Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1970 Jan;101(1):297–303. doi: 10.1128/jb.101.1.297-303.1970

Ultrastructure of the Cell Envelope of Escherichia coli B After Freeze-Etching

N Nanninga 1
PMCID: PMC250481  PMID: 4904237

Abstract

The cell envelope of Escherichia coli B was investigated with the freeze-etching technique. A considerable gain in visible structural detail over more conventional electron microscopic techniques was obtained. The inner surface of the plasma membrane revealed a smooth surface sparsely studded with particles measuring from 5 to 10 nm in diameter, whereas the outer surface of the plasma membrane showed many more particles of corresponding diameter. The freeze-etched cell wall appeared to be a multilayered structure. The innermost layer could be observed as a profile studded with closely packed elements of about 10 nm in diameter. External to this layer was a smooth surface bordering the outermost cell wall layer. When frozen in the absence of glycerol the outermost surface observed in the cell wall was smooth, but when grown in the presence of glycerol it had a “wavy” appearance with small particles attached to it. The observations support current concepts on the ultrastructure of the enterobacterial cell envelope.

Full text

PDF

Images in this article

299Image
on p.299
300Image
on p.300
301Image
on p.301

Selected References

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

  1. Bayer M. E., Anderson T. F. The surface structure of Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1965 Dec;54(6):1592–1599. doi: 10.1073/pnas.54.6.1592. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. DEPETRIS S. ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE CELL WALL OF ESCHERICHIA COLI. J Ultrastruct Res. 1965 Apr;12:247–262. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5320(65)80098-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. De Petris S. Ultrastructure of the cell wall of Escherichia coli and chemical nature of its constituent layers. J Ultrastruct Res. 1967 Jul;19(1):45–83. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5320(67)80059-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fiil A., Branton D. Changes in the plasma membrane of Escherichia coli during magnesium starvation. J Bacteriol. 1969 Jun;98(3):1320–1327. doi: 10.1128/jb.98.3.1320-1327.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fischman D. A., Weinbaum G. Hexagonal pattern in cell walls of Escherichia coli B. Science. 1967 Jan 27;155(3761):472–474. doi: 10.1126/science.155.3761.472. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hofschneider P. H., Martin H. H. Diversity of surface layers in L-forms of Proteus mirabilis. J Gen Microbiol. 1968 Apr;51(1):23–33. doi: 10.1099/00221287-51-1-23. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. MURRAY R. G., STEED P., ELSON H. E. THE LOCATION OF THE MUCOPEPTIDE IN SECTIONS OF THE CELL WALL OF ESCHERICHIA COLI AND OTHER GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIA. Can J Microbiol. 1965 Jun;11:547–560. doi: 10.1139/m65-072. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Nanninga N. Preservation of the ultrastructure of Bacillus subtilis by chemical fixation as verified by freeze-etching. J Cell Biol. 1969 Sep;42(3):733–744. doi: 10.1083/jcb.42.3.733. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Nanninga N. Structural features of mesosomes (chondrioids) of Bacillu subtilis after freeze-etching. J Cell Biol. 1968 Nov;39(2):251–263. doi: 10.1083/jcb.39.2.251. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. 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]
  11. Remsen C. C. Fine structure of the mesosome and nucleoid in frozen-etched Bacillus subtilis. Arch Mikrobiol. 1968;61(1):40–47. doi: 10.1007/BF00704290. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Remsen C., Lundgren D. G. Electron microscopy of the cell envelope of Ferrobacillus ferrooxidans prepared by freeze-etching and chemical fixation techniques. J Bacteriol. 1966 Dec;92(6):1765–1771. doi: 10.1128/jb.92.6.1765-1771.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Salton M. R. Structure and function of bacterial cell membranes. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1967;21:417–442. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.21.100167.002221. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. WEIDEL W., FRANK H., MARTIN H. H. The rigid layer of the cell wall of Escherichia coli strain B. J Gen Microbiol. 1960 Feb;22:158–166. doi: 10.1099/00221287-22-1-158. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Weinbaum G., Rich R., Fischman D. A. Enzyme-induced formation of spheres from cells and envelopes of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1967 May;93(5):1693–1698. doi: 10.1128/jb.93.5.1693-1698.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES