Bacterial osmoregulation: a paradigm for the study of cellular homeostasis.
Abstract
To thrive, cells must control their own physical and chemical properties. This process is known as cellular homeostasis. The dilute solutions traditionally favored by experimenters do not simulate the cytoplasm, where macromolecular crowding and preferential interactions among constituents may dominate critical processes. Solutions that do simulate cytoplasmic conditions are now being characterized. Corresponding cytoplasmic properties can be varied systematically by imposing osmotic stress. This osmotic stress approach is revealing how cytoplasmic properties modulate protein folding and protein–nucleic acid interactions. Results suggest that cytoplasmic homeostasis may require adjustments to multiple, interwoven cytoplasmic properties. Osmosensory transporters with diverse structures and bioenergetic mechanisms activate in response to osmotic stress as other proteins inactivate. These transporters are serving as paradigms for the study of in vivo protein-solvent interactions. Experimenters have proposed three different osmosensory mechanisms. Distinct mechanisms may exist, or these proposals may reflect different perceptions of a single, unifying mechanism.
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Reducing uptake rates when growth rate drops would prevent detrimental over-accumulation of compatible solutes that could increase turgor pressure to unsustainable values necessitating opening of mechanosensitive channels.
“This would prevent a possible detrimental over-accumulation of compatible solutes that could potentially increase turgor pressure to physiologically unsustainable values necessitating the opening of mechanosensitive channels (Wood, 2011; Bremer and Krämer, 2019).”
From Two MarR-Type Repressors Balance Precursor Uptake and Glycine Betaine Synthesis in Bacillus subtilis to Provide Cytoprotection Against Sustained Osmotic Stress (2020) · cites this paper as Wood, 2011
Potassium ion is the second most abundant component in many bacteria (after water, which is ∼30-40 M) with concentrations of ∼200-800 mM, depending on external osmotic strength.
“Potassium ion (K+) is the second most abundant component in many bacteria (after water, which is ∼30–40 M) with concentrations of ∼200–800 mM (Figure 2), depending on external osmotic strength.36,45”
From Metals in Motion: Understanding Labile Metal Pools in Bacteria (2025) · cites this paper as [45]
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References 129 · Cited by 308
- Authors
- Wood, J. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Guelph (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Wood, Janet M.
- ORCID
- Wood, Janet M.
- Venue
- Annual Review of Microbiology
- Publisher
- Annual Reviews
- Published
- 2011-10
- Volume
- 65
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 215-238
- ISSN
- 0066-4227 (ISSN-L)
- 1545-3251
- OpenAlex
- W2163029786
- Cited by
- 308
- References
- 129
- Citations by year
- 2026: 22 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 32 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 0.74
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Annual Review of Microbiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protein Structure and Dynamics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Heat shock proteins research
- Keywords
- cellular homeostasis, osmotic stress, macromolecular crowding, protein folding, protein-nucleic acid interactions, protein-solvent interactions, osmotic stress response
- MeSH terms
- Bacteria, Biological Transport, Cytoplasm, Osmosis, Stress, Physiological, Water-Electrolyte Balance, Bacterial Physiological Phenomena, Membrane Transport Proteins
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