DETECTION OF PLANTARICIN GENES IN STRAINS OF LACTOBACILLUS PLANTARUM – ANTAGONISTS OF PHYTOPATHOGENIC BACTERIA

The aim of investigation was to detect the presence of genes responsible for bacteriocin synthesis in strains of Lactobacillus plantarum with the clear antagonistic effect against the gram-negative phytopathogens. Methods. To reveal eleven genes involved in plantaricin synthesis the polymerase chain reaction was used. To test the ability to synthesize bacteriocins as antagonistic compounds the experiments with the lawns of test-strains Listeria ivanovii INRA, Rhizobium radiobacter C58, Ralstonia solanacearum B-1109-UCM, Erwinia carotovora ZM1, Rhizobium vitis OНУ 389, R. vitis OНУ 388, R. vitis 379 and R. rhizogenes 15834 were used. Results. In genomes of the tested L. plantarum strains the genes plnD, plnEF, plnG, plnI, plnN were present, but the genes plnA, plnB, plnC, plnW were not revealed. Applying the cultural liquids of lactobacilli on the lawns of the test-strains has shown that the cell-free cultural liquid with the initially low pH (4.1–4.3) caused the zones of growth inhibition on the lawns of all test-strains. The neutralized cell-free cultural liquid did not affect the growth of the test-strains. Conclusion. Although the tested strains L. plantarum ОNU 87, L. plantarum ОNU 206 and L. plantarum ОNU 991 possessed some genes of plantaricin regulon, in the investigations in vitro they caused the inhibition of the phytopathogens and listerias due to the low pH of the cell-free cultural liquids but not due to the synthesis of bacteriocins. The combination of the genes of plantaricin regulon of L. plantarum ONU 206 and L. plantarum ONU 991 resembled that in L. plantarum J23 described in literature.