Caseinomacropeptide (CMP) is a heterogeneous C-terminal fragment (residues 106 to 169) of bovine milk -casein composed of glycosylated and phosphorylated forms of different genetic variants. We have demonstrated that CMP has growth-inhibitory activity against the oral opportunistic pathogens Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingivalis and against Escherichia coli. CMP was fractionated using reversed-phase highperformance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), and each fraction was tested for activity against S. mutans in a 96-well-plate broth assay. Fractions were characterized by N-terminal sequence analysis and mass spectrometry. The active form of CMP was shown to be the nonglycosylated, phosphorylated -casein (residues 106 to 169) [-casein(106-169)], which we have designated kappacin. Endoproteinase Glu-C was used to hydrolyze CMP, and the generated peptides were separated using RP-HPLC and gel filtration-HPLC and then tested for activity against S. mutans. The peptide Ser(P) 149 -casein-A(138-158) was the only peptide generated by endoproteinase Glu-C digestion that exhibited growth-inhibitory activity. Peptides corresponding to the sequences of the inhibitory peptide Ser(P) 149 -casein-A(138-158) and its nonphosphorylated counterpartcasein-A(138-158) were chemically synthesized and tested for antibacterial activity. The synthetic Ser(P)
149-casein-A(138-158) displayed growth-inhibitory activity against S. mutans (MIC, 59 g/ml [26 M]). The nonphosphorylated peptide, however, did not inhibit growth at the concentrations tested, indicating that phosphorylation is essential for activity.The caseins are the most abundant bovine milk proteins, and there are four major types: ␣ s1 -, ␣ s2 -, -, and -casein (23). All four caseins are phosphorylated on specific seryl residues, and in addition, -casein is glycosylated (4). -Casein is hydrolyzed by the enzyme chymosin between Phe 105 and Met 106 , generating two polypeptides: a hydrophobic N-terminal para--casein polypeptide -casein (residues 1 to 105) [-casein(1-105)] and a hydrophilic phosphorylated and glycosylated C-terminal polypeptide -casein(106-169), known as the caseinomacropeptide (CMP). CMP is heterogeneous and contains all the posttranslational modification sites (glycosylation and phosphorylation) of -casein. Six potential glycosylation sites have been identified on CMP (18), and up to five different carbohydrate moieties may be attached at each site (20). Three genetic variants of CMP have also been identified, originating from the precursors -casein A, B, and E, with variants A and B being the most common in bovine milk (15).CMP and CMP-derived peptides have been reported to have a variety of biological activities, such as suppression of gastric secretions (28), depression of platelet aggregation (2), inhibition of influenza virus hemagglutination (8), inhibition of cholera toxin binding (9), and immunomodulating activities (14). CMP has also been shown to incorporate into salivary pellicle and inhibit the adherence of Streptococcus mutans, the oral...