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Journal of Bacteriology, January 2003, p. 654-659, Vol. 185, No. 2
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.2.654-659.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A cka-gfp Transcriptional Fusion Reveals that the Colicin K Activity Gene Is Induced in Only 3 Percent of the Population

Janez Mulec,1 Zdravko Podlesek,2 Peter Mrak,2 Andreja Kopitar,3 Alojz Ihan,3 and Darja Zgur-Bertok2*

Karst Research Institute, Scientific Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Postojna,1 Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty,2 Institute for Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia3

Received 21 August 2002/ Accepted 16 October 2002

In prokaryotes, only a few examples of differential gene expression in cell populations have been described. Colicin production in natural populations of Escherichia coli, while providing a competitive advantage in the natural habitat, also leads to lysis of the toxin-producing cell. Colicin K synthesis has been found to be induced due to an increase in ppGpp (I. Kuhar, J. P. van Putten, D. Zgur-Bertok, W. Gaastra, and B. J. Jordi, Mol. Microbiol. 41:207-216). Using two transcriptional fusions, cka-gfp and cki-gfp, we show that at the single-cell level, the colicin K activity gene cka is expressed in only 3% of the bacterial population upon induction by nutrient starvation. In contrast, the immunity gene cki is expressed in the large majority of the cells. Expression of the cka-gfp fusion in a lexA-defective strain and in a relA spoT mutant strain indicates that differential expression of cka is established primarily at the level of transcription.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Vecna pot 111, Ljubljana, Slovenia. Phone: 368 1 423 3388. Fax: 386 1 257 3390. E-mail: darja.zgur{at}uni-lj.si.

Journal of Bacteriology, January 2003, p. 654-659, Vol. 185, No. 2
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.2.654-659.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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