Measurement of Glucose Utilization by Pseudomonas fluorescens That Are Free-Living and That Are Attached to Surfaces

Abstract

The assimilation and respiration of glucose by attached and free-living Pseudomonas fluorescens were compared. The attachment surfaces were polyvinylidene fluoride, polyethylene, and glass. Specific uptake of [14C]glucose was determined after bacterial biomass was measured by (i) microscopic counts or (ii) prelabeling of cells by providing [3H]leucine as substrate, followed by dual-labeling scintillation counting. The glucose concentration was 1.4,3.5,5.5,7.6, or 9.7 .mu.M. Glucose assimilation by cells which became detached from the surfaces during incubation with glucose was also measured after the detached cells were collected by filtration. The composition of the substratum had no effect on the amount of glucose assimilated by attached cells. Glucose assimilation by attached cells exceeded that by free-living cells by a factor of between 2 and 5 or more, and respiration of glucose by surface-associated cells was greater than that by free-living bacteria. Glucose assimilation by detached cells was greater than that by attached bacteria. Measurements of biomass by microscopic counts gave more consistent results that those obtained with dual-labeling, but in general, results obtained by both methods were corroborative.