Bacteriocin Diversity and Antiviral Potential of Lactiplantibacillus pentosus from Fermented Rice

Fermentation is a long-standing tradition on the Indian subcontinent, shaped by local cultures and resources. Regional ingredients create a variety of fermented foods rich in probiotics. Lactiplantibacillus pentosus, found in foods like olives, grains, and vegetables, is a key strain. We studied the genome of L. pentosus from traditional fermented rice in Himachal Pradesh, India, and compared it to 95 global genomes. Our focus was on antimicrobial compounds, especially bacteriocins, which improve food safety. KEGG analysis revealed important metabolic proteins, while BPGA showed genome sizes of 3.4-4 Mb and GC content of 45.5-46%. The Indian L. pentosus strain (krglsrbmofpi2) uniquely contains three bacteriocins: Pentoplantaricin-EF, Pentobovicin, and Pentopediocin. Docking studies assessed their antiviral potential. Pentoplantaricin-EF showed the strongest binding to the prefusion 2019-nCoV spike glycoprotein (PDB 6VSB), while Pentobovicin had the highest affinity for the Omicron spike protein (PDB 7T9J) and the Hepatitis E virus E2 domain (PDB 3RKC).