispatus are functionally conserved, underscoring their potential role in maintaining vaginal health through microbial competition and pathogen exclusion.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08321-7Lactobacillus crispatusBacteriocinsAntimicrobial peptidesVaginal microbiota |
| spellingShingle | Giulia Santarelli Maurizio Sanguinetti Giovanni Delogu Flavio De Maio Comparative genomic analysis of bacteriocin genes in Lactobacillus crispatus strains Scientific Reports Lactobacillus crispatus Bacteriocins Antimicrobial peptides Vaginal microbiota |
| title | Comparative genomic analysis of bacteriocin genes in Lactobacillus crispatus strains |
| title_full | Comparative genomic analysis of bacteriocin genes in Lactobacillus crispatus strains |
| title_fullStr | Comparative genomic analysis of bacteriocin genes in Lactobacillus crispatus strains |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative genomic analysis of bacteriocin genes in Lactobacillus crispatus strains |
| title_short | Comparative genomic analysis of bacteriocin genes in Lactobacillus crispatus strains |
| title_sort | comparative genomic analysis of bacteriocin genes in lactobacillus crispatus strains |
| topic | Lactobacillus crispatus Bacteriocins Antimicrobial peptides Vaginal microbiota |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08321-7 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT giuliasantarelli comparativegenomicanalysisofbacteriocingenesinlactobacilluscrispatusstrains AT mauriziosanguinetti comparativegenomicanalysisofbacteriocingenesinlactobacilluscrispatusstrains AT giovannidelogu comparativegenomicanalysisofbacteriocingenesinlactobacilluscrispatusstrains AT flaviodemaio comparativegenomicanalysisofbacteriocingenesinlactobacilluscrispatusstrains |