Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1 grew with the detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The growth started with the formation of macroscopic cell aggregates which consisted of respiring cells embedded in an extracellular matrix composed of acidic polysaccharides and DNA. Damaged and uncultivable cells accumulated in these aggregates compared to those cells that remained suspended. We investigated the response of suspended cells to SDS under different conditions. At high energy supply, the cells responded with a decrease in optical density and in viable counts, release of protein and DNA, and formation of macroscopic aggregates. This response was not observed if the energy supply was reduced by inhibiting respiration with KCN, or if cells not induced for SDS degradation were exposed to SDS. Exposure to SDS caused cell lysis without aggregation if cells were completely deprived of energy, either by applying anoxic conditions, by addition of CCCP, or by addition of KCN to a mutant defective in cyanide-insensitive respiration. Aggregated cells showed a more than 100-fold higher survival rate after exposure to SDS plus CCCP than suspended cells. Our results demonstrate that cell aggregation is an energy-dependent response of P. aeruginosa to detergent stress which might serve as a survival strategy during growth with SDS.
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Abbreviations
- CCCP:
-
Carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone
- CFU:
-
Colony forming units
- CTC:
-
5-Cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride
- OD600 :
-
Optical density at 600 nm
- SDS:
-
Sodium dodecyl sulfate
- ROS:
-
Reactive oxygen species
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Acknowledgements
The authors appreciate experimental support from S. Weinitschke and valuable discussions with A. Cook and D. Schleheck. This study was supported by a grant of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, (Bonn) to B.P. (PH71/2-1).
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Klebensberger, J., Rui, O., Fritz, E. et al. Cell aggregation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1 as an energy-dependent stress response during growth with sodium dodecyl sulfate. Arch Microbiol 185, 417–427 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-006-0111-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-006-0111-y