title: E. coli proteolytic activity in milk and casein breakdown.
abstract: Previous studies have focused on both LPS and E. coli experimental mastitis and underlined the respective roles of endogenous proteolysis (including plasmin from the blood stream and other proteases from milk leukocytes), as well as the presence of E. coli in a more intricate system. The aim of this study was to assess the role of E. coli in milk proteolysis and especially that of its proteases in casein breakdown. The first part consisted in the incubation of 104 cfu.mL(-1) of the E. coli strain in raw milk at 37 degrees C for 24 h; the same milk was also incubated with 0.04% sodium azide. Several parameters were evaluated: CFU, plasmin activity, gelatinase activity and pH 4.6 insoluble peptides, including the proportion of gamma-CN. The profile of gelatinase activity was determined by zymography and identified by immunoblotting. In the second part of the study, we examined the profile of CN (alphas-, beta- and kappa-CN) breakdown by E. coli lysate. The results suggest that E. coli proteases have a direct effect on CN, and the increase of gamma-CN in inoculated milk may be generated by both plasmin and the gelatinase. Moreover, the gelatinase activity in the inoculated milk was higher after 24 h of incubation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Sciences Animales, UC INRA 12 340, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Agronomie et des Industries Alimentaires (ENSAIA), BP 172, Vandoeuvre-Lès-Nancy, France. kahina.haddadi@ensaia.inpl-nancy.fr
authors.forename: Kahina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Haddadi
authors.forename: Fatima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moussaoui
authors.forename: Imen
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hebia
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Laurent
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Le Roux
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002364:Caseins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002417:Cattle; D002452:Cell Count / Q000662:veterinary; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D005341:Fibrinolysin / Q000378:metabolism; D018093:Gelatinases / Q000378:metabolism; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008414:Mastitis, Bovine / Q000382:microbiology*; D008892:Milk / Q000201:enzymology / Q000382:microbiology*; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002364:Caseins; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases; D005341:Fibrinolysin; D018093:Gelatinases