Quantitative Determination of Antibacterial Activity During Bacterial Coculture

Juliana Alcoforado Diniz, Christopher Earl, Ruth E. Hernandez, Birte Hollmann, Sarah J. Coulthurst (Lead / Corresponding author)

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

Abstract

Antibacterial activity assays are an important tool in the assessment of the ability of one bacterium to kill or inhibit the growth of another, for example, during the study of the Type VI secretion system (T6SS) and the antibacterial toxins it secretes. The method we describe here can detect the ability of a bacterial strain to kill or inhibit other bacterial cells in a contact-dependent manner when cocultured on an agar surface. It is particularly useful since it enumerates the recovery of viable target cells and thus enables quantification of the antibacterial activity. We provide a detailed description of how to measure the T6SS-dependent antibacterial activity of a bacterium such as Serratia marcescens against a competitor prokaryotic organism, Escherichia coli, and describe possible variations in the method to allow adaptation to other attacker and target organisms.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationBacterial Secretion Systems
Subtitle of host publicationMethods and Protocols
EditorsLaure Journet, Eric Casales
Place of PublicationNew York
PublisherHumana Press
Chapter37
Pages593-600
Number of pages8
Edition2
ISBN (Electronic)9781071634455, 9781071634479
ISBN (Print)978071634448
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Publication series

NameMethods in Molecular Biology
Volume2715
ISSN (Print)1064-3745
ISSN (Electronic)1940-6029

Keywords

  • Coculture Techniques
  • Bacteria
  • Agar
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology
  • Biological Assay
  • Escherichia coli
  • Bacterial competitive fitness
  • Toxin/Immunity pair
  • Protein secretion system
  • Antibacterial activity
  • Coculture assay
  • Gram-negative bacteria
  • Type VI Secretion System

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

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