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The subcellular localization of beta-lactamase produced by a secretion-cloning vector pIN-III was studied by immunolabelling of frozen thin sections of Escherichia coli. Using double immuno-gold detections and internal reference proteins, it is shown here that beta-lactamase encoded by this vector can be exported and that its overproduction leads to aggregation within the periplasm. This aggregation induces the appearance of electron-dense areas immunolabelled by the antiserum directed against the beta-lactamase at the external side of the cytoplasmic membrane. The overproduced enzyme is also secreted to the medium in vesicles budding from the outer membrane of lpp strains.

Evidence is presented that two circumferential zones of cell envelope differentiation, the periseptal annuli, exist in E. coli as previously observed in S. typhimurium. The periseptal annulus is located at the division site of cells. A strain overproducing a periplasmic protein, PhoS (phosphate-binding protein) has been used to provide a landmark for the periseptal compartment. The zone of adhesion does not involve inner-outer membrane fusion. This zone does not provide a strong physical barrier to protein diffusion in the periplasmic space, at least under conditions of plasmolysis.

Colicins are released into the spent medium from colicinogenic cells. The pathway of release has been investigated in this study. The localization in producing cells of colicins A, E3 and of cloacin DF13 has been determined at various times after mitomycin C addition: no transient accumulation in the periplasmic space of colicinogenic E. coli K12 strains was detected by electron microscopy for any of the bacteriocins tested. Furthermore, asynchronous induction in individual cells was detected for each bacteriocin tested. These results strongly suggest that colicins, as well as cloacin DF13, do not transit through the periplasmic space before release from colicinogenic cells.