A Simple Radioassay to Detect Nanoscale Membrane Disruption.

Understanding the mechanisms and kinetics of membrane damage is of interest to researchers in several overlapping fields of biology. In this study, we describe the development and validation of a simple 32PO43- release radioassay used to track nanometer-scale damage to the bacterial cell membrane. Nanoscale membrane damage will result in the release of small cytoplasmic molecules, such as amino acids, sugars, and osmolytes.