Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1982 Oct;152(1):35–41. doi: 10.1128/jb.152.1.35-41.1982

Changes in cell dimensions during amino acid starvation of Escherichia coli.

N Grossman, E Z Ron, C L Woldringh
PMCID: PMC221371  PMID: 6749809

Abstract

Electron microscopic analysis was used to study cells of Escherichia coli B and K-12 during and after amino acid starvation. The results confirmed our previous conclusion that cell division and initiation of DNA replication occur at a smaller cell volume after amino acid starvation. Although during short starvation periods, the number of constricting cells decreased due to residual division, it appears that during prolonged starvation, cells of E. coli B and K-12 were capable of initiating new constrictions. During amino acid starvation, cell diameter decreased significantly. The decrease was reversed only after two generation times after the resumption of protein synthesis and was larger in magnitude than that previously observed before division (F. J. Trueba and C. L. Woldringh, J. Bacteriol. 142:869-878, 1980). This decrease in cell diameter correlates with synchronization of cell division which has been shown to occur after amino acid starvation.

Full text

PDF
38

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Dwek R. D., Kobrin L. H., Grossman N., Ron E. Z. Synchronization of cell division in microorganisms by percoll gradients. J Bacteriol. 1980 Oct;144(1):17–21. doi: 10.1128/jb.144.1.17-21.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Goldberg A. L., St John A. C. Intracellular protein degradation in mammalian and bacterial cells: Part 2. Annu Rev Biochem. 1976;45:747–803. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.45.070176.003531. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Grossman N., Ron E. Z. Initiation of deoxyribonucleic acid replication in Escherichia coli B: uncoupling from mass/deoxyribonucleic acid ratio. J Bacteriol. 1980 Jul;143(1):100–104. doi: 10.1128/jb.143.1.100-104.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Ishiguro E. E., Ramey W. D. Involvement of the relA gene product and feedback inhibition in the regulation of DUP-N-acetylmuramyl-peptide synthesis in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1978 Sep;135(3):766–774. doi: 10.1128/jb.135.3.766-774.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ishiguro E. E., Ramey W. D. Stringent control of peptidoglycan biosynthesis in Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol. 1976 Sep;127(3):1119–1126. doi: 10.1128/jb.127.3.1119-1126.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Jones N. C., Donachie W. D. Chromosome replication, transcription and control of cell division in Escherichia coli. Nat New Biol. 1973 May 23;243(125):100–103. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. MOYED H. S. False feedback inhibition: inhibition of tryptophan biosynthesis by 5-methyltryptophan. J Biol Chem. 1960 Apr;235:1098–1102. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ron E. Z., Rozenhak S., Grossman N. Synchronization of cell division in Escherichia coli by amino acid starvation: strain specificity. J Bacteriol. 1975 Jul;123(1):374–376. doi: 10.1128/jb.123.1.374-376.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Ron E., Grossman N., Helmstetter C. E. Control of cell division in Escherichia coli: effect of amino acid starvation. J Bacteriol. 1977 Feb;129(2):569–573. doi: 10.1128/jb.129.2.569-573.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. SCHAECHTER M., MAALOE O., KJELDGAARD N. O. Dependency on medium and temperature of cell size and chemical composition during balanced grown of Salmonella typhimurium. J Gen Microbiol. 1958 Dec;19(3):592–606. doi: 10.1099/00221287-19-3-592. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Schlesinger S. Inhibition of growth of Escherichia coli and of homoserine O-transsuccinylase by alpha-methylmethionine. J Bacteriol. 1967 Aug;94(2):327–332. doi: 10.1128/jb.94.2.327-332.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Trueba F. J., Woldringh C. L. Changes in cell diameter during the division cycle of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1980 Jun;142(3):869–878. doi: 10.1128/jb.142.3.869-878.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. UMBARGER H. E., BROWN B. Isoleucine and valine metabolism in Escherichia coli. V. Antagonism between isoleucine and valine. J Bacteriol. 1955 Aug;70(2):241–248. doi: 10.1128/jb.70.2.241-248.1955. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Woldringh C. L., de Jong M. A., van den Berg W., Koppes L. Morphological analysis of the division cycle of two Escherichia coli substrains during slow growth. J Bacteriol. 1977 Jul;131(1):270–279. doi: 10.1128/jb.131.1.270-279.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Wolf B., Newman A., Glaser D. A. On the origin and direction of replication of the Escherichia coli K12 chromosome. J Mol Biol. 1968 Mar 28;32(3):611–629. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(68)90346-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Zaritsky A., Pritchard R. H. Changes in cell size and shape associated with changes in the replication time of the chromosome of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1973 May;114(2):824–837. doi: 10.1128/jb.114.2.824-837.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES