Identification and sequence analysis of the region encoding the site-specific integration system from Leuconostoc œnos (Œnococcus œni) temperate bacteriophage φ10MC

Abstract

Malolactic fermentation conducted by Leuconostoc oenos is an essential step in winemaking. L. oenos bacteriophages are thought to be responsible for fermentation failures, yet they have received little attention. The integration system of bacteriophage phi 10MC in the LOF111 L. oenos strain chromosome was studied and a 1,456 bp phage DNA fragment was cloned and sequenced. An open reading frame (int) showing homology with several temperate bacteriophage integrases was located upstream of the phage attachment site (attP). This organisation is comparable to other phage site-specific recombination systems. The same bacterial attachment site (attB) located in at tRNA(leu) gene was found in all 15 L. oenos strains studied and was involved in phi 10MC integration in the bacterial chromosome.