Stenocins: Novel modular bacteriocins from opportunistic pathogen Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a global emerging pathogenic bacillus that is highly drug resistant and known to cause nosocomial infections in immunocompromised hosts. Because of their novel modes of action, bacteriocins are being proposed as alternatives to antibiotics for the treatment of infections caused by multidrug resistant bacteria. This study is the first report of modular bacteriocins called stenocins, which were discovered in the genomes of S. maltophilia. These two novel peptidoglycan-degrading bacteriocins were identified, cloned, and expressed in plants. We demonstrate that plant-expressed stenocins are functional and inhibit the growth of Stenotrophomonas strains in vitro. •Stenotrophomonas is an emerging opportunistic pathogen, resistant to many antibiotics.•Two novel M-type bacteriocins from Stenotrophomonas were identified and characterized.•The bacteriocins were transiently expressed in tobacco plants.•Both bacteriocins showed antibacterial activity against Stenotrophomonas strains.•Stenocins – potential antimicrobials for the control of pathogenic S. maltophilia.