Proflavine binding and release by sensitive and resistant Bacillus subtilis

Abstract

Proflavine binding of a sensitive strain of Bacillus subtilis and of a resistant strain derived from it was compared. Proflavine was bound very rapidly and more was bound at 0 °C than at 37 °C. Boiling increased the proflavine-binding capacity at 37 °C of sensitive but not of resistant cells. The binding capacity of sensitive and resistant cells suspended in buffer was the same; this was also true in various growth media. If cells were able to grow in the presence of proflavine their proflavine content decreased.Bound proflavine was released when cells were treated with growth media or with the salts of growth media. Sodium salts of organic acids also caused a release. This effect seemed due to their Na+ content, and was somewhat higher for resistant than for sensitive cells. The mechanism of proflavine resistance in B. subtilis is probably different from that of Escherichia coli, which is thought to depend on an energy-driven release of bound proflavine.