Dynamics of ColicinE2 production and release determine the competitive success of a toxin-producing bacterial population.

ABSTRACT: The release of toxins is one mechanism used by bacterial species to establish dominance over competitors, but how the dynamics of toxin expression determine the competitive success of a toxin-producing population is largely unknown. Here, we investigate how the expression dynamics of ColicinE2 - a toxic bacteriocin - affect competition between toxin-producing and toxin-sensitive strains of Escherichia coli. We demonstrate that, in addition to genetic modifications in the toxin expression system, alterations of the growth medium can be used to modulate the timing of toxin production and the amount of toxin released. Thus cells that release the toxin at later times can accumulate more colicin. In experiments, we found that delaying toxin release does not significantly alter competition outco

SUBMITTER: Weiß AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7055308 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature