A procedure has been devised to isolate mutants of Bacillus subtilis with structurally defective membranes. The procedure used to screen for the mutants involved comparison of the stability of protoplasts of the mutant with those of the wild type in a medium of sufficient osmotic strength to stabilize wild-type protoplasts. Mutagenized cells were grown as clones on agar plates, and then replicated onto plates containing 0.5 M lactose, which is sufficient to stabilize wild-type protoplasts. The colonies on the lactose-containing plates were then treated with lysozyme to convert the cells to protoplasts. Colonies of wild-type protoplasts remained opaque; however, colonies of mutant protoplasts lysed and became clear. Twenty-nine osmotically fragile mutants were isolated in this manner; the membranes of several mutants were found to contain alterations in the composition of their proteins or lipids.Public Health. This strain is a derivative of B. subtilis 168 and is auxotrophic for threonine, leucine, and methionine (18).Growth media. Medium A consisted of 1% peptone and 1% yeast extract (Difco Laboratories), adjusted to pH 7.0 with 2 N NaOH. Medium B was the same as A except that it also contained 0.5 M lactose (Pfanstiehl Laboratories, Inc.). Medium C was the same as A except that it also contained 0.5% NaCl and 0.04% Na2HPO4. Medium D was a chemically defined medium containing (in 1 liter): 20 mg each of L-