Physiological responses of bacteria to cytochalasin A: effects on growth, transport, and enzyme induction.

Cytochalasin A at 5 to 25 microgram/ml (1.0 x 10(-5) to 5.2 x 10(-5) M) inhibited the growth of three gram-positive bacteria, Arthrobacter sialophilus, Staphyloccus aureus, and Bacillus amyloliquifaciens, but had little or no effect on the growth of three gram-negative bacteria, Excherichia coli, Pseudomonas maltophilia, and Aeromonas proteolytica. A. sialophilus and S. aureus recovered spontaneously from cytochalasin A-mediated growth inhibition after a considerable lag period, which was dependent on the drug dose. It was demonstrated that this long-term recovery did not involve selection of resistant variants. Cytochalasin A had no detrimental effect on cell viability in A. sialophilus or S. aureus, but caused lysis of B. amyloliquifaciens. The drug prevented enzyme inductions and inhibited transport of valine, uridine, and glucose in the gram-positive organisms. It had little or no effect on these processes in the gram-negative organisms. In studies with A. sialophilus, the drug inhbitied respiration of exogenous substrates, but did not depress endogenous respiration. These results constitute the first unequivocal evidence for the bacteriostatic properties of this class of compounds and indicate that cytochalasin A halts various physiological processes in gram-positive bacteria primarily by inhibiting solute transport.