Graphical abstract
Short descriptionCell surface charge of Escherichia coli DH5α (ATCC 53868), as measured by zeta potential, was found to vary with the type of growth medium used (e.g., LB Lennox, Tryptic Soy Broth, and formulated medium). Specifically, the general shape of the zeta potential-pH profile was the same irrespective of the growth medium used. Similar zeta potential-pH profile was obtained for growth of E. coli DH5α in LB Lennox, LB Lennox + 2 g/L glucose, and LB Lennox (buffered); thereby, highlighting that 2 g/L glucose supplementation, and a high capacity phosphate buffer did not result in physiological adaptation of the cell envelope. On the other hand, zeta potential-pH profiles of E. coli DH5α grown in Tryptic Soy Broth, LB Lennox (buffered) with 6 g/L glucose, formulated medium, and formulated medium with 6 g/L glucose were more negatively charged compared to that grown in LB Lennox medium. This suggested that there might be physiological adaptations to growth in different growth medium at the cell envelope level. Thus, considering that the cell 2 surface charge comprised intrinsic electrical charges of the cell wall and that from a nonspecifically adsorbed layer of ions and molecules, the zeta potential-pH profiles obtained revealed interesting information about how the electrostatic environment of the E. coli DH5α cell surface was perceived by other cells in the growth medium, which holds implications to our understanding of cell-cell interactions in the growth medium.
AbstractProteins and metabolites typically adsorb to bacterial cell surface through a variety of mechanisms such as van der Waals attraction and electrostatic interactions, and forms a layer of nonspecifically adsorbed ions and molecules on the cell surface. Thus, the bacterial cell surface charge comprised the contribution from the cell wall as well as layers of nonspecifically adsorbed ions and molecules on the cell surface. This is the cell surface charge perceived by other bacterial cells in the growth medium. Given that different growth medium comprises different ensemble of proteins and metabolites that could adsorb onto the cell surface of bacteria, it is important to examine the effect of growth in different medium on the cell surface characteristics of bacterial cells using zeta potential as the proxy parameter. Defined at the shear plane, zeta potential provides a comprehensive view of the cell surface charge that include the nonspecifically adsorbed ions and molecules on the cell surface and the intrinsic electric charges in the cell wall. Using Escherichia coli DH5α (ATCC 53868) as model organism, experiments performed with deionized water as wash and resuspension buffer revealed that the zeta potential-pH profiles of cells grown in LB Lennox, and LB Lennox with 2 g/L glucose overlapped each other over the entire pH range from 2 to 9. This suggested that there was little physiological adaptation of the cell envelope of cells grown in LB Lennox supplemented with 2 g/L glucose, which indicated that the medium could ...