TURBIDITY CHANGE DURING GLUCOSE PERMEATION IN ESCHERICHIA COLI

Abstract

In contrast to the normal turbidity decrease which was observed at pH 5.5, the turbidity of suspensions of E. coli strain-A (Weigle) increased during uptake of glucose permease substrates when uptake was studied at pH 6.5. Although the turbidity increase at pH 6.5 was the reverse of the expected change, it correlated with the uptake of substrate. During the later phase of permeation at pH 6.5, both uptake of substrate and turbidity change were reversed. We suggest that the observed turbidity response indicated the accumulation of substrate at the cell membrane when the mechanism for releasing substrate to the cytoplasm was inhibited at pH 6.5. Under this condition, uptake of substrate did not cause swelling because the substrate was osmotically inactive since it may have been bound to the membrane. Permeability was observed to be susceptible to modification by prior treatment with substrate, by aging in the presence of chloramphenicol and by treatment with dinitrophenol. Permeation and turbidity change are discussed in terms of a proposed phosphorylative mechanism of glucose transport.