Pseudomonas can survive bacteriocin-mediated killing via a persistence-like mechanism

Abstract

18Phage tail-like bacteriocins (tailocins) are bacterially-produced protein toxins that can mediate 19 competitive interactions between co-colonizing bacteria. Both theoretical and empirical research 20 has shown there are intransitive interactions between bacteriocin-producing, bacteriocin-21 sensitive, and bacteriocin-resistant populations, whereby producers outcompete sensitive, 22 escape the trap of fitness trade-offs associated with gaining de novo tailocin resistance, and 41 expands our understanding of how sensistive bacterial populations can persist in the presence of 42 lethal competitors. 43 44