ArticleMolecular microbiology2012
The Bacillus subtilis cannibalism toxin SDP collapses the proton motive force and induces autolysis.
Article in Molecular microbiology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 64 papers.
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Who cites it
64 citing papers in PubMed, 115 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Defining the Expression, Production, and Signaling Roles of Specialized Metabolites during Bacillus subtilis Differentiation.Journal of bacteriology · 2021Article
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4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Bacillus subtilis SDP is a peptide toxin that kills cells outside the biofilm to support continued growth. We show that purified SDP acts like endogenously produced SDP; it delays sporulation, and the SdpI immunity protein confers SDP resistance. SDP kills a variety of Gram-positive bacteria in the phylum Firmicutes, as well as Escherichia coli with a compromised outer membrane, suggesting it participates in defence of the B. subtilis biofilm against Gram-positive bacteria as well as cannibalism. Fluorescence microscopy reveals that the effect of SDP on cells differs from that of nisin, nigericin, valinomycin and vancomycin-KCl, but resembles that of CCCP, DNP and azide. Indeed, SDP rapidly collapses the PMF as measured by fluorometry and flow cytometry, which triggers the slower process of autolysis. This secondary consequence of SDP treatment is not required for cell death since the autolysin-defective lytC, lytD, lytE, lytF strain fails to be lysed but is nevertheless killed by SDP. Collapsing the PMF is an ideal mechanism for a toxin involved in cannibalism and biofilm defence, since this would incapacitate neighbouring cells by inhibiting motility and secretion of proteins and toxins. It would also induce autolysis in many Gram-positive species, thereby releasing nutrients that promote biofilm growth.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.