Effects of fluoride on bacterial growth and its gene/protein expression.

To determine the effects of fluoride on bacterial growth, as well as upon its gene/protein expression, we grew Escherichia coli expressing GFPuv (E. coli-GFPuv) in Luria Bertani medium at different concentrations of NaF, 0, 0.1 mM, 1 mM, 10 mM and 100 mM. Results showed that E. coli-pGFPuv growth and expression of mRNA and protein of GFPuv were increased at 0.1 and 1 mM, but were inhibited at 10 and 100 mM, which demonstrated that fluoride has a classic rise/fall response of inducing E. coli-GFPuv growth and gene and protein expression of GFPuv at 1 mM. Our observation suggests that the effect of fluoride on bacterial growth may be from regulation of mRNA expression.