title: Pectocin M1 (PcaM1) Inhibits Escherichia coli Cell Growth and Peptidoglycan Biosynthesis through Periplasmic Expression.
abstract: Colicins are bacterial toxins produced by someEscherichia colistrains. They exhibit either enzymatic or pore-forming activity towards a very limited number of bacterial species, due to the high specificity of their reception and translocation systems. Yet, we succeeded in making the colicin M homologue fromPectobacterium carotovorum, pectocin M1 (PcaM1), capable of inhibitingE. colicell growth by bypassing these reception and translocation steps. This goal was achieved through periplasmic expression of this pectocin. Indeed, when appropriately addressed to the periplasm ofE. coli, this pectocin could exert its deleterious effects, i.e., the enzymatic degradation of the peptidoglycan lipid II precursor, which resulted in the arrest of the biosynthesis of this essential cell wall polymer, dramatic morphological changes and, ultimately, cell lysis. This result leads to the conclusion that colicin M and its various orthologues constitute powerful antibacterial molecules able to kill any kind of bacterium, once they can reach their lipid II target. They thus have to be seriously considered as promising alternatives to antibiotics.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France. dimitri.cherier@i2bc.paris-saclay.fr.
authors.forename: Dimitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chérier
authors.affiliation: Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France. sean.giacomucci@umontreal.ca.
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giacomucci
authors.affiliation: Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France. delphine.patin@i2bc.paris-saclay.fr.
authors.forename: Delphine
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Patin
authors.affiliation: Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France. ahmed.bouhss@univ-evry.fr.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bouhss
authors.affiliation: Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France. thierry.touze@i2bc.paris-saclay.fr.
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Touzé
authors.affiliation: Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France. didier.blanot@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Blanot
authors.affiliation: Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France. dominique.mengin-lecreulx@i2bc.paris-saclay.fr.
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mengin-Lecreulx
authors.affiliation: Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France. helene.barreteau@i2bc.paris-saclay.fr.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Barreteau
keywords: bacteriocin; colicin; pectocin M1; peptidoglycan; periplasmic expression