Dansyl chloride labeling of Pseudomonas aeruginosa treated with pyocin R1: change in permeability of the cell envelope

Abstract

Pyocin R1, a bacteriocin of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, caused an increase in binding of fluorescent label, 1-dimethylaminonaphthalene-5-sulfonyl chloride (dansyl chloride), to sensitive cells. In pyocin R1-treated cells, cytoplasmic soluble proteins and crude ribosomes as well as cell envelopes were labeled by dansyl chloride. The amount of bound dye was proportional to the multiplicity of pyocin R1 and reached a maximal level at high multiplicity. In addition, pyocin R1 rapidly caused an increase in fluorescence intensity of the hydrophobic probes N-phenyl-1-naphthylamine, pyrene, and perylene, which were mixed with cells. These results show that pyocin R1 damages locally a cell envelope barrier to hydrophobic solutes and allows dyes to penetrate into the intracellular space across the barrier.