Fuente: WIPO "rice" Methods of increasing cultured cell growth yields and/or protein production from bacterial cell cultures are provided. More particularly, mutant bacterial cells having an alteration in the expression or activity of the cidABC operon, a gene therein, or a homolog or a regulator thereof, and methods for reducing acetic acid/acetate production in cultures are provided, as are methods for increasing cultured cell growth yields and/or protein production employing such cells. Methods for enhancing bacterial cell death and methods for identifying agents that increase the susceptibility of bacteria to cell death are also provided.