Figure 3.

Pyocin engineering strategy and mode of action. The target of an R-type pyocin can be shifted from Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Escherichia coli or Clostridium difficile by tail shuffling. The tail fibers of either (A) E. coli phage or (B) C. difficile phage are fused to the R-pyocin, resulting in modified R-pyocins that can bind to respective target bacterial membranes. Once the modified R-pyocins reach each hosts’ membranes, sheath contraction induces core tube penetration and disrupts the membrane potential (red bars).