Isolation and structural characterization of epilancin 15X, a novel lantibiotic from a clinical strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis

The potential application of lantibiotics as food-preserving agents and more recently as antibiotics has strongly increased the interest in these antibacterial peptides. Here, we report the elucidation of the primary and three-dimensional structures of the novel lantibiotic epilancin 15X from Staphylococcus epidermidis using high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and tandem mass spectrometry. The molecule contains ten post-translationally modified amino acids, three lanthionine ring structures and a hydroxy-propionyl N-terminal moiety. The primary and tertiary structure and the distribution of positive charges are closely similar to the previously identified lantibiotic epilancin K7, most likely indicative of a common mode of action.