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Unraveling the Role of the rssC Gene of Serratia marcescens by Atomic Force Microscopy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 October 2010

Bor-Ching Sheu ,
Chih-Chen Lin ,
Ying-Hsien Fu ,
Shih-Yuan Lee ,
Hsin-Chih Lai ,
Rung-Shin Wu ,
Chih-Hao Liu ,
Jui-Chang Tsai  and
Shiming Lin
Bor-Ching Sheu*
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 100-51, Taiwan
Chih-Chen Lin
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Tamkang University, Tamsui, 251-37, Taiwan
Ying-Hsien Fu
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Biotechnology, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, 333-02, Taiwan
Shih-Yuan Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Tamkang University, Tamsui, 251-37, Taiwan
Hsin-Chih Lai
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Biotechnology, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, 333-02, Taiwan
Rung-Shin Wu
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Tamkang University, Tamsui, 251-37, Taiwan
Chih-Hao Liu
Affiliation:
Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106-17, Taiwan
Jui-Chang Tsai
Affiliation:
Centre for Optoelectronic Biomedicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 100-51, Taiwan
Shiming Lin*
Affiliation:
Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106-17, Taiwan Centre for Optoelectronic Biomedicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 100-51, Taiwan
*
Corresponding author. E-mail: bcsheu@ntu.edu.tw
Corresponding author. E-mail: til@ntu.edu.tw
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Abstract

The product and direct role of the rssC gene of Serratia marcescens is unknown. For unraveling the role of the rssC gene, atomic force microscopy has been used to identify the surfaces of intact S. marcescens wild-type CH-1 cells and rssC mutant CH-1ΔC cells. The detailed surface topographies were directly visualized, and quantitative measurements of the physical properties of the membrane structures were provided. CH-1 and CH-1ΔC cells were observed before and after treatment with lysozyme, and their topography-related parameters, e.g., a valley-to-peak distance, mean height, surface roughness, and surface root-mean-square values, were defined and compared. The data obtained suggest that the cellular surface topography of mutant CH-1ΔC becomes rougher and more precipitous than that of wild-type CH-1 cells. Moreover, it was found that, compared with native wild-type CH-1, the cellular surface topography of lysozyme-treated CH-1 was not changed profoundly. The product of the rssC gene is thus predicted to be mainly responsible for fatty-acid biosynthesis of the S. marcescens outer membrane. This study represents the first direct observation of the structural changes in membranes of bacterial mutant cells and offers a new prospect for predicting gene expression in bacterial cells.

Keywords

Serratia marcescensatomic force microscopy (AFM)rssC genetopography
Type
Atomic Force Microscopy Biological Applications
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 16 , Issue 6 , December 2010 , pp. 755 - 763
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2010

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