How Do You Spell COLICINS?

Pronunciation: [kˈɒlɪsˌɪnz] (IPA)

Colicins are a group of bacteriocins produced by certain strains of Escherichia coli. The word "colicins" is pronounced as /ˈkɒl.ɪsɪns/ in IPA phonetic transcription. The first syllable is stressed, and it starts with the sound /k/. The second syllable has the vowel sound /ɒ/ as in "lot" and ends with the consonant cluster /l.s/. The final syllable has the unstressed vowel sound /ɪ/ as in "it" and ends with the consonant sound /ns/. The spelling "colicins" reflects the etymology of the word, which is derived from Escherichia coli plus "-cin," a suffix indicating a bacteriocin.

COLICINS Meaning and Definition

1. Colicins are a family of bacteriocins that are produced by certain strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. Bacteriocins are antimicrobial proteins or peptides that can inhibit or kill closely related bacteria, providing a competitive advantage to the producing strain.

   Colicins are unique in that they possess a dual function: they can both kill susceptible bacteria and protect the producing bacteria from their own colicin toxin. The mechanisms by which colicins exert their antibacterial effects vary depending on the colicin type, but they commonly involve disrupting essential cellular processes in the target bacteria, such as DNA or protein synthesis.

   Colicins are produced by bacteria in response to various environmental cues, such as nutrient limitations or the presence of competing bacteria. They can diffuse through the bacterial membrane to reach the target cells and exert their antimicrobial activity. Colicins have been found to have narrow-spectrum activity, selectively inhibiting or killing species or strains closely related to the producing strain.

   The production and release of colicins are tightly regulated by complex genetic systems within the producing bacteria. This regulation ensures that colicins are produced when needed and also prevents their indiscriminate killing of all bacteria, including the producing strain.

   Overall, colicins represent a fascinating class of antimicrobial peptides that play a crucial role in the competitive interactions between bacteria and have potential applications in the development of new antimicrobial strategies.

Common Misspellings for COLICINS

• xolicins
• volicins
• folicins
• dolicins
• cilicins
• cklicins
• cllicins
• cplicins
• c0licins
• c9licins
• cokicins
• copicins
• cooicins
• colucins
• coljcins
• colkcins
• colocins
• col9cins
• col8cins
• colixins

Etymology of COLICINS

The word "colicins" is derived from the term "colicin". The term "colicin" was coined in 1925 by the Israeli microbiologist and pioneer of molecular biology, Chaim Weizmann. Weizmann derived the term from "colic", which is a general term used to describe severe abdominal pain often associated with disorders of the colon or intestines.

Colicins are a type of antimicrobial proteins produced by certain strains of bacteria. These proteins inhibit or kill closely related bacterial strains, providing a competitive advantage to the producing bacteria. The term "colicin" was initially used to describe a specific protein produced by Escherichia coli bacteria that displayed bactericidal activity against other E. coli strains.

Over time, as the study of colicins expanded, the term "colicin" was adopted as a general name for the broader family of antimicrobial proteins produced by various bacteria.