Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1962 Dec;84(6):1161–1168. doi: 10.1128/jb.84.6.1161-1168.1962

BIOCHEMICAL AND CYTOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS DURING THE REVERSING PROCESS FROM SPHEROPLASTS TO ROD-FORM CELLS IN ESCHERICHIA COLI1

Hideo Hirokawa a,2
PMCID: PMC278040  PMID: 13961143

Abstract

Hirokawa, Hideo (National Institute of Health, Tokyo, Japan). Biochemical and cytological observations during the reversing process from spheroplasts to rod-form cells in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 84:1161–1168. 1962.—Spheroplasts of Escherichia coli B-054 were formed by penicillin, and the reversing process from spheroplasts to rod-form cells was examined. The amount of DNA, RNA, and protein in a single spheroplast increased to four to five times more than that of a rod-form cell during the spheroplast formation. Ultraviolet-absorptive particles, probably nuclei, were localized in several regions within a spheroplast. Morphological changes during the process of spheroplast reversion to rod-form cells were precisely followed. The number of rod-form cells, determined by colony counting according to the time course of reversion, increased very rapidly from the beginning of reversion, without a lag phase. From this evidence, it was concluded that a single spheroplast germinates into several rod-form cells.

Full text

PDF
1161

Images in this article

1163Image
on p.1163
1166Image
on p.1166
1167Image
on p.1167
1168Image
on p.1168

Selected References

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

  1. BURTON K. A study of the conditions and mechanism of the diphenylamine reaction for the colorimetric estimation of deoxyribonucleic acid. Biochem J. 1956 Feb;62(2):315–323. doi: 10.1042/bj0620315. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. CHARGAFF E., SCHULMAN H. M., SHAPIRO H. S. Protoplasts of E. coli as sources and acceptors of deoxypentose nucleic acid: rehabilitation of a deficient mutant. Nature. 1957 Oct 26;180(4591):851–852. doi: 10.1038/180851a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. FITZ-JAMES P. C. Cytological and chemical studies of the growth of protoplasts of Bacillus megaterium. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1958 May 25;4(3):257–266. doi: 10.1083/jcb.4.3.257. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. HAGIWARA A. Recombination ability of Escherichia coli K-12 protoplasts. Nature. 1958 Aug 16;182(4633):456–457. doi: 10.1038/182456a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. JEYNES M. H. The growth and division of bacterial protoplasts. Exp Cell Res. 1961 Aug;24:255–264. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(61)90427-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. LARK K. G. Abnormal growth induced by penicillin in a strain of Alcaligenes fecalis. Can J Microbiol. 1958 Apr;4(2):165–177. doi: 10.1139/m58-017. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. LEDERBERG J., ST CLAIR J. Protoplasts and L-type growth of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1958 Feb;75(2):143–160. doi: 10.1128/jb.75.2.143-160.1958. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lederberg J. BACTERIAL PROTOPLASTS INDUCED BY PENICILLIN. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1956 Sep;42(9):574–577. doi: 10.1073/pnas.42.9.574. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. MCQUILLEN K. Bacterial protoplasts: growth and division of protoplasts of Bacillus megaterium. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1955 Nov;18(3):458–461. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(55)90129-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. PITZURRA M., SZYBALSKI W. Formation and multiplication of spheroplasts of Escherichia coli in the presence of lithium chloride. J Bacteriol. 1959 May;77(5):614–620. doi: 10.1128/jb.77.5.614-620.1959. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. REINER J. M. Induced enzyme synthesis in cell-free preparations of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1960 Feb;79:157–165. doi: 10.1128/jb.79.2.157-165.1960. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. SMITH C. H. Acid-soluble nucleotides of penicillin-induced protoplasts of Escherichia coli. Yale J Biol Med. 1959 Nov;32:109–119. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Zinder N. D., Arndt W. F. PRODUCTION OF PROTOPLASTS OF ESCHERICHIA COLI BY LYSOZYME TREATMENT. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1956 Sep;42(9):586–590. doi: 10.1073/pnas.42.9.586. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES