Reversal of ethionine-induced growth inhibition of Escherichia coli by adenosine triphosphate

Molecular aspects of the in vivo and in vitro effects of ethionine, an analog of methionine.

“…Ethionine, which inhibits the growth of Escherichia coli, is incorporated into the proteins of this organism at an initial rate of about 50%o that of methionine incorporation (30,145,150). The inhibition of growth is reversed by methionine (91,151) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) (131), which is surprising because ATP is generally assumed not to be readily taken up by bacteria or other cells. Addition of ethionine to a met rel strain of E. coli produces a slow linear (rather than the normal exponential) increase in optical density of the culture (doubling time, 4 to 5 h), but this apparent growth is due entirely to an increase in size of the bacteria (176); there is no cell division.…”