The OprB porin plays a central role in carbohydrate uptake in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Using interposon mutagenesis, we have generated strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa which lack or overexpress the substrate-selective OprB porin of this species. A marked decrease or increase in the initial uptake of glucose by these strains verified the role of OprB in facilitating the diffusion of glucose across the outer membrane of P. aeruginosa. However, we also demonstrated that the loss or overexpression of OprB had a similar effect on the uptake of three other sugars able to support the growth of this bacterium (mannitol, glycerol, and fructose). This effect was restricted to carbohydrate transport; arginine uptake was identical in mutant and wild-type strains. These results indicated that OprB cannot be considered strictly a glucose-selective porin; rather, it acts as a central component of carbohydrate transport and is more accurately described as a carbohydrate-selective porin.