Programmed cell death in bacteria is dependent on a system of cell-to-cell communication termed quorum sensing. Extracellular death factor (EDF) is a linear pentapeptide that communicating cells produce and release, which upon reaching a sufficient concentration activates the cell death pathway in a subset of cells. It is sensitive to extreme pH, high temperatures, and other stressful conditions. At 2.5 ng/ml, EDF has been shown to facilitate mazEF-mediated cell death, significantly reducing population size in E. coli cultures.
Extracellular Death Factor TFA(EDF TFA)是一种线性五肽,由通讯细胞产生和释放,当达到足够的浓度时会激活细胞亚群中的细胞死亡途径。EDF TFA对极端pH值、高温和其他压力条件很敏感。在2.5 ng ml的浓度下,EDF已被证明可以促进mazeEF(细菌内的毒素-抗毒素系统)介导的细胞死亡,促进MazF毒素的内切核酸酶活性,导致细菌mRNA的降解,显著减少大肠杆菌培养物中的种群大小。