Any of a group of antibacterial proteins produced by certain strains of E. coli bacteria to kill competing bacteria.
From 'coli' (E. coli) and '-cin' (a suffix for antibacterial substances, from Latin 'caedere' meaning to kill). Colicins were discovered and named in the mid-20th century during antibiotic research.
Bacteria produce colicins as molecular weapons to eliminate competitors—scientists are now studying how to harness these natural antibiotics as alternatives to traditional antibiotics, especially against resistant bacteria!
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