Lactococcin 972, a bacteriocin that inhibits septum formation in lactococci.
Addition of lactococcin 972 to exponentially growing sensitive cultures of Lactococcus lactis resulted in cell elongation and widening. Thin sections revealed that septum invagination was blocked. Cell growth progressed until most cells showed equatorial constriction and even initial deposition of material at the septum ring, although cell division did not proceed any further. The increase in the incorporation of labelled precursors into the cell wall shifted from an exponential to a linear mode in treated cultures, subsequently being arrested. Gross degeneration of the cells was observed prior to cell death, followed by slow lysis of the culture. In contrast, stationary-phase cultures remained unaffected.
Martı Nez
Beatriz
B
Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), 33300-Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain1.
Rodrı Guez
Ana
A
Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), 33300-Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain1.
Suárez
Juan E
JE
Departamento de Biologı́a Funcional, Area de Microbiologı́a, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006-Oviedo, Asturias, Spain2.|Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), 33300-Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain1.
D001430:Bacteriocins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D048429:Cell Size / Q000187:drug effects; D017045:Lactococcus / Q000502:physiology*
D001430:Bacteriocins; C069325:lactococcin A