A bacteriocin is an antimicrobial peptide or protein produced by bacteria that acts against susceptible bacterial strains. The category describes a biological product and its antibacterial action; susceptibility depends on both the product and the target.[ref]
Bacteriocins in NLM MeSH. D001430; original descriptor scope note
Colicin E1 supplies a concrete mechanistic example. An experiment compared the complete protein with its C-terminus fragment in artificial lipid bilayers. Similar channel properties in the two forms localized pore-forming activity to that region. Membrane association could occur without the membrane potential needed for conducting channels to form.[ref]
Comparison of the macroscopic and single channel conductance properties of colicin E1 and its COOH-terminal tryptic peptide by J. O. Bullock and others. Abstract; fragment comparison and potential dependence
The experiment shows how to separate delivery, attachment and action of a bacterial product. It establishes a channel mechanism for the tested Colicin E1 system; the class name bacteriocin does not assign that same mechanism to every member. A growth-inhibition observation alone would not identify which molecular step caused the inhibition.
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