Persister-promoting bacterial toxin TisB produces anion-selective pores in planar lipid bilayers.
We studied membrane activity of the bacterial peptide TisB involved in persister cell formation. TisB and its analogs form multi-state ion-conductive pores in planar lipid bilayers with all states displaying similar anionic selectivity. TisB analogs differing by ±1 elementary charges show corresponding changes in selectivity. Probing TisB pores with poly-(ethylene glycol)s reveals only restricted partitioning even for the smallest polymers, suggesting that the pores are characterized by a relatively small diameter. These findings allow us to suggest that TisB forms clusters of narrow pores that are essential for its mechanism of action.
Program in Physical Biology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. gurnevp@mail.nih.gov
Philip A
PA
Gurnev
Ron
R
Ortenberg
Tobias
T
Dörr
Kim
K
Lewis
Sergey M
SM
Bezrukov
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D018441:Biofilms; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000379:methods; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007477:Ions; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D018892:Proton-Motive Force
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D007477:Ions; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D010455:Peptides; D011108:Polymers; C575529:TisB toxin, E coli; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols