Adsorption and fluorescence of fat-soluble fluorescent dyes on class I and class III Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Lycette, R. M. (Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago) and L. R. Hedrick. Adsorption and fluorescence of fat-soluble fluorescent dyes on class I and class III Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J. Bacteriol. 85:1-6. 1963.-Class III cells of the brewery yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae flocculate, but class I cells do not, when cultured in an organic YM medium. Class III cells adsorb the fat-soluble stilbyl-triazole fluorescent dye (STC) more readily and produce more fluorescence than do class I cells. This suggests that cells of the class III yeasts have more lipids or more phospholipids on their surface than do cells of class I yeasts. Fluorescence of STC in the absence of cells is pH-independent, but adsorption of the compound on the surface of cells, with the associated fluorescence, is pH-dependent. As the pH level was decreased within the range of pH 9 to 0, and as the temperature was elevated within the range of 0 to 40 C, there was an increase in adsorption and a corresponding increase in fluorescence. Maximal adsorption was attained in less than 15 min when the cells and dye were shaken at 26 C. Cells of class III adsorbed 2.5 mug of STC per 3.25 mg (dry wt) of cells. The kinetics of adsorption follow the Langmuir monomolecular model.