Abstract:

ε-polylysine (ε-PL) is a home-poly-amino acid characterized by the peptide bond between the carboxyl and ε-amino groups of L-lysine, which is stable at high temperature and under both acidic and alkaline conditions. Due to this antimicrobial activity, ε-PL is now industrially produced as a natural antiseptic agont by a fermentation process. ε-PL producers commonly possess membrane-bound ε-PL-degrading aminopeptidase, which might play a role in self-protection. It is unknow about the biosynthetic mechanism of ε-PL. This review focuses on the physicochemical properties of ε-polylysine, antimicrobial activities of ε-polylysine, isolation and screening of producing strains of ε-polylysine, biosynthesis and molecular genetics of ε-polylysine, fermentation process optimization of ε-polylysine, purification and application of ε-polylysine.

Key words: ε-polylysine, biosynthesis, streptomycete, natural antiseptic