Low-frequency dielectric dispersion of bacterial cell suspensions

Dielectric spectra of Escherichia coli cells suspended in 0.1-10 mM NaCl were measured over a frequency range of 10 Hz to 10 MHz. Low-frequency dielectric dispersion, so-called the α-dispersion, was found below 10 kHz in addition to the β-dispersion, due to interfacial polarization, appearing above 100 kHz. When the cells were killed by heating at 60°C for 30 min, the β-dispersion disappeared completely, whereas the α-dispersion was little influenced. This suggests that the plasma (or inner) membranes of the dead cells are no longer the permeability barrier to small ions, and that the α-dispersion is not related to the membrane potential due to selective membrane permeability of ions. The intensity of the α-dispersion depended on both of the pH and ionic strength of the external medium, supporting the model that the α-dispersion results from the deformation of the ion clouds formed outside and inside the cell wall containing charged residues.