Oxygen toxicity: comparative sensitivities of membrane transport, bioenergetics and synthesis in Escherichia coli.

The oxygen sensitivities of basic cell functions were compared to evaluate their significance as potential causes of the reversible growth inhibition produced in Escherichia coli by exposure to hyperbaric oxygen. Growth and net incorporation of radioactive glucose into cell structure, and specifically in to protein, were completely inhibited in approximately 1/20 of a generation by a gas phase containing 4.2 atmospheres of oxygen. The inhibition occured before there was significant decrement in cellular glucose transport, respiration, or intracellular concentration of adenosine triphosphate. The data indicate that fundamental steps leading to protein biosynthesis from glucose should be examined in the search for specific primary sites of oxygen toxicity.