The PlnC encoded by plnC is an essential response regulator in Plantaricin biosynthesis well-studied in Lactiplantibacillus plantarum. Since the known effects of plnC are not exhaustive, it is crucial to perfect a precise regulatory mechanism for plnC. Overexpression of plnC was found to transiently reduce bacterial activity during the logarithmic growth phase, however, it significantly increased the expression levels of bacteriocin genes within the pln locus by 1.45 to 2.35 times. After 16 hours of incubation, the overexpression of plnC significantly increased the diameter of the inhibition zone from 10.89 ± 0.36 mm to 12.29 ± 0.33 mm, indicating a notable enhancement in bacteriocin activity (P< 0.05). The proteomic analysis further revealed that plnC affected multiple carbohydrate metabolic pathways, QS and HIF-1 signaling pathways, IMP/UMP biosynthesis, and ribosomal proteins, which resulted in promoting the synthesis of nucleotide precursors and exopolysaccharides, and accelerating ribosome translation rate. And the up-regulated synthesis of long-chain acyl-CoA is an important component that may inhibit PlnD (an inhibitory regulator opposite PlnC) during Plantaricin biosynthesis. These offer a critical basis for forward Plantaricin research and application.
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