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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Evolution Of Reduced Microbial Killing, Jan A.C. Vriezen Dr., Michael Valliere, Margaret A. Riley Dr.
The Evolution Of Reduced Microbial Killing, Jan A.C. Vriezen Dr., Michael Valliere, Margaret A. Riley Dr.
Jan A.C. Vriezen Dr.
Bacteria engage in a never-ending arms race in which they compete for limited resources and niche space. The outcome of this intense interaction is the evolution of a powerful arsenal of biological weapons. Perhaps the most studied of these are colicins, plasmid-based toxins produced by and active against Escherichia coli. The present study was designed to explore the molecular responses of a colicin-producing strain during serial transfer evolution. What evolutionary changes occur when colicins are produced with no target present? Can killing ability be maintained in the absence of a target? To address these, and other, questions, colicinogenic strains and …
The Role Of Sos Boxes In Enteric Bacteriocin Regulation, Jan A.C. Vriezen Dr., Osnat Gillor Dr., Margaret A. Riley Dr.
The Role Of Sos Boxes In Enteric Bacteriocin Regulation, Jan A.C. Vriezen Dr., Osnat Gillor Dr., Margaret A. Riley Dr.
Jan A.C. Vriezen Dr.
Bacteriocins are a large and functionally diverse family of toxins found in all major lineages of Bacteria. Colicins, those bacteriocins produced by Escherichia coli, serve as a model system for investigations of bacteriocin structure–function relationships, genetic organization, and their ecological role and evolutionary history. Colicin expression is often dependent on host regulatory pathways (such as the SOS system), is usually confined to times of stress, and results in death of the producing cells. This study investigates the role of the SOS system in mediating this unique form of toxin expression. A comparison of all the sequenced enteric bacteriocin promoters reveals …