BIOLOGICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL COMPARISONS OF ENTEROBACTER-CLOACAE AND ESCHERICHIA-COLI PORINS

Bacteriocin susceptibilities indicate that during cloacin DF13 uptake the F porin of Enterobacter cloacae plays a similar role to that repor ted for the OmpF porin of Escherichia coli during colicin A entry. The translocatory activities of these two porins during the bacteriocin u ptake can be substituted by the porins D and OmpC, respectively, under conditions not requiring the receptor binding step. Using anti-peptid e antibodies, a peptide located in the internal loop L3 of the Escheri chia coli OmpF porin was identified in the D and F porins of Enterobac ter cloacae. The results demonstrated the existence of a close relatio nship between porins in terms of both antigenic determinants and bacte riocin susceptibilities.