FIG. 1.

Effects of a wide range of GB (a), DMSA (b), and DMSP (c) concentrations on the growth of E. coli wild-type strain MC4100 in hyperosmotic M63 medium. The bacterium was inoculated at a low cell density (300 ± 100 CFU ml⁻¹) into M63 medium containing 0.8 M NaCl without osmoprotectant (solid bars) or into M63 medium containing osmoprotectant at a concentration of 1 mM (open bars), 1 μM (left-to-right cross-hatched bars), or 1 nM (right-to-left cross-hatched bars). Growth was measured by counting colonies. The unstressed control culture grown in M63 medium without NaCl and with or without one of the three osmoprotectants reached a maximal cell density of ca. 10⁹ CFU ml⁻¹ after 1 day of incubation. d, day.