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. 2016 Jul 26;11(7):e0159844. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159844

Fig 1. Schematic representation of mechanism of Contact Dependent Growth Inhibition in bacteria.

Fig 1

CDI+ inhibitor cell expresses CdiA toxin on the cell surface. Upon coming in contact with receptor(s) present on the outer membrane of the cell, CdiA is cleaved and only toxic tip, CdiA-CT, enters the cell to reach molecular targets in the cytoplasm. CDI+ cells express CdiI which bind and neutralize cognate CdiA-CT to prevent autoinhibition. In CDI−cells CdiA-CT toxins act on different molecular targets like DNA, RNA, membrane etc. and causes growth arrest. This model is based on the published literature on CDI system from E. coli EC93 [7,9,20]. Abbreviations used: OM, Outer Membrane; PS, Periplasmic Space; IM, Inner Membrane; R1, Receptor 1; R2, Receptor 2