JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY Vol. · JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY Vol. 88, No.4. ). 1112-1118 October, 1964...

7
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY Vol. 88, No. 4. ). 1112-1118 October, 1964 Copyriglht © 1964 Aiiierican Society for Microbiology Printed in U.S.A. MECHANISM OF ACTION OF NALIDIXIC ACID ON ESCHERICHIA COLI WILLIAM A. GOSS, WILLIAM H. I)EITZ, AND THOMAS M. COOK Sterling-lVinthrop Research Intstitute, Rensselaer, New York lieceive(d for publication 8 May 1964 ABSTrRACT Gioss, WILLIAM A. (Sterling-Winithrop Rlesearch Institute, Rensselaer, N.Y.), WIwI,I.IM H. DIETZ, AND THOMAS M. CooK. Mlechaniism of action of nalidixic acid on Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 88:1112-1118. 1964.-Nalidixic acid was lethal for proliferating cultures of Escherichia coli. Associ- ated with this lethal effect was the forimiation of elongated, serpentine forms. Cultures treated with nalidixic acid were osmotically stable; le- thality was observed in the presence of stabilizers. Although it was possible to demiionstrate leakage of intracellular components fromii treated cells, this effect occurred only after 99%- of the cells were nonviable. Nalidixic acid had little or no effect on respiration with glucose as substrate. If cellular growth was restricted by suboptimal temperature or nutritional deficiencies, the drug was not lethal. Chemnical analysis of cellular con- stituents revealed that lipid, protein, and ribonu- cleic acid levels were of the samle order of magnitude in control and drug-treated cells. Only deoxyribonucleic acid (l)NA) levels were imiark- edlv lowered in drug-treated cells. These facts are consistent with the view that nalidixic acid interferes with the synthesis of E. coli D)NA. Nalidixic acid (1-ethyl-1 ,4-dihydro-7-methy l- 4-oxo-1 ,8-nal)hthyridine-3-carloxylic acid) is a new antibacterial agent, the synthesis of which was reported by Lesher et al. (1962). This naphthyridine has a broad spectrum of antibac- terial activity; is especially active against gram- negative species, including those associated with urinary-tract infections (Deitz, Bailey, and Froelich, 1964); and is very well tolerated by lab- oratory animals and man (Lishmnan and Swinney, 1963). This report plresents the results of pre- liminary studies to deterimiine the mechanism of action of nalidixic acid. We examined the effect of this compound on the growth, motility, respiration, integrity of the cell membrane and cell wall, an(l chemical com- position of Eseherichia coli. MIATEIRIALS AND MAI}THODS Cultures. F. coli strain 198 (AT'CC 11229) and E. coli strain 15 (T-A-U-; obtained from IDe- partment of Bacteriology, Rutgers U'niversity, New B3runswick, N.J.; hereafter referred to as E. coli 15 TAPT) were maintained by periodic transfer on nutrient agar slants. Growth studies. Except as noted below, experi- ments were carried out at 37 C with growing cul- tures in glucose (I "-)-salts medium (mediumiii C of Roberts et al., 1957). E. coli 15 TAU will not grow in this medium unless supplemented with thymine. L-arginine, and uracil (Kanazir et al., 1959), w-hich w e used at 2.0, 100.0, and 10.0 ,g/ml, respectively. Flasks were inoculated with an overnight culture in the same medium to give an oltical density (650 m,u) of 0.040 to 0.050, and were incubated with shaking in a water bath until the turbidity had approximately doubled [optical density (OD) = 0.090 to 0.1101. An OD of 0.100 was found to relpresent 108 to 1.2 X 108 viable cells per ml. Bacterial viability w-as estiml-ated by plating dilutions (in Ic peptone water) of bacterial cul- tures in Tryptone Glucose Extract Agar (Difco). To deterimine the sensitivities of the cultures uised in this study, a twofold tube dilution test was emlployed. Various amounts of nalidixic acid (in a volume of 0.1 ml) were added to 2 ml of glucose (1 %/tO)-salts medium inoculated with an overnight culture (1:1,000). After 16 to 18 hr at 37 C, the lowest concentration preventing visible turbidity was recorded as the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Photornicroscopy. Smears, plrepared from 3-hr cultures of E. coli 15 ''AU, were stained with gentian violet and photographed with a Zeiss Ultraphot II microscope on Panatomic-X film (Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y.). Spheroplast studies. Cells of E. coli 198 were exposed to nalidixic acid (25 pg/ml) in Trvptose Phosphate Broth with 20%7! sucrose and 0.008 M Mg++ as spheroplast stabilizers (Lederberg, 1112 on August 19, 2020 by guest http://jb.asm.org/ Downloaded from

Transcript of JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY Vol. · JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY Vol. 88, No.4. ). 1112-1118 October, 1964...

Page 1: JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY Vol. · JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY Vol. 88, No.4. ). 1112-1118 October, 1964 Copyriglht ©1964 Aiiierican Society for Microbiology Printed in U.S.A. MECHANISM

JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGYVol. 88, No. 4. ). 1112-1118 October, 1964Copyriglht © 1964 Aiiierican Society for Microbiology

Printed in U.S.A.

MECHANISM OF ACTION OF NALIDIXIC ACIDON ESCHERICHIA COLI

WILLIAM A. GOSS, WILLIAM H. I)EITZ, AND THOMAS M. COOK

Sterling-lVinthrop Research Intstitute, Rensselaer, New York

lieceive(d for publication 8 May 1964

ABSTrRACT

Gioss, WILLIAM A. (Sterling-Winithrop RlesearchInstitute, Rensselaer, N.Y.), WIwI,I.IM H. DIETZ,AND THOMAS M. CooK. Mlechaniism of action ofnalidixic acid on Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol.88:1112-1118. 1964.-Nalidixic acid was lethal forproliferating cultures of Escherichia coli. Associ-ated with this lethal effect was the forimiation ofelongated, serpentine forms. Cultures treatedwith nalidixic acid were osmotically stable; le-thality was observed in the presence of stabilizers.Although it was possible to demiionstrate leakageof intracellular components fromii treated cells,this effect occurred only after 99%- of the cellswere nonviable. Nalidixic acid had little or no

effect on respiration with glucose as substrate.If cellular growth was restricted by suboptimaltemperature or nutritional deficiencies, the drugwas not lethal. Chemnical analysis of cellular con-stituents revealed that lipid, protein, and ribonu-cleic acid levels were of the samle order ofmagnitude in control and drug-treated cells. Onlydeoxyribonucleic acid (l)NA) levels were imiark-edlv lowered in drug-treated cells. These factsare consistent with the view that nalidixic acidinterferes with the synthesis of E. coli D)NA.

Nalidixic acid (1-ethyl-1 ,4-dihydro-7-methyl-4-oxo-1 ,8-nal)hthyridine-3-carloxylic acid) is anew antibacterial agent, the synthesis of whichwas reported by Lesher et al. (1962). Thisnaphthyridine has a broad spectrum of antibac-terial activity; is especially active against gram-negative species, including those associated withurinary-tract infections (Deitz, Bailey, andFroelich, 1964); and is very well tolerated by lab-oratory animals and man (Lishmnan and Swinney,1963). This report plresents the results of pre-liminary studies to deterimiine the mechanism ofaction of nalidixic acid.We examined the effect of this compound on

the growth, motility, respiration, integrity of thecell membrane and cell wall, an(l chemical com-

position of Eseherichia coli.

MIATEIRIALS AND MAI}THODS

Cultures. F. coli strain 198 (AT'CC 11229) andE. coli strain 15 (T-A-U-; obtained fromIDe-partment of Bacteriology, Rutgers U'niversity,New B3runswick, N.J.; hereafter referred to asE. coli 15 TAPT) were maintained by periodictransfer on nutrient agar slants.

Growth studies. Except as noted below, experi-ments were carried out at 37 C with growing cul-tures in glucose (I "-)-salts medium (mediumiii C ofRoberts et al., 1957). E. coli 15 TAU will notgrow in this medium unless supplemented withthymine. L-arginine, and uracil (Kanazir et al.,1959), w-hich we used at 2.0, 100.0, and 10.0,g/ml, respectively. Flasks were inoculated withan overnight culture in the same medium to givean oltical density (650 m,u) of 0.040 to 0.050, andwere incubated with shaking in a water bath untilthe turbidity had approximately doubled [opticaldensity (OD) = 0.090 to 0.1101. An OD of 0.100was found to relpresent 108 to 1.2 X 108 viablecells per ml.

Bacterial viability w-as estiml-ated by platingdilutions (in Ic peptone water) of bacterial cul-tures in Tryptone Glucose Extract Agar (Difco).To deterimine the sensitivities of the cultures

uised in this study, a twofold tube dilution testwas emlployed. Various amounts of nalidixic acid(in a volume of 0.1 ml) were added to 2 ml ofglucose (1 %/tO)-salts medium inoculated with anovernight culture (1:1,000). After 16 to 18 hr at37 C, the lowest concentration preventing visibleturbidity was recorded as the minimal inhibitoryconcentration (MIC).

Photornicroscopy. Smears, plrepared from 3-hrcultures of E. coli 15 ''AU, were stained withgentian violet and photographed with a ZeissUltraphot II microscope on Panatomic-X film(Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y.).

Spheroplast studies. Cells of E. coli 198 wereexposed to nalidixic acid (25 pg/ml) in TrvptosePhosphate Broth with 20%7! sucrose and 0.008 MMg++ as spheroplast stabilizers (Lederberg,

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ACTION OF NALIDIXIC ACID ON E. COLI

1956). Control cultures and cultures treated withpenicillin G (1,000 units per ml) were also studied.After 4 hr, samples were diluted in 1% peptonewater and in 1 %, peptone water plus stabilizers,and viability was determined in Tryptone GlucoseExtract Agar containing stabilizers. Cell suspen-sions also were examined microscopically.

"Leakage" of radioactive mbaterials. Cells froman overnight culture were centrifuged, washed,and resuspended in fresh medium containing 0.1 %uniformly labeled Cl4-glucose (0.27 mc/mg; NewEngland Nuclear Corp., 13oston, MIass.), andwere incubated for 3.5 hr. The cells were cen-trifuged, washed wvith nonlabeled mediumn, andresuspen(dedl in fresh nonlabeled glucose-saltsmediuimi with and without nalidixic acid; incuba-tion was then continued. At intervals thereafter,viable counts were made of each suJspension.Concurrently, portions were filtered througlhmembirane filters of 0.45-, porosity (MilliporeCorp., 13edlford, MIass.), and the radioactivity inthe filtrates was determinedl with a Tri-CarbLiquidl Scintillation Spectrometer (Packard In-strument Corp., Chicago, Ill.). Counting effi-ciencv in this system was 42.2c'-

Respiration studies. Standard manometr ic tech-niques (Umbreit, Burris, and Stauffer, 1957) wereused to determine respiration rates of washed-cellsuspensions prepared froin young cultures (4 hr)of E. coli 15 TALU. Each W"arburg vessel received1.5 mig of bacterial protein, 100 pmoles of phos-phate buffer (pH 7.0), 20 gmoles of glucose(tipped in after 5 min), and 0.2 ml of 20%/;( KOH(in centei well), in a total volume of 3.0 ml.Oxy-gen consumption was recorded at 37 C beforeand after the addition of inhibitors. Respirationrates were calculated as Qo2 (N).

Ch,emical analysis of cells. A culture of E. coli198 grown to an OD (650 m,u) of 0.200 wasdivided into two portions, and nalidixic acid (2.5,ug/ml) was added to one. Immediately- afteraddition of drug, and at 30-mmiin intervals there-after, 100-iml samples were withdrawn, clhilledwith ice, and centrifuged. The washed cells werefractionated by the method of Schneider (1957),except that total lipids were extracted by themethod of Kaneshiro and MIarr (1962). Lipid,nucleic acid, and protein determinations weremade on the solvent-soluble, hot trichloroaceticacid-soluble, and hot trichloroacetic acid-insolublefractions, respectively. Lipid l)hosphorus was es-timated by the Fiske and SubbaRow technique

described by Leloir and Cardini (1957). Deoxy-ribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid(RNA) were determined by lentose analysis,with the use of the diphenylamine and ociniiolmethods described by Schneider (1957). Proteinwas measuried by the method of Lowry et al.(1951).

RESULTS

Growth inhibition of E. coli by nalidixic acid. Asrelported lpreviously (Deitz et al., 1964), nalidixicacid inhibits the growth of E. coli. With the tubedilution test, the MIIC values for the two culturlesem)plove(l wer'e found to be 1.2 pg/mll for l,. (oli198 and 2.3 /ug/ml for F. coli 15 TAU.Next, the effect of nalidixic acid on growth of

E. coli was examnined in more detail by use ofshake-flask cultures. Under the exl)erimnent alconditions, control cultures showed a linear in-crease in the logarithml of the viable cell countduring the first 180 min of incubation. Generationtimes un(ler these conditions were estimate(l to beapproximnately 39 min for E. coli 198 and 47 imminfor E. coli 15 TAP. When such cultures weretreated with low levels of nalidixic acid (0.5 to1.0 'MIC), the growth rates were markedly ie-duced. At higher levels, there were drastic reduc-tions in the viable l)opulations. Loss of viabilitybegan earlier with higher concentrations (Fig. 1).At the highest levels utied, the lethal effect ofnalidixic acid was evident within one generationtime. Despite the rap)il loss of viability, therewere no corresp)onding decreases in the turbiditiesof the treated cultures. It was noted that, at soimielevels of nalidixic acid which caused a profoun(ldecrease in viability, there was actually an in-crease in turbidity.

Morphological changes in nalidixic acid-treatedcells. 'Microscopic examination of cultures exposedto a lethal concentration of nalidixic acid revealedextremely elongated, serpentine forms. The de-velopment of elongated cells of F. coli 15 TAtT asa function of concentration is shown in Fig. 2.

After 3 lr of incubation in the presence of 0.3,ug/ml (Fig. 2B), most of the cells were simnilar tothose of the control culture (Fig. 2A). At 1.0 and3.0 pg/mil, respectively, the majority of the cellswere elongated many times their normal length(Fig. 2C and 2D). At the highest concentrationused in this l)articulal study (10 ,g/ml), rela-tively few cells could be located per field, andthese were greatly elongated (Fig. 2E).

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GOSS, DEITZ, AND COOK

E. COLI 198 E. COLI 15 TAU

30 60 90 120 150 0 30 60 90 120 150 ISO

MINUTES OF INCUBATION

FIG. 1. Growth inhibition of Escherichia coli bynalidixic acid: comparison of viability and turbidity.

The elongated cells, although motile, were non-

viable when diluted and plated on agar. Attemptsthen were made to determine whether these cellswere osmotically fragile.

Osmotic fragility. Plate counts of control cul-tures grown in the presence of osmotic stabilizersincreased threefold during the 4-hr experimentalperiod, whereas a fourfold reduction was ob-served in cultures exposed to nalidixic acid (25pg/ml). However, no changes in the viable countsof these cultures were observed when they were

subjected to osmotic shock.The viability of osmotically stabilized cultures

treated with penicillin G (1,000 units per ml) de-creased 40-fold. However, in contrast to thenalidixic acid-treated cultures, subjection of thesecultures to osmotic shock resulted in a 4,000-folddecrease in viability (Table 1).

Microscopic examination during the course ofthe experiment revealed only elongated cells inthe nalidixic acid-treated culture and no sphero-plasts. Conversely, spheroplasts but no elon-gated cells were observed in the penicillin-treatedculture.

Membrane damage. Cultures of E. coli 15 TAUlabeled by growth in the presence of radioactiveglucose were treated with nalidixic acid (100pg/ml). After 90 min of exposure, the viable countof the control culture had increased 2.5-foldwhereas the viable count of the drug-treatedculture had decreased tenfold. During this sameperiod, there were no differences in the radioac-tivity of cell-free filtrates from treated and un-treated cultures. Not until the viable count haddecreased 100-fold (120 min post-treatment) wasthere an increase in the rate of release of radio-activity from the treated cells. Thus, there wasno apparent effect on membrane integrity duringthe period of rapid loss of viability (Fig. 3).

Effect of nalidixic acid on respiration. Therespiration of washed-cell suspensions of E. coli15 TAU was only slightly affected by nalidixicacid. With glucose as substrate, concentrations ashigh as 7.5 mg per vessel (33 ,umoles) inhibitedrespiration by only 25%. At 1.5 mg per vessel(6.5 ,umoles), there was no inhibition. In contrast,the respiration of such suspensions was inhibitedsome 60% by iodoacetate (10 ,umoles; Table 2).

Conditions required for the action of nalidixicacid. The time at which cells exposed to nalidixicacid began to die coincided with the onset of vig-orous growth of control cultures. This suggestedthat active growth is a prerequisite for drug ac-tion. To explore this possibility, the effect ofnalidixic acid was examined in a nitrogen-freemedium and at suboptimal growth temperatures.E. coli 198 was depleted of endogenous nitrogenpool by incubation at 37 C in the glucose-saltsmedium without NH4C1 until no change inturbidity was observed. At this time, NH4C1 (to0.2%) was added to control cultures placed at37 C. Nalidixic acid (10,g/ml) was added to twosimilar portions, one of which was incubated at2 to 4 C rather than at 37 C. A fourth portionreceived nalidixic acid but not NH4Cl, and wasincubated at 37 C. The numbers of viable cells intreated and control cultures were determinedafter 0, 1, 2, and 4 hr of incubation. The resultsshowed that nongrowing cells are unaffected bynalidixic acid (Table 3).To extend these observations, the action of

nalidixic acid on E. coli 15 TAU was examined,under various nutritional conditions. Younggrowing cultures were harvested, washed, and re-suspended in the fully supplemented glucose-saltsmedium (added thymine, L-arginine, and uracil)and in modified medium with one or more of the

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ACTION OF NALIDIXIC ACID ON E. COLT

-- --\ w~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. ... ....*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~...:.. .. ..... ...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.....: ..... ..

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*~~ ~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~.... . .... ......;

* :.: ::: ~~~~~~~~~~.: .. :. ...::

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n.

FIG. 2. Morphological changes induced in cells of Escherichia coli 16 TAU by nalidixic acid. Smears

were prepared from S-hr cultures, stained with gentian violet, and photographed with a Zeiss Ultraphot II

microscope. Magnification 1,800 X. (A) control, (B) 0.3 pug/ml, (C) 1.0 pg/ml, (D) 3.0 p&g/ml, (E) 10.0pg/mI.

supplements omitted. Samples were withdrawnat intervals from treated (10 pg/ml of nalidixicacid) and control cultures for viable-cell counts.

In complete medium without nalidixic acid, thenumber of viable cells increased from 108 to1.2 X 109 per ml during the 3.5 hr of the experi-ment. In this case, the average generation timewas approximately 60 min. However, when thy-mine was omitted from the culture, the cells died

rapidly. After the onset of death. approximately90% of the cells became nonviable within onegeneration time (Fig. 4).When cells were incubated in the complete

medium in the presence of nalidixic acid, therewas a rapid loss of viability (Fig. 4). After a 30-min delay, death of the cells began at an ac-

celerated rate which, by 90 min, was exponential.Approximately 90% of the cells were killed in one

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GOSS, DEITZ, AND COOK

TABLE 1. Comparison of the viable counts of stabilized and osmotically shocked cultures*

Controls Treated

Exposure Nalidixic acid Penicillin GStabilized Shocked

Stabilized Shocked Stabilized Shocked

hr

0 4.0 X 108 4.1 X 108 4.0 X 108 4.1 X 108 4.0 X 108 4.0 X 1084 12.0 X 108 12.0 X 108 1.1 X 108 0.9 X 108 1.3 X 107 1.0 X 105

* Cells of Escherichia coli 198 were exposed to nalidixic acid (25 Cg/ml) or penicillin G (1,000 unitsper ml) in Tryptose Phosphate Broth containing 20% sucrose and 0.008 M Mg++ as spheroplast sta-bilizers. After 4 hr, cultures were diluted in 1% peptone water plus stabilizers or 1% peptone waterwithout stabilizers (shocked), and were finally plated in Tryptone Glucose Extract Agar plus stabilizers.

2

a-

(/)

0

Cc

U)

0

0aj

8.01

1200 TABLE 2. Effect of nalidixic acid on respiration ofEscherichia coli 15 TAU*

1000 -J2

tr

IL

800 2

a.u

-1600 u

I-

5;400

4

CM

cc200

0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210MINUTES FOLLOWING DRUG ADDITION

FIG. 3. Loss of viability of Escherichia coli 15TAU treated with nalidixic acid (100 ug/ml), andsubsequent release of radioactive intracellular ma-

terial.

generation time. In the thymine-deficient me-

dium, the death of the cells was almost identicalin the presence or absence of nalidixic acid; thatis, nalidixic acid exerted no lethal effect beyondthat imposed by thymine deficiency itself.The lethal effect of thymine deficiency is pre-

vented by omission of arginine or uracil, or both(Kanazir et al., 1959; Maal0e, 1961). The pro-

Qo,z(N)Inhibitor Amt

Control Inhib-ited

Nalidixic acid 1.5 mg (6.5 pumoles) 1,420 1,420Nalidixic acid 7.5 mg (33,umoles) 1,600 1,235lodoacetate 10 ,umoles 1,420 467

* Each Warburg vessel received 1.5 mg of bac-terial protein, 100 pumoles of phosphate buffer(pH 7.0), 20 pmoles of glucose (tipped in after 5min), and 0.2 ml of 20% KOH (in center well), ina total volume of 3.0 ml. Oxygen consumptionwas recorded at 37 C before and after the additionof inhibitors.

TABLE 3. Failure of nalidixic acid to affect theviability on nongrowing cultures of

Escherichia coli*

Control Treated (10 pg/ml of nalidixic acid)Time of

ex-posure Complete Complete Complete Deficient

(37 C) (37 C) (2 to 4 C) (37 C)

hr

0 2.2X 108 -

1 2.3 X 108 2.2 X 108 2.0 X 108 2.2 X 1082 5.4 X 1088.9 X 107 2.5 X 108 2.3 X 1084 2.4 X 109 9.8 X 106 2.1 X 1081.9 X 108

* Nitrogen (as NH4C1 to 0.2%) was added attime 0 to three portions of the depleted cultureone of which was placed at 2 to 4 C (complete).A fourth portion received no nitrogen (deficient).

I)

CONTROL P/TREATE[

A VIABILITYp

'I~~~~/

0'' /' /RADIOACTIVITY-'/' CONTROL

hTREATEDX

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ACTION OF NALIDIXIC ACID ON E. COLI

tective effect of multiple nutritional deficiencieson thvmineless death is also shown in Fig. 4.Under these conditions of nutritional deficiency,nalidixic acid was not bactericidal.From the lack of effect on cell wall, cell mem-

brane, and respiration, the development of elon-gated forms, and the requirement for concomitantgrowth conditions, we were led to susl)ect an al-teration of nuclear function. For this reason, weundertook a chemical analysis of nalidixic acid-treated cells.

Cellular composition. Cells of E. coli 198 grownin the presence and absence of nalidixic acid werefractionated and chemically analvzed for severalmajor cellular constituents.

In the control culture, lipid, protein, RNA, andDNA increased about threefold during the 90-minincubation I)eriod. The ratio of DNA to l)roteinremained relatively constant throughout the ex-periment. In the culture treated with nalidixicacid, only DNA failed to increase at the same rateas protein.

This specific inhibition of DNA synthesis isshown in Fig. 5. The increase (expressed as per-centage of increase from time "O") in each cellu-lar component is shown for the control and treatedcultures. It is clear that the increase in lipid, pro-tein, and RNA was of the same order of mag-nitude in both treated and control cultures. Theincrease in DNA, on the other hand, was muchgreater in the control cells than in those treatedwith nalidixic acid.

r

n

0

tr

(nLL

0

90Is\\ ~~SOLID LINE -CONTROxX \ ~~DASHED LINE - NALIDIXIC ACID

60~ ~ ~~~\ ° - COMPLETE MEDIUM60 \CK \ ,~~~~- MINUS T

As\ I - MINUS T, A,Us\\*- MINUS T, U",*-MI N US T, A

SC, _30 90 50 O 30 90 .150 210

MINUTES OF INCUBATIO AT 37C

FIG. 4. Survival of Escherichia coli 15 TAU ex-

posed to nalidixic acid (10Ig/ml) in complete anddeficient media. The complete medium was glucose(1%)-salts medium supplemented with 2 pg/ml ofthymine (T), 100 pg/ml of L-arginine (A), and 10pg/lnil of uracil (U).

LL

z(5)

LLH

zLU.

LUJa-

E. COLI 19890 min

CONTROL

NALIDIXIC ACID,2.5,4g/ml

Lipid Protein RNA DNA

CELLULAR CONSTITUENTFIG. 5. Chenmical composition of control and

nalidixic acid-treated (2.5 pg/miil) cultures of Esch-erichia coli 198, after incubation for 90 min.

DISCUSSIONNalidixic acid, even at low levels, exerts a bac-

tericidal effect on E. coli. The lethal effect ismanifested by an arrest of l)roliferation, accom-panied by a distinctive morphological alterationof the susceptible cells. The drug is not lethal aslong as growth is restricted by suboptimal tem-perature or nutritional deficiencies. The syn-chrony between the initiation of growth in controlcultures and of death in treated cultures is clearlynot coincidental. Chemical analysis of cellularconstituents provides direct evidence of deficientnuclear (DNA) synthesis which, in the presenceof competent cytoplasmic (RNA and protein)synthesis, results in unbalanced bacterial metab-olism and death.The development of extremely long, filamen-

tous cells with concomitant loss of viability sug-gests that nalidixic acid acts in a manner similarto that induced by thymine deficiency (Cohenand Barner, 1954), by 5-fluorouracil deoxyriboside(Cohen et al., 1958), and, in certain cases, byvitamin B,2 deficiency (Beck, Hook, and Barnett,1962). These effects are observed under condi-tions otherwise l)ermitting cellular proliferation,and are the consequence of intracellular desyn-chronization leading to unbalanced bacterialmetabolism. The fact that there is little or noinhibition of respiration or synthesis of RNA orprotein, and no direct effect on integrity of cell

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GOSS, DEITZ, AND COOK

wall or memribrane, is consistent with the view thatnalidixic acid blocks the synthesis of DNA.

Exposure of bacteria to low doses of ultravioletlight or to X rays, or to such agents as nitrogenmustards or mitom-cin C, also causes the de-velopiment of filamentous bacteria with concomi-tant loss of viability (Hughes, 1956; Billen, 1963;Reich, Shatken, and Tatum, 1961; Iyer andSzybalski, 1964). These agents act on and modifythe integrity and nature of DNA; consequently,thev affect both proliferating and nonproliferatingcells. They are, for the most lpart, nonselectiv-e intheir action, and are toxic to a wride variety ofcells, including bacteria, fungi, and mammlnaliancells.

It becoml-es quite apparent that nalidixic acid isdistinctly different from the above-mentionedagents that act on DNA. The fact that nalidixicacid is well tolerated by experimental laboratoryanimals and by mian emiphasizes the selectivity ofthis chemotherapeutic agent for certain bacterialcells.The data presented here lProvide strong pre-

suml)tive evidence that nalidixic acid exerts itsprimary action on the synthesis of DNA. Investi-gations are being continued to define the actionof this drug in greater detail.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors acknowledge the assistance ofHans P. Drobeck of this institute for the photo-mnicroscopic studies. The excellent technical as-sistance of 'M. A. Walas is gratefully acknowl-edged.

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