A patch-clamp study of Bacillus subtilis.
In patch-clamp experiments on giant protoplasts of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis, membrane stretch resulted in an initial transient collapse of the membrane resistance, after which stretch-activated, voltage modulated, high-conductance channels could be observed. The channel open probability increased exponentially with applied suction and positive voltage, as a result of variations of both the mean open and the mean closed times. The substate structure and other characteristics of the electrical activity suggested the presence of a family of pores exhibiting cooperative behavior. A role in osmotic protection is suggested. In the intact bacteria, the pores may be part of an unidentified envelope apparatus, having other functions as well.
Szabó
I
I
CNR Unit for the Physiology of Mitochondria, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Padova, Italy.
Petronilli
V
V
Zoratti
M
M
D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000502:physiology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D015640:Ion Channel Gating; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D008051:Lipid Bilayers
D007473:Ion Channels; D008051:Lipid Bilayers