Noninvasive Measurement of Bacterial Intracellular pH on a Single-Cell Level with Green Fluorescent Protein and Fluorescence Ratio Imaging Microscopy

We show that a pH-sensitive derivative of the green fluorescent protein, designated ratiometric GFP, can be used to measure intracellular pH (pH(i)) in both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial cells. In cells expressing ratiometric GFP, the excitation ratio (fluorescence intensity at 410 and 430 nm) is correlated to the pH(i), allowing fast and noninvasive determination of pH(i) that is ideally suited for direct analysis of individual bacterial cells present in complex environments.