抄録
The cell membrane plays a critical role for discrimination of the cellular inner world from the outside environment.When bacterial cells are exposed to a certain environmental stress, their plasma membrane may be the first sensorespecially for its non–equilibrium change and then they resist to its harmful action by inducing specific physiologicalresponses. Here, mainly based on the results obtained by studies in our laboratory on Escherichia colicells and inpart Bacillus subtiliscells and spores exposed to heat stress, I briefly overview how the resistance of microbial cell tothe stress depends upon the membrane structure, how the microbial cell envelope is damaged by the stress, and howthey respond to the stress on the cell envelope. Furthermore, as a model of membrane stress biotechnology, a novelconcept of possible technology for the development of microorganism control, such as sterilization, pasteurization,disinfection and growth inhibition, by using membrane stress on harmful microorganisms, is proposed.
