Abstract
THE ability of a bacterium to tolerate any particular set of ionic conditions is likely to be determined in part by the outermost permeability barrier of the organism. This barrier, which is usually a lipoprotein membrane, is in contact with the extracellular environment and must remain functional under all conditions which permit growth of the organism. It has already been shown that the cell envelopes (or membranes) of two Gram-negative bacteria, one a marine organism (N.C.M.B. 845) requiring moderate concentrations of salt and the other a halophil (Halobacterium halobium) requiring high concentrations of salt, are unstable at low ionic strengths. The structural integrity of these two types of envelope depends, to a different degree in each case, on ionic strength or the concentration of bivalent cations1,2. The work recorded here was undertaken to determine if cation-sensitive instability of bacterial membranes is a general phenomenon and if there is evidence of a correlation between membrane properties and salt tolerance of the growing organism.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brown, A. D., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 62, 132 (1962).
Brown, A. D., Biochim. Biophys. Acta (in the press).
Brown, A. D., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 48, 352 (1961).
Lowry, O. H., Rosebrough, N. J., Farr, A. L., and Randall, R. J., J. Boil. Chem., 193, 265 (1951).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
BROWN, A., TURNER, H. Membrane Stability and Salt Tolerance in Gram-negative Bacteria. Nature 199, 301–302 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1038/199301a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/199301a0
This article is cited by
-
Pseudomonas halodurans sp. nov., a halotolerant bacterium
Archives of Microbiology (1983)
-
Attachment of Marine- and Fresh-water Bacteria to Solid Surfaces
Nature (1965)
-
Inhibition of Growth of Aerobacter aerogenes by Sodium Chloride
Nature (1965)
-
Effect of Sodium Chloride, Dulcitol and Glucose on the Growth of Proteus in Shaken and Static Broth Cultures
Nature (1964)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.