Instruments of microbial warfare: bacteriocin synthesis, toxicity and immunity

Abstract

Bacteria have devised ingenious enzymatic machinery to synthesize antibiotic molecules (bacteriocins) for their continuous warfare with other microorganisms. Synthesis and export of these toxic compounds are coordinated to ensure the proper extracellular activation of bacteriocin toxicity. In designing future antibiotics, some of the tricks used by bacteriocins might be exploited for the synthesis of novel compounds.