Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1969 Jul;99(1):304–315. doi: 10.1128/jb.99.1.304-315.1969

Bacteria-shaped Gymnoplasts (Protoplasts) of Bacillus subtilis

W van Iterson 1, J A F Op den Kamp 2
PMCID: PMC250004  PMID: 4979444

Abstract

Addition of glucose to the medium in which Bacillus subtilis was grown lowered the pH and increased the amount of lysylphosphatidylglycerol relative to the phosphatidylglycerol content of the membrane fraction. This change in phospholipid composition was accompanied by changes in the shape and behavior of the gymnoplasts obtained by cell wall removal with lysozyme. These gymnoplasts appeared to retain most of their original cell shape and internal organization, often with preservation of the mesosomes. Cells harvested from neutral growth medium gave the usual spherical gymnoplasts. In a hypotonic medium, the spherical gymnoplasts lysed rapidly, whereas the rod-like gymnoplasts lost only part of their cell content while showing a tendency to preserve the original shape. This type of gymnoplast could not be produced from cells grown in neutral medium by simply raising the magnesium concentration. When this was done the gymnoplasts assumed bizarre shapes; they became compact and susceptible to the tonicity of the medium. Gymnoplasts or protoplasts, produced from bacilli exposed to low pH values, were found not to conform to the formulations on “protoplasts” given in 1958 by 13 authors. Cells exposed to a low environmental pH during growth seemed to possess a more rigid membrane structure than cells grown at neutral pH.

Full text

PDF
304

Images in this article

307Image
on p.307
308Image
on p.308
309Image
on p.309
311Image
on p.311
312Image
on p.312
313Image
on p.313
314Image
on p.314

Selected References

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

  1. FITZ-JAMES P. FATE OF THE MESOSOMES OF BACILLUS MEGATERIUM DURING PROTOPLASTING. J Bacteriol. 1964 Jun;87:1483–1491. doi: 10.1128/jb.87.6.1483-1491.1964. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Frey-Wyssling A. Gymnoplasts instead of "protoplasts". Nature. 1967 Nov 4;216(5114):516–516. doi: 10.1038/216516a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. RYTER A., KELLENBERGER E., BIRCHANDERSEN A., MAALOE O. Etude au microscope électronique de plasmas contenant de l'acide désoxyribonucliéique. I. Les nucléoides des bactéries en croissance active. Z Naturforsch B. 1958 Sep;13B(9):597–605. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. RYTER A., LANDMAN O. E. ELECTRON MICROSCOPE STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MESOSOME LOSS AND THE STABLE L STATE (OR PROTOPLAST STATE) IN BACILLUS SUBTILIS. J Bacteriol. 1964 Aug;88:457–467. doi: 10.1128/jb.88.2.457-467.1964. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ryter A. Association of the nucleus and the membrane of bacteria: a morphological study. Bacteriol Rev. 1968 Mar;32(1):39–54. doi: 10.1128/br.32.1.39-54.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Ryter A., Frehel C., Ferrandes B. Comportement des mésosomes lors de l'attaque de Bacillus subtilis par le lysozyme en milieu hyper- ou hypotonique. C R Acad Sci Hebd Seances Acad Sci D. 1967 Oct 23;265(17):1259–1262. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Ryter A., Jacob F. Etude morphologique de la liaison du noyau à la membrane chez E. coli et chez les protoplastes de B. subtilis. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1966 Jun;110(6):801–812. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. TOMCSIK J., GUEX-HOLZER S. Anderung der Struktur der Bakterienzelle im Verlauf der Lysozym-Einwirkung. Schweiz Z Pathol Bakteriol. 1952;15(4):517–525. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. WEIBULL C. The isolation of protoplasts from Bacillus megaterium by controlled treatment with lysozyme. J Bacteriol. 1953 Dec;66(6):688–695. doi: 10.1128/jb.66.6.688-695.1953. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. WEIDEL W., PELZER H. BAGSHAPED MACROMOLECULES--A NEW OUTLOOK ON BACTERIAL CELL WALLS. Adv Enzymol Relat Areas Mol Biol. 1964;26:193–232. doi: 10.1002/9780470122716.ch5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. den Kamp JA O. P., Houtsmuller U. M., van Deenen L. L. On the phospholipids of Bacillus megaterium. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1965 Oct 4;106(2):438–441. doi: 10.1016/0005-2760(65)90059-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. den Kamp JA O. P., van Iterson W., van Deenen L. L. Studies of the phospholipids and morphology of protoplasts of Bacillus megaterium. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1967;135(5):862–884. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(67)90056-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. den Kamp J. A., Redai I., van Deenen L. L. Phospholipid composition of Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1969 Jul;99(1):298–303. doi: 10.1128/jb.99.1.298-303.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES