Abstract
A strain of Serratia marcescens was found to produce a bacteriocin that inhibits the growth of certain Escherichia coli strains. This inhibition was bacteriocidal rather than bacteriostatic and was not caused by a bacteriophage. Whereas the bacteriocin was inactive on the 7 Serratia strains tested, it killed 11 of the 20 E. coli strains tested for sensitivity. A relationship of the bacteriocin to a possible colicin cannot as yet be excluded, although E. coli mutants resistant to 1 or 2 of 15 different colicins remained sensitive to the bacteriocin. The bacteriocidal effect by the bacteriocin could be interrupted in a substantial fraction of the treated cell population by the addition of trypsin. The synthesis of the bacteriocin was inducible by ultraviolet light or by starvation for thymidine. Both procedures led to a similar increase in maximum bacteriocin titer relative to noninduced cultures.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- FREDERICQ P. Colicins. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1957;11:7–22. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.11.100157.000255. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- FREDERICQ P. Transduction genetique des proprietes colicinogenes chez Escherichia coli et Shigella sonnei. C R Seances Soc Biol Fil. 1954 Feb;148(3-4):399–402. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Foulds J. D., Shemin D. Concomitant synthesis of bacteriocin and bacteriocin inactivator from Serratia marcescens. J Bacteriol. 1969 Sep;99(3):661–666. doi: 10.1128/jb.99.3.661-666.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- GOEBEL W. F., BARRY G. T. Colicine K. II. The preparation and properties of a substance having colicine K activity. J Exp Med. 1958 Feb 1;107(2):185–209. doi: 10.1084/jem.107.2.185. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- HAMON Y., PERON Y. [Study of the bacteriocinogenic property in the genus Serratia]. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1961 Jun;100:818–821. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Higerd T. B., Baechler C. A., Berk R. S. In vitro and in vivo characterization of pyocin. J Bacteriol. 1967 Jun;93(6):1976–1986. doi: 10.1128/jb.93.6.1976-1986.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hill C., Holland I. B. Genetic basis of colicin E susceptibility in Escherichia coli. I. Isolation and properties of refractory mutants and the preliminary mapping of their mutations. J Bacteriol. 1967 Sep;94(3):677–686. doi: 10.1128/jb.94.3.677-686.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- IVANOVICS G., ALFOLDI L. Bacteriocinogenesis in Bacillus megaterium. J Gen Microbiol. 1957 Jun;16(3):522–530. doi: 10.1099/00221287-16-3-522. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- JACOB F., SIMINOVITCH L., WOLLMAN E. Sur la biosynthèse d'une colicine et sur son mode d'action. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1952 Sep;83(3):295–315. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- MARMUR J., ROWND R., FALKOW S., BARON L. S., SCHILDKRAUT C., DOTY P. The nature of intergeneric episomal infection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1961 Jul 15;47:972–979. doi: 10.1073/pnas.47.7.972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- NOMURA M., NAKAMURA M. Reversibility of inhibition of nucleic acids and protein synthesis by colicin K. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1962 May 4;7:306–309. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(62)90196-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Nomura M. Colicins and related bacteriocins. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1967;21:257–284. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.21.100167.001353. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Scaife J. Episomes. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1967;21:601–638. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.21.100167.003125. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]