Skip to main content
Applied and Environmental Microbiology logoLink to Applied and Environmental Microbiology
. 1996 Oct;62(10):3868–3870. doi: 10.1128/aem.62.10.3868-3870.1996

Evaluation of cyclohexenoesculetin-beta-D-galactoside and 8-hydroxyquinoline-beta-D-galactoside as substrates for the detection of beta-galactosidase.

A L James 1, J D Perry 1, M Ford 1, L Armstrong 1, F K Gould 1
PMCID: PMC168196  PMID: 8837443

Abstract

We describe the synthesis of two new substrates for the detection of beta-galactosidase and evaluate their performance in comparison with that of 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (X-Gal). Of 171 Enterobacteriaceae strains that were able to hydrolyze X-Gal, 166 (97.1%) also hydrolyzed cyclohexenoesculetin-beta-D-galactoside whereas only 96 (56.1%) showed evidence of hydrolysis of 8-hydroxyquinoline-beta-D-galactoside. No false-positive results were observed with either substrate.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (514.3 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ALBERT A., GIBSON M. I., RUBBO S. D. The influence of chemical constitution on antibacterial activity. VI. The bactericidal action of 8-hydroxyquinoline (oxine). Br J Exp Pathol. 1953 Apr;34(2):119–130. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Berg J. D., Fiksdal L. Rapid detection of total and fecal coliforms in water by enzymatic hydrolysis of 4-methylumbelliferone-beta-D-galactoside. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1988 Aug;54(8):2118–2122. doi: 10.1128/aem.54.8.2118-2122.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dalet F., Segovia T. Evaluation of a new agar in Uricult-Trio for rapid detection of Escherichia coli in urine. J Clin Microbiol. 1995 May;33(5):1395–1398. doi: 10.1128/jcm.33.5.1395-1398.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. James A. L., Yeoman P. Detection of specific bacterial enzymes by high contrast metal chelate formation. Part I. 8-Hydroxyquinoline-beta-D-glucoside, an alternative to aesculin in the differentiation of members of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Zentralbl Bakteriol Mikrobiol Hyg A. 1987 Dec;267(2):188–193. doi: 10.1016/s0176-6724(87)80004-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. James A. L., Yeoman P. Detection of specific bacterial enzymes by high contrast metal chelate formation. Part II. Specific detection of Escherichia coli on multipoint-inoculated plates using 8-hydroxyquinoline-beta-D-glucuronide. Zentralbl Bakteriol Mikrobiol Hyg A. 1988 Jan;267(3):316–321. doi: 10.1016/s0176-6724(88)80047-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kodaka H., Ishikawa M., Iwata M., Kashitani F., Mizuochi S., Yamaguchi K. Evaluation of new medium with chromogenic substrates for members of the family Enterobacteriaceae in urine samples. J Clin Microbiol. 1995 Jan;33(1):199–201. doi: 10.1128/jcm.33.1.199-201.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. LOWE G. H. The rapid detection of lactose fermentation in paracolon organisms by the demonstration of beta-D-galactosidase. J Med Lab Technol. 1962 Jan;19:21–25. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Manafi M., Kneifel W., Bascomb S. Fluorogenic and chromogenic substrates used in bacterial diagnostics. Microbiol Rev. 1991 Sep;55(3):335–348. doi: 10.1128/mr.55.3.335-348.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Plovins A., Alvarez A. M., Ibañez M., Molina M., Nombela C. Use of fluorescein-di-beta-D-galactopyranoside (FDG) and C12-FDG as substrates for beta-galactosidase detection by flow cytometry in animal, bacterial, and yeast cells. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1994 Dec;60(12):4638–4641. doi: 10.1128/aem.60.12.4638-4641.1994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Applied and Environmental Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES