Cell-bound cations of the moderately halophilic bacterium Vibrio costicola.

Over most of the range of salt concentrations in which the moderately halophilic bacterium Vibrio costicola could grow, the sum of the cell-associated Na+ + K+ ions was at least as high as in the external medium. This is in contrast to other moderate halophiles, which have substantially lower internal than external salt concentrations for most of their growth range. The relative amounts of Na+ and K+ in V. costicola varied with environmental conditions. The K+/Na+ ratio fell during anaerobic incubation or when cells were poisoned. As Na+ ions left the cells, K+ ions entered. However, movement of these ions was not tightly coupled, since K+ content of cells could increase without a corresponding decrease in Na+ content. The Mg2+ contents of cells varied little with environmental conditions.     

Effects of penicillin on a moderately halophilic bacterium,Vibrio costicola

Penicillin inhibited growth and killed growing cells of the moderate halophileVibrio costicola. Cells were more susceptible to penicillin at lower than at higher NaCl concentrations. Inhibition of growth by KCN prevented the lethal action of penicillin. Envelopes of treated cells showed structural damage. Chains of cells separated under the action of the drug. Treated cells swelled rapidly, an unexpected reaction in a bacterium whose internal and external osmolarities are thought to be the same.     

Energetic basis of development of salt-tolerant transport in a moderately halophilic bacterium,Vibrio costicola

Active transport of -aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) in Vibrio costicola utilizes a system with affinity for glycine, alanine and, to some extent, methionine. AIB transport was more tolerant of high salt concentrations (3–4 M NaCl) in cells grown in the presence of 1.0 M NaCl than in those grown in the presence of 0.5 M NaCl. The former cells could also maintain much higher ATP contents than the latter in high salt concentrations.Transport kinetic studies performed with bacteria grown in 1.0 M NaCl revealed three effects of the Na⁺ ion: the first effect is to increase the apparent affinity (K _t) of the transport system for AIB at Na⁺ concentrations <0.2 M, the second to increase the maximum velocity (V _max) of transport (Na⁺ concentrations between 0.2 and 1.0 M), and the third to decrease the V _max without affectig K _t (Na⁺ concentrations >1.0 M). Cells grown in the presence of 0.5 M or 1.0 M NaCl had similar affinity for AIV. Thus, the differences in salt response of transport in these cells do not seem due to differences in AIB binding. Large, transport-inhibitory concentrations of NaCl resulted in efflux of AIB from cells preloaded in 0.5 M or 1.0 M NaCl, with most dramatic efflux occurring from the cells whose AIB transport was more salt-sensitive. Our results suggest that the degree to which high salt concentrations affect the transmembrane electrochemical energy source used for transport and ATP synthesis is an important determinant of salt tolerance.Abbreviations AIB -aminoisobutyric acid - pmf proton motive force     

Purification and properties of 5'-nucleotidase from the membrane of Vibrio costicola, a moderately halophilic bacterium.

Two different Mg2+-dependent adenosine 5'-triphosphate-hydrolyzing activities were detected in membranes of Vibrio costicola, a novel 5'-nucleotidase and an N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-sensitive adenosine triphosphatase. The former and the latter had different requirements for Mg2+ and were selectively assayed in the membranes by using, respectively, 20 and 2 mM Mg2+. The two enzymes were extracted with a combination of Triton X-100 and octylglucoside, separated on a diethylaminoethyl cellulose column, and purified on glycerol gradients. The purified 5'-nucleotidase consisted of one major polypeptide of 70,000 daltons when analyzed on polyacrylamide gels in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The purified 5'-nucleotidase was similar in substrate specificities, divalent cation specificities, and pH profiles to the membrane-bound N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-insensitive nucleotide-phosphohydrolyzing activity. The enzyme hydrolyzed nucleoside 5'-tri, 5'-di, and 5'-monophosphates at comparable rates. Inorganic pyrophosphate, p-nitrophenyl phosphate, glucose 6-phosphate, beta-glycerophosphate, adenosine 5'-diphosphate glucose, adenosine 3'-monophosphate, and cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate were not hydrolyzed, either im membranes or by the purified 5'-nucleotides. Actions of NaCl and KCl on the activity of the 5'-nucleotidase were studied. The enzyme was activated by both NaCl and KCl; the activation profiles however, were different for the membrane-bound and purified 5'-nucleotidase. The purified enzyme, unlike the membrane-bound enzyme, was markedly stimulated by high concentrations of NaCl (up to 3 M).     

Isolation and characterization of salt-sensitive mutants of the moderately halophilic bacterium Salinivibrio costicola subsp. yaniae

Salinivibrio costicola subsp. yaniae is a moderately halophilic bacterium which can grow over a wide range of salinity. In response to external osmotic stress (1-3 M NaCl), S. costicola subsp. yaniae can accumulate ectoine, glycine betaine, and glutamate as compatible solutes. We used suicide plasmids pSUP101 to introduce transposon Tn1732 into S. costicola subsp. yaniae via Escherichia coli SM10 mediated by conjugation. One Tn1732-induced mutant, MU1, which was very sensitive to the external salt concentration, was isolated. Mutant MU1 did not grow above 1.5 M NaCl and did not synthesize ectoine, but accumulated Ngamma-acetyldiaminobutyrate, an ectoine precursor, as confirmed by (1)H-NMR analysis. From these data, we concluded that ectoine performs a key role in osmotic adaptation towards high salinity environments in strain S. costicola subsp. yaniae.     

Isolation of salt-sensitive mutants of the moderately halophilic eubacteriumVibrio costicola

A protocol is described for the first isolation of salt-sensitive mutants from a moderately halophilic eubacterium, namelyVibrio costicola, which normally can grow in up to 3.4M NaCl. Four groups of mutants, which are all unable to grow at high (i.e., 2.5–3.0M) concentrations of NaCl, have been characterized on the basis of their salt and temperature sensitivities. The acquisition of these mutants will be helpful in clarifying the role of membrane lipid changes in haloadaptation.     

The growth and phospholipid composition of a moderately halophilic bacterium during adaptation to changes in salinity

The effect of a sudden change in NaCl concentration of the medium on the time course of alterations in growth rate and phospholipid composition of the moderately halophilic bacteriumVibrio costicola has been investigated. This organism and other moderate halophiles are known to contain a larger proportion of negatively charged phospholipids in their membranes when grown at higher salt concentrations. We show for the first time that the change in proportion of phosphatidylglycerol, relative to phosphatidylethanolamine, which occurs after a shift from 1M to 3M NaCl, or vice versa, is essentially completed during that period immediately following the salt shift when growth is zero or very slow, and before the cells have adopted the growth rate appropriate to the new salt concentration. It appears, therefore, that the alteration in membrane phospholipid composition may be a necessary physiological response for adaptation to change in salinity.     

Growth of a marine Vibrio alginolyticus and moderately halophilic V. costicola becomes uncoupler resistant when the respiration-dependent Na+ pump functions

The growth of Vibrio alginolyticus and V. costicola, which possess respiration-dependent Na+ pumps, was highly resistant to the proton conductor carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP), in alkaline growth media, even though the membrane was rendered permeable to H+. The pH dependence of CCCP-resistant growth was similar to that of the Na+ pump. In contrast, Escherichia coli ML308-225 showed neither Na+ pump activity nor CCCP-resistant growth, even when grown in alkaline, Na+-rich media. These results suggest that certain bacteria possess the Na+ pump and are thus able to grow under the conditions where H+ circulation across the membrane does not take place. Moreover, V. alginolyticus growing in the presence of CCCP maintains normal levels of internal K+, Na+, and H+. The Na+ pump, therefore, makes the growth of these organisms resistant to CCCP by maintaining the intracellular cation environments.     

Studies on halotolerance in a moderately halophilic bacterium. Effect of betaine on salt resistance of the respiratory system

The role of betaine as a factor influencing the salt resistance of the respiratory system in resting cells of the moderately halophilic halotolerant bacterium Ba(1) was studied. Betaine accelerated succinate oxidation in cells obtained from low-salt medium, and stimulation of the respiratory rate was stronger the higher the sodium chloride concentration in the assay medium. The stimulatory effect also depended on the ratio of betaine concentration to the amount of bacteria present. Accumulation of labelled betaine by the bacterial cells was demonstrated; like the respiratory stimulation, it was favourably influenced by an increase in the sodium chloride concentration of the medium. In cells harvested from a high-salt medium and washed with 2.0m-sodium chloride, betaine caused no increase in the respiratory rate, nor was the already high salt resistance of the respiratory system further improved by the addition of betaine. When, however, these cells lost their salt resistance as a result of washing in the absence of sodium chloride, betaine was able to restore it to its original level. In contrast with respiration in low-salt-grown bacteria, that in high-salt-grown cells was not affected by betaine, even after they were washed in the absence of sodium chloride, when the sodium chloride concentration was optimum.     

High-pressure adaptation by salt stress in a moderately halophilic bacterium obtained from open seawater

High-pressure adaptation was examined using a moderately halophilic bacterium (Micrococcus roseus), which was isolated from open seawater and capable of growing in 15% w/v NaCl (optimum NaCl concentration: 3% w/v). After treatment at 207 MPa, colony-forming units (CFUs) significantly decreased; however, the loss of integral cells after pressure was only 30% when direct cell count was performed microscopically. In order to investigate the piezotolerance of M. roseus under high pressure without morphological change, the survival of cells was examined under pressure at 138 MPa for 2 h. M. roseus in 3% NaCl was still sensitive to pressure at 138 MPa. However, the cells in the third generations showed remarkably increased pressure resistance, and no significant loss of viability was confirmed. Furthermore, when M. roseus was cultured in 1, 3, 5, 10 and 15% NaCl, the survival ratio proportionally increased at increased NaCl concentration. M. roseus cultured in 15% NaCl was remarkably resistant (94.7% viability) to pressure at 138 MPa, even when suspended in lower concentration of NaCl. This suggests that NaCl concentrations in growth culture affect the piezotolerance of M. roseus and that this species has an ability to adapt to high pressure.     

The intracellular Na+ and K+ composition of the moderately halophilic bacterium, Paracoccus halodenitrificans

The intracellular concentrations of Na+ and K+ in exponentially growing Paracoccus halodenitrificans were independent of the NaCl concentration of the growth medium. The observed values were approximately 100 and 300 mM for Na+ and K+, respectively. In stationary phase cells, the ultimate values for Na+ depended on the NaCl concentration of the growth medium. With cells grown in the presence of 1 M NaCl, the value was about 500 mM; for cells grown in the presence of 3 M NaCl, the value was about 1.1 M. The K+ concentration in stationary phase cells was unaffected by the NaCl concentration in the growth medium. The final value was about 100 mM. Associated with these changes were changes in the ATP pool and decreases in the activities of the NADH oxidase system and the membrane-bound ATPase. It is proposed that the decrease in the activities of these enzymes may account for the ion flows observed in stationary phase cells.     

Protein on the cell surface of the moderately halophilic phototrophic bacterium Rhodospirillum salexigens.

A cell surface protein (Mr 68,000) of the moderately but obligately halophilic phototrophic bacterium Rhodospirillum salexigens was identified by two independent methods: first, by labeling the cell surface with radioactive iodine and lactoperoxidase, and second, by washing cells in 30% sucrose to remove proteins attached to the cell surface by ionic bonds. The identified protein very likely represents the outermost layer of the cell envelope of R. salexigens as observed by electron microscopy. The protein was isolated. Its isoelectric point was determined to be 4.4; the excess of acidic over basic amino acids was found to be 18.3 mol%; and its average hydrophobicity was 2.26 kJ per residue.     

ESR studies on the membrane properties of a moderately halophilic bacterium. I. Physical properties of lipid bilayers in whole cells

The lipid membrane properties of a moderately halophilic gram-negative bacterium, Pseudomonas halosaccharolytica ATCC 29423, were studied by the use of stearate spin labels, 5NS, 12NS, and 16NS, changing the temperature of ESR measurement from 15 to 50 degrees C. The order parameter and the rotational correlation time of the spin labels incorporated into intact cell membranes of this bacterium grown at various temperatures in media containing different NaCl concentrations were calculated. The activation energy of rotational microviscosity was obtained from Andrade plots. At low growth temperature and low NaCl concentration in the medium, extractable lipids of this bacterium contained comparatively large amounts of unsaturated fatty acids, but as the growth temperature and NaCl concentration in the medium increased, the contents of saturated and cyclopropanoic fatty acids increased to more than half of the total fatty acids. 5NS gave the highest order parameters for the intact cells of this bacterium, while 12NS gave lower and 16NS gave the lowest results. The order parameters of 5NS, 12NS, and 16NS were completely separated, and all order parameters decreased gradually as the measuring temperature was increased. In contrast, the rotational correlation times of the intact cells with 12NS were as large as those with 5NS, while those with 16NS were distinctly smaller. Increasing NaCl concentrations in the growth medium caused an increase of the rotational correlation times, that is, stiffened the lipid bilayers. The Andrade plot for 16NS was approximately a straight line, whereas 5NS and 12NS gave two straight lines crossing at a temperature near the growth temperature, indicating phase transition from solid to liquid. The microviscosity activation energies were 5--10 kcal/mol in the liquid phase and 15--25 kcal/mol in the solid phase.     

Glycine betaine and polar lipid composition in halophilic archaebacteria in response to growth in different salt concentrations

Abstract Examples of halophilic archaebacteria contain low levels of between 1 and 20 mM trimethyl glycine (glycine betaine). In disrupted cell preparations, the glycine betaine is associated with the membrane fraction and is not detectable in cell supernatants. Cells of Natronococcus occultus grown in different salt concentrations show an increase in cell-associated glycine betaine along with an increase in the ratio of phosphatidyl glycerophosphate (PG) to phosphatidyl glycerol (PG) in the cell membrane.     

Characterization of halophilic alkaline phosphatase from Halomonas sp. 593, a moderately halophilic bacterium

A halophilic alkaline phosphatase was highly purified (about 510-fold with about 21% yield) from a moderate halophile, Halomonas sp. 593. The N-terminal 35 amino acid sequence of this enzyme was found to be more acidic than those previously isolated from Vibrio spp., and this enzyme was partially resistant to SDS. Several enzymatic properties demonstrated that it showed higher halophilicity than those enzymes from Vibrio spp.