An antimicrobial protein of the gut symbiont Bacteroides fragilis with a MACPF domain of host immune proteins.

ABSTRACT: Bacteroidales are the most abundant Gram-negative bacteria of the human intestinal microbiota comprising more than half of the bacteria in many individuals. Some of the factors that these bacteria use to establish and maintain themselves in this ecosystem are beginning to be identified. However, ecological competition, especially interference competition where one organism directly harms another, is largely unexplored. To begin to understand the relevance of this ecological principle as it applies to these abundant gut bacteria and factors that may promote such competition, we screened Bacteroides fragilis for the production of antimicrobial molecules. We found that the production of extracellularly secreted antimicrobial molecules is widespread in this species. The first identified molecu

SUBMITTER: Chatzidaki-Livanis M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4262677 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature