Pesticin (Pst) is an anti-bacterial toxin produced by Yersinia pestis that acts through uptake by the target related bacteria and the hydrolysis of peptidoglycan in the periplasm. Pst contains an N-terminal translocation domain, an intermediate receptor binding domain, and a phage-lysozyme like C-terminal activity domain. Bacteriocins such as pesticin are produced by gram-negative bacteria to attack related bacterial stains. Pst is transported to the periplasm via FyuA, an outer-membrane receptor of Y. pestis and E. coli, where it hydrolyzes peptidoglycan via the cleavage of N-acetylmuramic acid and C4 of N-acetylglucosamine. Disruption of the peptidoglycan layer renders the bacteria vulnerable to lysis via osmotic pressure. The pesticin C-terminal domain resembles the lysozyme-like family, which includes soluble lytic transglycosylases (SLT), goose egg-white lysozymes (GEWL), hen egg-white lysozymes (HEWL), chitinases, bacteriophage lambda lysozymes, endolysins, autolysins, and chitosanases. All the members are involved in the hydrolysis of beta-1,4- linked polysaccharides.
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