PERMEABILIZATION AND LYSIS OF PSEUDOMONAS PSEUDOALCALIGENES CELLS BY TRITON X-100 FOR EFFICIENT PRODUCTION OF D-MALATE

Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes can only form D-malate from maleate afte r incubation of the cells with a solvent or a detergent. The effect of the detergent Triton X-100 on D-malate production was studied in more detail. The longer the cells were incubated with Triton X-100, the hi gher was the D-malate production activity, until the maximal malease a ctivity was reached. Incubation of P, pseudoalcaligenes cells with Tri ton X-100 also resulted in an increase in the protein concentration of the supernatant, indicating that cell lysis had occurred, The rate at which the D-malate production activity increased was dependent on the Triton X-100 concentration and on the cell density. Also the rate at which lysis occurred depended on the Triton X-100 concentration.