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Updated: Jul 15, 2025

Antimicrobial Peptides Produced by Selective Pressure Incorporation of Non-canonical Amino Acids
Published on: May 4, 2018
Cesin, a short natural variant of nisin, displays potent antimicrobial activity against major pathogens despite
Longcheng Guo1, Joseph Wambui2, Chenhui Wang1
1Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen , Groningen, the Netherlands.
Importance:
The current increase in antibiotic-resistant pathogens necessitates the discovery and application of novel antimicrobials. In this regard, we recently discovered cesin, which is a short natural variant of nisin produced by the psychrophilic Clostridium estertheticum. However, its suitability as an antimicrobial compound was in doubt due to its structural resemblance to nisin(1-22), a bioengineered short variant of nisin with low antimicrobial activity. Here, we show by heterologous expression, purification, and characterization that the potency of cesin is not only much higher than that of nisin(1-22), but that it is even comparable to the full-length nisin, despite lacking two C-terminal rings that are essential for nisin's activity. We show that cesin is a suitable scaffold for bioengineering to improve its applicability, such as resistance to trypsin. This study demonstrates the suitability of cesin for future application in food and/or for health as a potent and stable antimicrobial compound.
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