Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general/bacteriocins

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Halocin

Halocins are bacteriocins produced by halophilic Archaea and a type of archaeocin.

Since their discovery in 1982, halocins have been demonstrated to be diverse in a similar ways as the other bacteriocins. Some are large proteins, some small polypeptides (microhalocins). This diversity is surprising for a number of reasons, including the original presumptions that Archaea, particularly extremophiles, live at relatively low densities under conditions that may not require antagonistic behavior.

The genetics, mechanism of production and mechanism of action of the halocins have been studied, but not exhaustively. The ecology of the halocins has been investigated as well. One interesting observation is that the halocins are active across the major divisions of archaea, thus violating the dogma that they should be most effective against the most closely related strains.

Halocins are particularly interesting because of the way the pore-forming bacteriocins have been used to probe cell membrane structure and the production and maintenance of energetic ion gradients across the membrane. The halophiles live at such extreme ion concentrations that they represent a set of unusual solutions and adaptations with regard to their energetic gradients. The ability to use native halocins to study these gradients provides a motivation for their characterization.

They may have a role in human medicine.

They are also found in many of the type species that are used to learn about halophiles in general.

Like other bacteriocins, the halocins are under investigation as antimicrobials for use in controlling spoilage during industrial processes; in this case, leather production.

Because the literature about halocins is relatively circumscribed, it can be exhaustively cited. Several times they have been addressed in book chapters.

BACTIBASE database is an open-access database for bacteriocins including halocins (view complete list).

References

References

  1. (2002). "[Halocin: protein antibiotics produced by extremely halophilic archaea]". [[Wei Sheng Wu Xue Bao]].
  2. (2002). "Halocins and sulfolobicins: the emerging story of archaeal protein and peptide antibiotics". [[Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology]].
  3. (2008). "Archaea: New Models for Prokaryotic Biology". Caister Academic Press.
  4. (1982). "Halocins: salt-dependent bacteriocins produced by extremely halophilic rod". Canadian Journal of Microbiology.
  5. (1989). "Halocin H6, a bacteriocin from ''Haloferax gibbonsii''". Journal of General Microbiology.
  6. (2000). "Halocin S8: a 36-Amino-Acid Microhalocin from the Haloarchaeal Strain S8a". [[Journal of Bacteriology]].
  7. (2002). "Purification and biological characterization of halocin H1 from ''Haloferax mediterranei'' M2a". [[International Microbiology]].
  8. (2006). "[Cloning and analysis of genes in the halocin C8 gene cluster]". [[Wei Sheng Wu Xue Bao]].
  9. (2005). "A single gene directs both production and immunity of halocin C8 in a haloarchaeal strain AS7092". [[Molecular Microbiology (journal).
  10. Perez, AM. (2000). "Growth physiology of ''Haloferax mediterranei'' R4 and purification of halocin H4". Northern Arizona University.
  11. (1997). "Isolation, sequence, and expression of the gene encoding halocin H4, a bacteriocin from the halophilic archaeon Haloferax mediterranei R4". [[Journal of Bacteriology]].
  12. (1996). "Optimization of the production of a bacteriocin from ''Haloferax mediterranei'' Xia3". [[Microbiología]].
  13. (1985). "Production and purification of halocin H4". FEMS Microbiology Letters.
  14. (2003). "Purification and biological characterization of halocin C8, a novel peptide antibiotic from ''Halobacterium'' strain AS7092". [[Extremophiles]].
  15. Platas G. (1995). "Caracterizacíon de la actividad antimicrobiana de la haloarquea ''Haloferax mediterranei'' Xia3". Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
  16. (1995). "Specific inhibition of the halobacterial Na+/H+ antiporter by halocin H6". [[Journal of Biological Chemistry]].
  17. (1986). "Effect of halocin H4 on cells of ''Halobacterium halobium''". Journal of General Microbiology.
  18. (2001). "Protein-protein interaction between halocin H7 and halobacterial membrane protein". Nippon Yakugakkai Nenkai Koen Yoshishu.
  19. (2000). "Halocins: are they involved in the competition between halobacteria in saltern ponds?". [[Extremophiles]].
  20. (1986). "Antagonistic interactions among halobacteria due to halocin production". FEMS Microbiology Letters.
  21. Oren A. (1994). "The ecology of the halophilic archaea". FEMS Microbiology Reviews.
  22. (2001). "Secreted Euryarchaeal Microhalocins Kill Hyperthermophilic Crenarchaea". [[Journal of Bacteriology]].
  23. (1998). "Halocin H7 decreases infarct size and ectopic beats after mycardial reperfusion in dogs". Journal of Physiology.
  24. (2006). "A halocin acting on Na+/H+ exchanger of haloarchaea as a new type of inhibitor in NHE of mammals". [[Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry]].
  25. (1989). "Halobacterium sp. GRB: a species to work with!?". [[Canadian Journal of Microbiology]].
  26. (2004). "Prevention of halophilic microbial damage on brine cured hides by extremely halophilic halocin producer strains". Journal of the Society of Leather Technologists and Chemists.
  27. (1987). "Protein Purification: Micro to Macro". Alan R. Liss.
  28. (1999). "Enigmatic Organisms and Life in Extreme Environments". Kluwer Acadademic Press.
  29. (1999). "Microbiology and Biogeochemistry of Hypersaline Environments". CRC Press.
  30. (2007). "BACTIBASE: a new web-accessible database for bacteriocin characterization". BMC Microbiology.
  31. (2010). "BACTIBASE second release: a database and tool platform for bacteriocin characterization". BMC Microbiology.
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

bacteriocins toxicology peripheral-membrane-proteins bactericides bacterial-toxins antimicrobial-peptides
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Halocin — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report