In E. coli , the expression of mechanosensitive channels depends on environmental conditions.

Abstract

Bacterial mechanosensitive ion channels are essential for cell survival in response to osmotic downshock, these channels rescue bacteria from lethal pressure changes. In Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), the genome encodes for a single copy of MscL and six MscS superfamily members (MscS, MscK, MscM, YnaI, YbdG, and YbiO). The majority of these have been shown to gate in response to tension. Here, we determined the relative expression using qPCR of all seven genes in non-modified E. coli cultured in a variety of different conditions. In all conditions, the highest expressed genes directly correlate with the most frequently observed channels in patch clamp electrophysiology: MscS, MscM, and MscL.