Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1967 Jun;93(6):1987–2002. doi: 10.1128/jb.93.6.1987-2002.1967

Electron Microscopy of Chloramphenicol-treated Escherichia coli

Councilman Morgan 1, Herbert S Rosenkranz 1, Howard S Carr 1, Harry M Rose 1
PMCID: PMC276719  PMID: 5337775

Abstract

Thin sections of Escherichia coli were examined by electron microscopy at sequential intervals after addition and then removal of chloramphenicol. The first changes, occurring at 1 hr after exposure to the drug, were disappearance of the ribosomes and aggregation of the nuclear material toward the center of the bacteria. At 2 hr, aggregates of abnormal cytoplasmic granules first appeared and subsequently increased in size. By 23 hr, amorphous, electron-dense material had accumulated within, and at the periphery of, the nuclear matrix. With the removal of chloramphenicol, the bacteria became normal in appearance, passing through a series of stages that were sequential but not synchronous. At 145 min after removal of chloramphenicol, bacteria were encountered in the process of abnormal division. The influence of deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid synthesis, and of energy metabolism, upon the changes seen electron microscopically in chloramphenicol-treated cells, was investigated by selectively inhibiting these functions with hydroxyurea, azauracil, and sodium azide, respectively.

Full text

PDF
1988

Images in this article

1989Image
on p.1989
1990Image
on p.1990
1991Image
on p.1991
1992Image
on p.1992
1993Image
on p.1993
1994Image
on p.1994
1995Image
on p.1995
1996Image
on p.1996
1997Image
on p.1997
1998Image
on p.1998
1999Image
on p.1999

Selected References

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

  1. DRAKULIC M., ERRERA M. Chloramphenicol-sensitive DNA synthesis in normal and irradiated bacteria. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1959 Feb;31(2):459–463. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(59)90021-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. HAHN F. E., SCHAECHTER M., CEGLOWSKI W. S., HOPPS H. E., CIAK J. Interrelations between nucleic acid and protein biosynthesis. I. Synthesis and fate of bacterial nucleic acids during exposure to, and recovery from the action of chloramphenicol. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1957 Dec;26(3):469–476. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(57)90092-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. HOSOKAWA K., NOMURA M. INCOMPLETE RIBOSOMES PRODUCED IN CHLORAMPHENICOL- AND PUROMYCIN-INHIBITED ESCHERICHIA COLI. J Mol Biol. 1965 May;12:225–241. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(65)80296-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. JULIAN G. R. (14C)LYSINE PEPTIDES SYNTHESIZED IN AN IN VITRO ESCHERICHIA COLI SYSTEM IN THE PRESENCE OF CHLORAMPHENICOL. J Mol Biol. 1965 May;12:9–16. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(65)80277-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. KAYE J. J., CHAPMAN G. B. CYTOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF ANTIMICROBIAL ANTIBIOSIS. III. CYTOLOGICALLY DISTINGUISHABLE STAGES IN ANTIBIOTIC ACTION OF COLISTIN SULFATE ON ESCHERICHIA COLI. J Bacteriol. 1963 Sep;86:536–543. doi: 10.1128/jb.86.3.536-543.1963. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. KELLENBERGER E., RYTER A., SECHAUD J. Electron microscope study of DNA-containing plasms. II. Vegetative and mature phage DNA as compared with normal bacterial nucleoids in different physiological states. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1958 Nov 25;4(6):671–678. doi: 10.1083/jcb.4.6.671. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Morgan C., Rosenkranz H. S., Chan B., Rose H. M. Electron microscopy of magnesium-depleted bacteria. J Bacteriol. 1966 Feb;91(2):891–895. doi: 10.1128/jb.91.2.891-895.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. NOMURA M., HOSOKAWA K. BIOSYNTHESIS OF RIBOSOMES: FATE OF CHLORAMPHENICOL PARTICLES AND OF PULSE-LABELED RNA IN ESCHERICHIA COLI. J Mol Biol. 1965 May;12:242–265. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(65)80297-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. ROSENKRANZ H. S., BENDICH A. J. STUDIES ON THE BACTERIOSTATIC ACTION OF HYDROXYLAMINE. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1964 May 18;87:40–53. doi: 10.1016/0926-6550(64)90045-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Rosenkranz H. S., Carr H. S. Studies with hydroxyurea. II. Prolonged exposure of Escherichia coli to hydroxyurea. J Bacteriol. 1966 Jul;92(1):178–185. doi: 10.1128/jb.92.1.178-185.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. 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]
  12. Schnaitman C., Greenawalt J. W. Intracytoplasmic membranes in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1966 Sep;92(3):780–783. doi: 10.1128/jb.92.3.780-783.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Weber M. J., DeMoss J. A. The inhibition by chloramphenicol of nascent protein formation in E. coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1966 May;55(5):1224–1230. doi: 10.1073/pnas.55.5.1224. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES