Silver Ions Caused Faster Diffusive Dynamics of Histone-Like Nucleoid-Structuring Proteins in Live Bacteria

Abstract

As so-called “superbug” bacteria resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics have become a global threat to public health in recent years, noble metals, such as silver, in various forms have been attracting broad attention due to their antimicrobial activities. However, most of the studies in the existing literature have relied on the traditional bioassays for studying the antimicrobial mechanism of silver; in addition, temporal resolution is largely missing for understanding the effects of silver on the molecular dynamics inside bacteria. Here, we report our study of the antimicrobial effect of silver ions at the nanoscale on the diffusive dynamics of histone-like nucleoid-structuring (H-NS) proteins in live bacteria using single-particle-tracking photoactivated localization microscopy. This work highlights the importance of dynamic study of single proteins in live cells for understanding the functions of antimicrobial agents in bacteria.