This is a small family of type II bacteriocins usually encoded on a plasmid. Characteristically the members are small, cationic, rich in Lys and Try, and bring about a generalised membrane permeabilisation leading to leakage of ions. The family includes aureocin A, lacticins Q and Z, and BhtB as well as an archaeal member.

1: Biochemical characterisation and genetic analysis of aureocin A53, a new, atypical bacteriocin from Staphylococcus aureus. Netz DJ, Pohl R, Beck-Sickinger AG, Selmer T, Pierik AJ, Bastos Mdo C, Sahl HG; J Mol Biol. 2002;319:745-756. PMID:12054867

2: Mode of action of the antimicrobial peptide aureocin A53 from Staphylococcus aureus. Netz DJ, Bastos Mdo C, Sahl HG; Appl Environ Microbiol. 2002;68:5274-5280. PMID:12406714