Bacteriocinogenic Clo DF13 minicells of Escherichia coli synthesize a protein that accounts for immunity to bacteriocin Clo DF13: purification and characterization of the immunity protein.

Cloacin DF13 inhibits protein synthesis both in vivo and in vitro by inactivation of ribosomes. In this paper we describe the purification, from purified bacteriocinogenic plasmid DF13 (Clo DF13)-harboring minicells of Escherichia coli, of an acidic protein (molecular weight about 10,000) that prevents the inhibition of in vitro protein synthesis by cloacin DF13. It turned out that this protein is one of three Clo DF13 plasmid-specific polypeptides that are synthesized by the noninduced Clo DF13 plasmid in minicells. Furthermore, we observed that, after induction with mitomycin C, the amount of immunity protein is only slightly increased, whereas the cloacin DF13 synthesis is increased about 40 times. These results imply that the genes that code for immunity protein and cloacin DF13 are not located in the same regulatory unit. Under noninduced conditions, apparently an excess of immunity protein is synthesized, because this amount of immunity protein is even sufficient to neutralize the strongly increased amount of cloacin after induction, since growth of induced cloacinogenic cells is continued.