Latest Publications
Complement-mediated killing of Escherichia coli by mechanical destabilization of the cell envelope
Georgina Benn, Christian Bortolini, David M Roberts, Alice L B Pyne, Seamus Holden, Bart W Hoogenboom
Complement proteins eliminate Gram-negative bacteria in the blood via the formation of membrane attack complex (MAC) pores in the outer membrane. However, it remains unclear how outer membrane poration leads to inner membrane permeation and cell lysis. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM) on living Escherichia coli (E. coli), we probed MAC-induced changes in the cell envelope and correlated these with subsequent cell death. We conclude that bacterial cell lysis is only an indirect effect of MAC formation; outer membrane poration leads to mechanical destabilization of the cell envelope, reducing its ability to contain the turgor pressure, leading to inner membrane permeation and cell death.