Filamentous growth of Escherichia coli K12 elicited by dimeric, mixed-valence complexes of ruthenium.

Dimeric, mixed-valence [(Ru(II),Ru(III)] compounds of ruthenium caused filament formation in growing cultures of Escherichia coli K12. Three compounds with the general formula Ru2(NH3)6X5 X H2O (where X is a halide) were tested; in order of decreasing effectiveness (and with the concentration giving maximum effect), these were the bromo (10(-5) M), chloro (10(-4) to 10(-5) M), and iodo (10(-3) to 10(-4) M) analogues. Filamentation elicited by the bromo and chloro compounds was spontaneously reversible after 3-4 h, and tentatively attributed to oxidation of the active mixed-valence form to inactive Ru(III) complexes. Several compounds known to accelerate division of filaments formed under other conditions were ineffective in reversing the filamentation, but the presence of 0.43 M-dimethylsulphoxide totally inhibited filamentation caused by the bromo or chloro compounds and by cis-Pt(NH3)2Cl2 (cisplatin), an established filamenting and antitumour agent. The ruthenium complexes bound to mammalian DNA, but were without effect on the UV spectrum or cellular content of DNA in E. coli, despite showing marked mutagenic activity in reverse mutation tests with Salmonella typhimurium. Cells remained sensitive to inhibition of division by the ruthenium complexes until immediately prior to the division event. Possibilities for the (probably complex) mode of action and the potential of related compounds for therapeutic use are discussed.