Gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria were found to display different sensitivities to pure singlet oxygen generated outside of cells. Killing curves for Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli strains were indicative of multihit killing, whereas curves for Sarcina lutea, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus lactis, and Streptococcus faecalis exhibited single-hit kinetics. The S. typhimurium deep rough strain TA1975, which lacks nearly all of the cell wall lipopolysaccharide coat and manifests concomitant enhancement of penetration by some exogenous substances, responded to singlet oxygen with initially faster inactivation than did the S. typhimurium wild-type strain, although the maximum rates of killing appeared to be quite similar. The structure of the cell wall thus plays an important role in susceptibility to singlet oxygen. The outer membrane-lipopolysaccharide portion of the gram-negative cell wall initially protects the bacteria from extracellular singlet oxygen, although it may also serve as a source for secondary reaction products which accentuate the rates of cell killing. S. typhimurium and E. coli strains lacking the cellular antioxidant, glutathione, showed no difference from strains containing glutathione in response to the toxic effects of singlet oxygen. Strains of Sarcina lutea and Staphylococcus aureus that contained carotenoids, however, were far more resistant to singlet oxygen lethality than were both carotenoidless mutants of the same species and other gram-positive species lacking high levels of protective carotenoids.

We have modified the separated-surface-sensitizer singlet oxygen generating system previously described for the efficient exposure to pure singlet oxygen of bacteria collected on membrane filters. Physical separation of the photosensitizer and the bacteria eliminates the possibility of direct interaction between bacteria and photoexcited sensitizers that could lead to Type I (non-singlet oxygen) photooxidation processes. This system was used to examine the bacterial cytotoxicity of singlet oxygen. The role of singlet oxygen was confirmed by measuring the decrease in cytotoxicity as the distance between the singlet oxygen source and the bacteria was increased. The gas phase half-life of the intermediate responsible for cell killing, determined from this distance dependence analysis (24 ? 6 ms), is the same as that calculated from literature data for the gas phase half-life of singlet oxygen (53 * 37 ms). Killing of various strains of SalinnotieNa typhimurium and Escherichia coli was compared at the same dose of singlet oxygen. Bacteria were killed by singlet oxygen at levels several orders of magnitude lower than those effective in killing by HzO,. Altered DNA repair capacities (uvrB, recA, xth, nrh, pKM101) did not affect survival. Incomplete cell wall lipopolysaccharide formation decreased survival following singlet oxygen exposure. Overproduction of the singlet oxygen quencher histidine increased survival. as did accumulation of the dipeptide carnosine (P-alanyl-L-histidine). No evidence for mutagenicity of exogenous singlet oxygen exposure was obtained in a variety of S. fyphirnuriurn strains killed to 35% survival.

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The mechanisms and products of photosensitized and singlet oxygen oxidation of nucleic acid model compounds have been investigated using kinetics analysis and product isolation and identification. A competitive kinetics analysis is presented as a simple yet quantitative method for the determination of the role of singlet oxygen in homogeneous chemical reactions. This method is compared to other techniques that have been used in the past including determination of the solvent isotope effect and the effect of singlet oxygen quencliers and variations in oxygen and substrate concentration. The results of competitive kinetics experiments indicate that the photooxidation of dGuo (2'-deoxyguanosine) at pH 7-10 in buffered aqueous solution sensitized by Rose Bengal, Methylene Blue, Thionine or several other dyes proceeds predominantly by a pathway requiring intermediate formation of singlet oxygen. In contrast, dGuo photooxidation under the same conditions sensitized by flavin or pterin derivatives proceeds predominantly by pathways that do not involve singlet oxygen. Most of the primary products of dGuo photooxidation are very unstable and consequently are difficult, if not impossible, to isolate and characterize. However, two compounds have now been isolated that correspond to the addition of a single molecule of oxygen to the purine ring of guanine with the purine ring system still intact. Some of the products formed in the singlet oxygen oxidation of 2'deoxyguanosine appear to be different than some of the products formed in flavin photosensitized reactions in agreement with kinetic results that indicate that the flavin sensitized reactions proceed by mechanisms that do not involve intermediacy of singlet oxygen. If the unique nature of the products of 2'-deoxyguanosine oxidation by singlet oxygen can be firmly established it may be possible to detect singlet oxygen reactions in v i m by product analysis.' Deceased.

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