Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1982 Nov;152(2):636–642. doi: 10.1128/jb.152.2.636-642.1982

Permeability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa outer membrane to hydrophilic solutes.

F Yoshimura, H Nikaido
PMCID: PMC221510  PMID: 6813310

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is usually resistant to a wide variety of antibacterial agents, and it has been inferred, on the basis of indirect evidence, that this was due to the low permeability of its outer membrane. We determined the permeability of P. aeruginosa outer membrane directly, by measuring the rates of hydrolysis of cephacetrile, cephaloridine, and various phosphate esters by hydrolytic enzymes located in the periplasm. The permeability to these compounds was about 100-fold lower than in the outer membrane of Escherichia coli K-12. Also, we found that the apparent Km values for active transport of various carbon and energy source compounds were typically higher than 20 microM in P. aeruginosa, in contrast to E. coli in which the values are usually lower than 5 microM. These results also are consistent with the notion that the P. aeruginosa outer membrane indeed has a low permeability to most hydrophilic compounds and that this membrane acts as a rate limiting step in active transport processes with high Vmax values.

Full text

PDF
636

Selected References

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

  1. Angus B. L., Carey A. M., Caron D. A., Kropinski A. M., Hancock R. E. Outer membrane permeability in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: comparison of a wild-type with an antibiotic-supersusceptible mutant. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1982 Feb;21(2):299–309. doi: 10.1128/aac.21.2.299. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Benz R., Hancock R. E. Properties of the large ion-permeable pores formed from protein F of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in lipid bilayer membranes. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1981 Aug 20;646(2):298–308. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(81)90336-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. COHEN G. N., RICKENBERG H. V. Concentration spécifique réversible des amino acides chez Escherichia coli. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1956 Nov;91(5):693–720. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cheng K. J., Ingram J. M., Costerton J. W. Release of alkaline phosphatase from cells of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by manipulation of cation concentration and of pH. J Bacteriol. 1970 Nov;104(2):748–753. doi: 10.1128/jb.104.2.748-753.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Eagon R. G., Phibbs P. V., Jr Kinetics of transport of glucose, fructose, and mannitol by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Can J Biochem. 1971 Sep;49(9):1031–1041. doi: 10.1139/o71-151. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Guymon L. F., Eagon R. G. Transport of glucose, gluconate, and methyl alpha-D-glucoside by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Bacteriol. 1974 Mar;117(3):1261–1269. doi: 10.1128/jb.117.3.1261-1269.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HAYASHI S., LIN E. C. CAPTURE OF GLYCEROL BY CELLS OF ESCHERICHIA COLI. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1965 Mar 29;94:479–487. doi: 10.1016/0926-6585(65)90056-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. HERBERT D., ELSWORTH R., TELLING R. C. The continuous culture of bacteria; a theoretical and experimental study. J Gen Microbiol. 1956 Jul;14(3):601–622. doi: 10.1099/00221287-14-3-601. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hancock R. E., Decad G. M., Nikaido H. Identification of the protein producing transmembrane diffusion pores in the outer membrane of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1979 Jul 5;554(2):323–331. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(79)90373-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hancock R. E., Nikaido H. Outer membranes of gram-negative bacteria. XIX. Isolation from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and use in reconstitution and definition of the permeability barrier. J Bacteriol. 1978 Oct;136(1):381–390. doi: 10.1128/jb.136.1.381-390.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hancock R. E., Poole K., Benz R. Outer membrane protein P of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: regulation by phosphate deficiency and formation of small anion-specific channels in lipid bilayer membranes. J Bacteriol. 1982 May;150(2):730–738. doi: 10.1128/jb.150.2.730-738.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Holloway B. W., Krishnapillai V., Morgan A. F. Chromosomal genetics of Pseudomonas. Microbiol Rev. 1979 Mar;43(1):73–102. doi: 10.1128/mr.43.1.73-102.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Hoshino T. Transport systems for branched-chain amino acids in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Bacteriol. 1979 Sep;139(3):705–712. doi: 10.1128/jb.139.3.705-712.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Izaki K., Matsuhashi M., Strominger J. L. Glycopeptide transpeptidase and D-alanine carboxypeptidase: penicillin-sensitive enzymatic reactions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1966 Mar;55(3):656–663. doi: 10.1073/pnas.55.3.656. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kay W. W., Gronlund A. F. Amino acid transport in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Bacteriol. 1969 Jan;97(1):273–281. doi: 10.1128/jb.97.1.273-281.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kay W. W., Gronlund A. F. Transport of aromatic amino acids by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Bacteriol. 1971 Mar;105(3):1039–1046. doi: 10.1128/jb.105.3.1039-1046.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Midgley M., Dawes E. A. The regulation of transport of glucose and methyl alpha-glucoside in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Biochem J. 1973 Feb;132(2):141–154. doi: 10.1042/bj1320141. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Mizuno T., Kageyama M. Separation and characterization of the outer membrane of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Biochem. 1978 Jul;84(1):179–191. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jbchem.a132106. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Neu H. C., Heppel L. A. The release of enzymes from Escherichia coli by osmotic shock and during the formation of spheroplasts. J Biol Chem. 1965 Sep;240(9):3685–3692. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Nikaido H., Nakae T. The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Adv Microb Physiol. 1979;20:163–250. doi: 10.1016/s0065-2911(08)60208-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Nikaido H., Rosenberg E. Y. Effect on solute size on diffusion rates through the transmembrane pores of the outer membrane of Escherichia coli. J Gen Physiol. 1981 Feb;77(2):121–135. doi: 10.1085/jgp.77.2.121. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Nikaido H., Song S. A., Shaltiel L., Nurminen M. Outer membrane of Salmonella XIV. Reduced transmembrane diffusion rates in porin-deficient mutants. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1976 May 23;76(2):324–330. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(77)90728-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. O'Callaghan C. H., Morris A., Kirby S. M., Shingler A. H. Novel method for detection of beta-lactamases by using a chromogenic cephalosporin substrate. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1972 Apr;1(4):283–288. doi: 10.1128/aac.1.4.283. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Price K. E. Structure-activity relationships of semisynthetic penicillins. Adv Appl Microbiol. 1969;11:17–75. doi: 10.1016/s0065-2164(08)70606-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Richmond M. H., Clark D. C., Wotton S. Indirect method for assessing the penetration of beta-lactamase-nonsusceptible penicillins and cephalosporins in Escherichia coli strains. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1976 Aug;10(2):215–218. doi: 10.1128/aac.10.2.215. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Richmond M. H., Sykes R. B. The beta-lactamases of gram-negative bacteria and their possible physiological role. Adv Microb Physiol. 1973;9:31–88. doi: 10.1016/s0065-2911(08)60376-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Sabath L. D., Jago M., Abraham E. P. Cephalosporinase and penicillinase activities of a beta-lactamase from Pseudomonas pyocyanea. Biochem J. 1965 Sep;96(3):739–752. doi: 10.1042/bj0960739. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Smit J., Kamio Y., Nikaido H. Outer membrane of Salmonella typhimurium: chemical analysis and freeze-fracture studies with lipopolysaccharide mutants. J Bacteriol. 1975 Nov;124(2):942–958. doi: 10.1128/jb.124.2.942-958.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Sykes R. B. Resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to antimicrobial drugs. Prog Med Chem. 1975;12:333–393. doi: 10.1016/s0079-6468(08)70180-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Zimmermann W. Penetration of beta-lactam antibiotics into their target enzymes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: comparison of a highly sensitive mutant with its parent strain. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1980 Jul;18(1):94–100. doi: 10.1128/aac.18.1.94. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Zimmermann W., Rosselet A. Function of the outer membrane of Escherichia coli as a permeability barrier to beta-lactam antibiotics. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1977 Sep;12(3):368–372. doi: 10.1128/aac.12.3.368. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. von Meyenburg Kaspar Transport-limited growth rates in a mutant of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1971 Sep;107(3):878–888. doi: 10.1128/jb.107.3.878-888.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES