To further confirm that PlcA is res

To further confirm that PlcA is responsible for the activity shown by Lb. plantarum NI326, the entire plc cluster was cloned into the nisin-inducible plasmid pNZ8048 (pNZPlc) and transformed into L. lactis NZ9000, a naturally non-bacteriocin producing strain. The CFS from L. lactis pNZPlc exhibited antimicrobial activity against A. acidoterrestris sp1 similar to that from the wildtype Lb. plantarum NI326 (Figure 3a). The production of PlcA by L. lactis confirms that the cluster contains all the information necessary for the correct production, modification and secretion of PlcA. Based on these results and the similarity of the plc cluster to those from GaaA and AciB, we can hypothesize that the biosynthetic machinery for all members of this bacteriocin subgroup is similar.