Acriflavine-binding capacity of Escherichia coli in relation to acriflavine sensitivity and metabolic activity.

Nakamura, Hakobu (Konan University, Kobe, Japan). Acriflavine-binding capacity of Escherichia coli in relation to acriflavine sensitivity and metabolic activity. J. Bacteriol. 92:1447-1452. 1966.-Inheritance of the acriflavine resistance gene by an acriflavine-sensitive strain of Escherichia coli K-12 resulted in a reduction in the cellular accumulation of acriflavine and other basic dyes, but had no effect on the accumulation of acid dyes. In both acriflavine-resistant and -sensitive strains, the cooling of cells from 37 to 0 C increased acriflavine accumulation. This increased accumulation was released from the cells after restoration to 37 C. Acriflavine accumulation was increased by carbon shortage and by metabolic disturbance caused by potassium cyanide, arsenite, puromycin, chloramphenicol, 2-thiouracil, and 8-azaguanine. The functional relation of acrifiavine accumulation to the acriflavine concentration of the medium suggests that adsorption is involved in the accumulation.