Relation to copper of N-1, a nonobligate bacterial predator

Nonobligate bacterial predator strain N-1 was highly resistant to copper. In fact, it required more than minimal amounts of copper to initiate growth, but not for growth that followed growth initiation. Strain N-1 made a peptide growth initiation factor (GIF) to marshal copper from its environment for growth initiation. Production of this GIF occurred before the onset of growth initiation, but production was shut down if excess copper was present. At high copper levels, the time required for onset of growth initiation was directly related to the amount of copper that was present. At low copper levels, a similar graded response occurred for increments of added GIF. Agromyces ramosus is a predator in its own right, but it also is a prey species for strain N-1. A. ramosus was found to be very sensitive to copper and to the copper GIF produced by N-1. It is possible that the copper GIF is the means used by N-1 to kill A. ramosus.