TABLE 1.
Changes detected in T-starved or NAL-treated cultures
| Treatment duration and change | Culture condition |
|
|---|---|---|
| T starvation | Nalidixic acid treatment | |
| 1 hour | ||
| Cell widening | 1.5× | None |
| Cell length | ∼3× cell diameter | ∼10× cell diameter (nucleoid still visible) |
| Nucleoid | Becomes diffuse and blends in with dark cytoplasm | No change |
| Pole damage | Frequent | None |
| Cell branching | Occasional | None |
| 3 hours | ||
| Nucleoid | Blending into cytoplasm already observed at 1 hour | Blends in due to cytoplasm lightening |
| Cytoplasm bubbles | Numerous in ∼50% of the cells | None |
| Cytoplasm voids | Single large voids in ∼30% of the cells | None |
| 5 hours | ||
| Cytoplasm voids | Already observed at 3 hours | Occasional moderate voids |
| Cell envelope | Unravels in a few cells without massive lysis | None |
| Cell length | ∼10× cell diameter | ∼20× cell diameter |