Amount of colicin release in Escherichia coli is regulated by lysis gene expression of the colicin E2 operon.

ABSTRACT: The production of bacteriocins in response to worsening environmental conditions is one means of bacteria to outcompete other microorganisms. Colicins, one class of bacteriocins in Escherichia coli, are effective against closely related Enterobacteriaceae. Current research focuses on production, release and uptake of these toxins by bacteria. However, little is known about the quantitative aspects of these dynamic processes. Here, we quantitatively study expression dynamics of the Colicin E2 operon in E. coli on a single cell level using fluorescence time-lapse microscopy. DNA damage, triggering SOS response leads to the heterogeneous expression of this operon including the cea gene encoding the toxin, Colicin E2, and the cel gene coding for the induction of cell lysis and subsequent colic

SUBMITTER: Mader A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4353708 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature