UPTAKE AND EFFECTS OF SEVERAL CATIONIC DYES ON YEAST

Several cationic dyes were found to behave as inhibitors of K+ uptake in yeast. When added at high concentrations or in a K+-free medium, dyes can also produce and efflux of K+. The dyes are taken up by the cells in a process that, in different degrees, for several cations requires glucose and is inhibited to a higher degree by K+ than by Na+. The inhibition of cation uptake is of the competitive type with EB and close to this type with other dyes. Ca2+ inhibits the uptake and effects of dyes and in some cases also seems to change the inhibition kinetics on Rb+ uptake closer to a pure competitive type. According to preliminary experiments, the efflux of K+ seems to be of the electrogenic type, and not due to the disruption of the cells. The data indicate that, independently of the existence of other types of interaction (which do exist), dyes seem to interact with the system for monovalent cation uptake of yeast in different degrees of specificity and energy requirement. This interaction can be followed by fluorescence or metachromatic changes or reduction of the dyes as observed in the dual wavelength spectrophotometer and can be inhibited specifically by K+, but not by Na+. © 1979 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.