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Journal of Bacteriology, October 1998, p. 5044-5051, Vol. 180, No. 19
0021-9193/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Sucrose Is a Nonaccumulated Osmoprotectant in Sinorhizobium meliloti

Kamila Gouffi,1 Vianney Pichereau,1 Jean-Paul Rolland,2 Daniel Thomas,2 Théophile Bernard,1 and Carlos Blanco1,*

Groupe Membranes et Osmorégulation1 and Groupe Canaux et Récepteurs Membranaires,2 UPRES-A CNRS 6026, Université de Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, F35042, Rennes, France

Received 8 May 1998/Accepted 22 July 1998

Intracellular accumulation of sucrose in response to lowered water activity seems to occur only in photosynthetic organisms. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, the potent ability of this common sugar, supplied exogenously, to reduce growth inhibition of Sinorhizobium meliloti cells in media of inhibitory osmolarity. Independently of the nature of the growth substrates and the osmotic agent, sucrose appears particularly efficient in promoting the recovery of cytoplasmic volume after plasmolysis. Surprisingly, sucrose is not accumulated by the bacteria at an osmotically efficient level. Instead, it strongly stimulates the accumulation of the main endogenous osmolytes glutamate and N-acetylglutaminylglutamine amide (NAGGN). Examining cell volume changes during the hyperosmotic treatment, we found a close correlation between the enhancement of the osmotically active solute pool and the increase in cell volume. Sucrose shares several features with ectoine, another nonaccumulated osmoprotectant for S. meliloti. Overall, osmoregulation in S. meliloti appears to be strongly divergent from that in most bacteria.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Groupe Membranes et Osmorégulation, UPRES-A CNRS 6026, Université de Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, Av. du Général Leclerc, F35042 Rennes, France. Phone and fax: 33 (0)2 99 28 61 40. E-mail: Carlos.Blanco{at}univ-rennes1.fr.


Journal of Bacteriology, October 1998, p. 5044-5051, Vol. 180, No. 19
0021-9193/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.



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