title: Sensitivity of Escherichia coli to proline analogues during osmotic stress and anaerobiosis.
abstract: The sensitivity of wild-type Escherichia coli K-12 to a series of proline analogues was determined in cultures containing increasing concentrations of NaCl under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The bacteria were most sensitive to L-azetidine-2-carboxylate and L-thiazolidine-4-carboxylate. The minimum inhibitory concentrations for these compounds decreased progressively during osmotic stress, but the bacteria were much more sensitive to these proline analogues under aerobic conditions than during anaerobiosis. The reduced sensitivity under anaerobic conditions did not reflect degradation of the compounds in the culture medium. Since both urine and medullary renal tissue contain relatively low oxygen concentrations, these results raise doubts about the potential use of proline or glycine betaine analogues in treating urinary tract infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas 89154-4004, USA.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Reese
authors.forename: K O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Cutler
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Deutch
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001383:Azetidinecarboxylic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D001622:Betaine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004355:Drug Stability; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D011392:Proline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D013844:Thiazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D053778:Thiazolidines; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D013844:Thiazoles; D053778:Thiazolidines; D001622:Betaine; D001383:Azetidinecarboxylic Acid; D011392:Proline; C003438:thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid