Lactococcus lactis
A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Lactococcus lactis
Classification
Higher order taxa
Bacteria, Firmicutes, Bacilli, Lactobacillales, Streptococcacaeae, Lactococcus
Species
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NCBI: Taxonomy |
Lactococcus lactis
Description and significance
Lactococcus lactis is a rod shaped, gram positive bacteria used widely for producing fermented dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt. It is believed that in nature, L. lactis stays dormant on plant surface awaiting to be ingested along with the plant into animal gastrointestinal tract, where it becomes active. It is classified as a lactic acid bacterium(LAB) which converts carbohydrates into lactic acid. It plays an significant role to the food industry, so studies have been done on the genome of Lactococcus lactis extensively to improve its application in dairy products. Not only it is important in dairy production, it has potential of use as oral vaccine and foreign protein production and metabolite.
Genome structure
Describe the size and content of the genome. How many chromosomes? Circular or linear? Other interesting features? What is known about its sequence? Does it have any plasmids? Are they important to the organism's lifestyle?
Cell structure and metabolism
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Ecology
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Pathology
How does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.
Application to Biotechnology
Does this organism produce any useful compounds or enzymes? What are they and how are they used?
Current Research
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References
Edited by student of Rachel Larsen and Kit Pogliano
