Pore-Forming Colicins and Their Relatives

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Amongst the variety of toxins produced by bacteria, few act against other bacteria. Those that do go under the umbrella term of bacteriocins and consist of a varied collection of molecules ranging from short peptides to large 80-kDa proteins (James et al. 1992). They differ in one clear respect from the toxins that are directed against eukaryotic cells in that they are generally directed against similar species and thus are involved in competition for resources rather than the provision of the resources themselves (Riley 1998). As with most toxins, all of these molecules share as a common feature an ability to bind to and penetrate biological membranes. It is arguable that one group of these proteins, the pore-forming colicins, exhibit the most developed and complex membrane interactions of any bacterial toxin. Here we hope to give the reader an insight into this unique series of toxin-membrane interactions.