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Extracytoplasmic cellular stress responses induced by cationic polyethylenimines and known pore‐forming compounds
Author(s) -
Isaac Daniel,
Lander Blaine,
Checchi Kyle,
Domanski Tammy,
Lin Shirley
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.967.2
Subject(s) - polyethylenimine , antimicrobial , escherichia coli , chemistry , vanillin , bacteria , membrane , cationic polymerization , biophysics , bacterial outer membrane , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , biology , gene , organic chemistry , transfection , genetics
The mechanisms of antimicrobial activity of a cationic polyethylenimine (PEI+) and a small molecule pore‐forming compound, vanillin, are thought to involve disruption of bacterial cell membranes. These proposed mechanisms were studied by measuring the induction of the three known extracytoplasmic stress responses (Cpx, σ E and Bae) of the Gram‐negative bacterium Escherichia coli . PEI+ specifically induced the Cpx stress response approximately 2‐fold in a dose‐dependent manner at concentrations ranging from 80–320 μg/mL. Vanillin induced the σ E stress response 4–12‐fold at concentrations ranging from 320–960 μg/mL. The implications of the observed differences in the induction of extracytoplasmic stress responses between PEI+ and vanillin on the antimicrobial mechanisms of these compounds will be discussed.