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      Contact-dependent killing by Caulobacter crescentus via cell surface-associated, glycine zipper proteins

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          Abstract

          Most bacteria are in fierce competition with other species for limited nutrients. Some bacteria can kill nearby cells by secreting bacteriocins, a diverse group of proteinaceous antimicrobials. However, bacteriocins are typically freely diffusible, and so of little value to planktonic cells in aqueous environments. Here, we identify an atypical two-protein bacteriocin in the α-proteobacterium Caulobacter crescentus that is retained on the surface of producer cells where it mediates cell contact-dependent killing. The bacteriocin-like proteins CdzC and CdzD harbor glycine-zipper motifs, often found in amyloids, and CdzC forms large, insoluble aggregates on the surface of producer cells. These aggregates can drive contact-dependent killing of other organisms, or Caulobacter cells not producing the CdzI immunity protein. The Cdz system uses a type I secretion system and is unrelated to previously described contact-dependent inhibition systems. However, Cdz-like systems are found in many bacteria, suggesting that this form of contact-dependent inhibition is common.

          DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24869.001

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          Most cited references53

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          MicrobeJ, a tool for high throughput bacterial cell detection and quantitative analysis

          Single cell analysis of bacteria and subcellular protein localization dynamics has shown that bacteria have elaborate life cycles, cytoskeletal protein networks, and complex signal transduction pathways driven by localized proteins. The volume of multi-dimensional images generated in such experiments and the computation time required to detect, associate, and track cells and subcellular features pose considerable challenges, especially for high-throughput experiments. Therefore, there is a need for a versatile, computationally efficient image analysis tool capable of extracting the desired relationships from images in a meaningful and unbiased way. Here we present MicrobeJ, a plug-in for the open-source platform ImageJ. MicrobeJ provides a comprehensive framework to process images derived from a wide variety of microscopy experiments with special emphasis on large image sets. It performs the most common intensity and morphology measurements as well as customized detection of poles, septa, fluorescent foci, and organelles, determines their sub-cellular localization with sub-pixel resolution, and tracks them over time. Because a dynamic link is maintained between the images, measurements, and all data representations derived from them, the editor and suite of advanced data presentation tools facilitates the image analysis process and provides a robust way to verify the accuracy and veracity of the data.
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            Colicin biology.

            Colicins are proteins produced by and toxic for some strains of Escherichia coli. They are produced by strains of E. coli carrying a colicinogenic plasmid that bears the genetic determinants for colicin synthesis, immunity, and release. Insights gained into each fundamental aspect of their biology are presented: their synthesis, which is under SOS regulation; their release into the extracellular medium, which involves the colicin lysis protein; and their uptake mechanisms and modes of action. Colicins are organized into three domains, each one involved in a different step of the process of killing sensitive bacteria. The structures of some colicins are known at the atomic level and are discussed. Colicins exert their lethal action by first binding to specific receptors, which are outer membrane proteins used for the entry of specific nutrients. They are then translocated through the outer membrane and transit through the periplasm by either the Tol or the TonB system. The components of each system are known, and their implication in the functioning of the system is described. Colicins then reach their lethal target and act either by forming a voltage-dependent channel into the inner membrane or by using their endonuclease activity on DNA, rRNA, or tRNA. The mechanisms of inhibition by specific and cognate immunity proteins are presented. Finally, the use of colicins as laboratory or biotechnological tools and their mode of evolution are discussed.
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              Bacteriocins: evolution, ecology, and application.

              Microbes produce an extraordinary array of microbial defense systems. These include classical antibiotics, metabolic by-products, lytic agents, numerous types of protein exotoxins, and bacteriocins. The abundance and diversity of this potent arsenal of weapons are clear. Less clear are their evolutionary origins and the role they play in mediating microbial interactions. The goal of this review is to explore what we know about the evolution and ecology of the most abundant and diverse family of microbial defense systems: the bacteriocins. We summarize current knowledge of how such extraordinary protein diversity arose and is maintained in microbial populations and what role these toxins play in mediating microbial population-level and community-level dynamics. In the latter half of this review we focus on the potential role bacteriocins may play in addressing human health concerns and the current role they serve in food preservation.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Role: Reviewing editor
                Journal
                eLife
                Elife
                eLife
                eLife
                eLife
                eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
                2050-084X
                21 March 2017
                2017
                : 6
                : e24869
                Affiliations
                [1 ]deptDepartment of Biology , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, United States
                [2 ]Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, United States
                [3 ]deptGraduate Program in Microbiology , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, United States
                [4]Aix Marseille University-CNRS UMR7283 , France
                [5]Aix Marseille University-CNRS UMR7283 , France
                Author notes
                Author information
                http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8288-7607
                Article
                24869
                10.7554/eLife.24869
                5380434
                28323618
                a3cb88c5-684e-454d-810b-9fa5119afe20
                © 2017, García-Bayona et al

                This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.

                History
                : 03 January 2017
                : 20 March 2017
                Funding
                Funded by: FundRef http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000002, National Institutes of Health;
                Award ID: R01GM082899
                Award Recipient :
                Funded by: FundRef http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000011, Howard Hughes Medical Institute;
                Award Recipient :
                The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
                Categories
                Research Article
                Microbiology and Infectious Disease
                Custom metadata
                2.5
                Genetic, biochemical, and cell biological approaches reveal a new form of contact-dependent inhibition in bacteria involving bacteriocin-like proteins that aggregate on the surface of cells.

                Life sciences
                caulobacter crescentus,bacteriocins,type i secretion system,contact-dependent inhibition

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