Journal
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES
Volume 1828, Issue 11, Pages 2436-2443Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2013.06.028
Keywords
Bacillus subtilis spores; Lipid membranes; Microviscosity; Molecular rotors; Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM)
Categories
Funding
- French Ministry of Research
- Regional Council of Burgundy
- UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) [EP/E038980/1]
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [EP/I003983/1, EP/E038980/1] Funding Source: researchfish
- EPSRC [EP/I003983/1, EP/E038980/1] Funding Source: UKRI
Ask authors/readers for more resources
We utilize the fluorescent molecular rotor Bodipy-C-12 to investigate the viscoelastic properties of hydrophobic layers of bacterial spores Bacillus subtilis. The molecular rotor shows a marked increase in fluorescence lifetime, from 0.3 to 4 ns, upon viscosity increase from 1 to 1500 cP and can be incorporated into the hydrophobic layers within the spores from dormant state through to germination. We use fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy to visualize the viscosity inside different compartments of the bacterial spore in order to investigate the inner membrane and relate its compaction to the extreme resistance observed during exposure of spores to toxic chemicals. We demonstrate that the bacterial spores possess an inner membrane that is characterized by a very high viscosity, exceeding 1000 cP, where the lipid bilayer is likely in a gel state. We also show that this membrane evolves during germination to reach a viscosity value close to that of a vegetative cell membrane, ca. 600 cP. The present study demonstrates quantitative imaging of the microscopic viscosity in hydrophobic layers of bacterial spores Bacillus subtilis and shows the potential for further investigation of spore membranes under environmental stress. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available