Cellular organization of Bacillus subtilis: sodium dodecyl sulfate-induced cell partitioning into zebra structures

Abstract

Cells ofBacillus subtilis heated in high concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulfate (5%) and then washed free of detergent with a hot salt solution (80 C) become structurally reorganized into regions of densely compacted cytoplasm (termed zebras) and regions of sparsely filled material (termed spaces). Size distribution studies of zebras indicate that division-suppressed mutants and wildtype cells both yield zebras of comparable length. Similarly the lengths of zebras found in populations emerging from spores are uniform in one-, two-, three-, and four-zebra-containing cells. In contrast, the length of spaces is slightly larger than that of zebras and is unusually large in two-zebra-containing cells. The locations of zebras and spaces along cell length have been studied in spore outgrowth populations. A statistical procedure developed previously in genome location investigations was used to analyze the location of zebras along cell length. The data indicate that as cells elongate, new sites arise where the cell contents are strongly bound to the cell surface. Within filament populations produced by division-suppressed mutants there is a linear relationship of mean filament length and zebra number per filament. These data indicate that cytoplasm in filaments with no obvious structural compartmentalizations may be organized into units associated with particular regions of cell surface. The attachment of cell contents to the cell surface may involve deoxyribonucleic acid. Zebra-containing cells digested with proteolytic enzyme and ribonuclease are converted to cells that contain a crystalline-like granule fixed at the location of each zebra. Exposure to deoxyribonuclease mobilizes these granules within the cell wall. also presented that indicates a role of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in the attachment of cytoplasm to the cell surface.MATERIALS AND METHODS Bacteria. The following strains of B. subtilis 168 were used: CU403 thy-, met-, ilv-; CU403 div IV-B1, thy-, met-; CU403 divIV-B1, ts-134, thy-; CU403 divIV-A1, tms-12, thy-. The latter three 1285 on August 6, 2020 by guest

Biochemical and topographical studies on Escherichia coli cell surface. IV. Giant spheroplast formation from a filamentous cell

“…In the present paper, we describe physiological studies on the filamentous cells and show that they can be converted to giant spheroplasts, 5 to 10 ,im in diameter, under certain conditions, thus confirming the lack of functional cross septa. Several other morphologically similar filamentous forms did not convert to such a large spheroplast under identical conditions.…”

“…Although defects in septum formation and hence presumably in the mechanisms of cell division have been demonstrated, information on the properties and physiology of such filamentous cells is too scarce to provide a complete understanding of the phenomenon. In an attempt to further elucidate the regulatory mechanism, we have studied the effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on septum formation in the cell surface mutant Escherichia coli ONT-3 and found that a sublethal concentration of SDS produced a filamentous form (15) which seemed to lack cross septa and exhibited the "zebra"like structure observed in heatand 5% SDStreated Bacillus subtilis (10).…”

Genetic transformation with cell wall-associated deoxyribonucleic acid in Bacillus subtilis

“…It is unlikely that the DNA could interact directly with cell walls. Mendelson et al (34) found that when cells ofB. subtilis were heated in sodium dodecyl sulfate, structures ("zebras") remained which contained intact walls with zones of adherent material.…”

Changing of Some Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia Biologycal Properties Under Effect of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate

“…Аніонна ПАР додецилсульфат натрію (ДСН) в концентрації 0,05% за кілька хвилин контакту з клітинами Escherichia coli викликала руйнування плазматичної мембрани, стискання та переміщення ядерного матеріалу до периферії клітини [14]. Нагрівання клітин Bacillus subtilis у 10% ДСН змінювало структуру цитоплазми і призводило до появи ділянок з різною оптичною щільністю [11]. Раніше нами було показано, що за короткотривалого (10 пасажів) культивування на середовищі, яке містило ДСН в концентрації 50 мг/л, бактерії роду Corynebacterium змінювали морфологію клітин, забарвлення за Грамом, чутливість до антибіотиків, інтенсивність секреції лізину, антигенні властивості і склад поверхневих білків, деякі фізіолого-біохімічні властивості [2,9,7].…”