Killing Activity of Clostocin O

Clostocin O is a phage tail-like bacteriocin produced by Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum Nl–4. One particle of clostocin O had an activity to kill one sensitive organism. Clostocin O had also the lytic activity, but this lytic activity was not an essential action of clostocin O, because clostocin O was able to show a sufficient killing activity even under the condition to inhibit its lytic activity. The biosynthesis of macromolecules (protein, RNA and DNA) in sensitive organisms was inhibited by clostocin O infection. The amounts of macro-molecules of the infected organisms were held at the initial level.