Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus, a sugar cane endosymbiont, produces a bacteriocin against Xanthomonas albilineans, a sugar cane pathogen

Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus in liquid culture secretes proteins into the medium. Both medium containing Glitconacetobacter protein and a solution of this protein after acetone precipitation appeared to inhibit the growth of Xanthomonas albilineans in solid culture. This apparent inhibition of bacterial growth has, in fact, been revealed to be lysis of bacterial cells, as demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy. Fractionation of the Gluconacetobacter protein mixture in size-exclusion chromatography reveals a main fraction with lysozytne-like activity which produces lysis of both living bacteria and isolated cell walls. (C) 2002 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.