Effect of Phosphate Limitation on the Morphology and Wall Composition of
            <i>Bacillus licheniformis</i>
            and Its Phosphoglucomutase-Deficient Mutants

Forsberg, Cecil W.; Wyrick, Priscilla B.; Ward, J. B.; Rogers, H. J.

doi:10.1128/jb.113.2.969-984.1973

Cited by 79 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The idea of a surface concentration of anions is also supported by a group of observations which indicate that the typical tribanded wall profile is lost or greatly diminished in preparations where non-peptidoglycan polymers were extracted (1,23,25) or were reduced by a mutational event (9,13). Although extraction of nonpeptidoglycan polymers from walls of several gram-positive species resulted in thinner walls (14,23,25), reduction in width (and volume) was not found to follow a pattern consistent with a layered structure (23).…”

mentioning

confidence: 91%

Structural arrangement of polymers within the wall of Streptococcus faecalis

Tsien¹,

Shockman²,

Higgins³

1978

J Bacteriol

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The structure of the cell wall of Streptococcus faecalis was studied in thin sections and freeze fractures of whole cells and partially purified wall fractions. Also, the structures of wall preparations treated with hot trichloroacetic acid to remove non-peptidoglycan wall polymers were compared with wall preparations that possess a full complement of accessory polymers. The appearance of the wall varied with the degree of hydration of preparations and physical removal of the cell membrane from the wall before study. Seen in freeze fractures of whole cells, the fully hydrated wall seemed to be a thick, largely amorphic layer. Breaking cells with beads caused the cell membrane to separate from the wall and transforned the wall from a predominantly. amorphic layer to a structure seemingly made up of two rows of "cobblestones" enclosing a central channel of lower density. Dehydration of walls seemingly caused the cobblestones to be transformed into two bands which continued to be separated by a channel. This channel was also observed in isolated wall preparations treated with hot trichloroacetic acid to remove non-peptidoglycan polymers. These observations are consistent with the interpretation that both peptidoglycan and non-peptidoglycan polymers are concentrated at the outer and inner surfaces of cell walls. These observations are discussed in relation to possible models of wall structure and assembly.Walls of gram-positive bacteria are composed of peptidoglycan to which is covalently linked one or more non-peptidoglycan polymers, such as anionic, teichoic, or teichuronic acids, and neutral polysaccharides. Currently, little, is known about the exact topological localization of the various wall polymers. The question of exclusive or enriched domains within walls remains open.Several kinds of evidence have been used to promote the idea that various polymers in walls are enriched in specific wall areas. First is the appearance of walls of a variety of gram-positive species in thin sections. Frequently, two electron-dense bands enclosing a less dense central zone are seen (16). This appearance has led to the idea that the outer and inner dense bands might be enriched in anionic polymers which would bind larger amounts of the heavy metal stains used to improve the contrast of these preparations. Although phosphate groups in the teichoic acid of Streptococcus faecalis have a high affinity for uranyl acetate, this affinity was greatly reduced after exposure of walls to osmium tetroxide (14). Since fixation with osmium almost invariably precedes uranyl acetate staining of thin sections, it seems unlikely that the tribanded appearance is due solely to selective binding of uranyl ions by phosphate groups.However, in support of the idea that anions are concentrated at wall surfaces are studies of sectiots of Bacillus subtilis in which tribanded walls were visualized in sections that had never been exposed to either heavy metal stains or osmium tetroxide (29). The tribanded image observed was interpreted as indicating an ac...

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mentioning

confidence: 91%

Structural arrangement of polymers within the wall of Streptococcus faecalis

Tsien¹,

Shockman²,

Higgins³

1978

J Bacteriol

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“…The suppression of only the last stage brought about by various external factors results in long cell chaining in bacteria which have only one plane of cell division (4-6, 20, 22-24) and in cell packeting in bacteria with three planes of division perpendicular to one another (15 , 17, 27). Electron microscopic studies have revealed that individual cells in the long chains are connected by cross walls (6,20). In cell packets, however, the connecting point of individual cells has not been well defined, except that anaerobic sarcinae are known to have a strong tendency to form cell packets (Bergey's Manual, 8th ed.)…”

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confidence: 99%

Cell Wall‐Bridge Maintaining Three Dimensional Structure of Cell Packets Formed by the Localized Suppression of Cell Separation of a Micrococcus lysodeikticus (luteus) Mutant1

Monodane

Matsushima

Kotani

1979

Microbiology and Immunology

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Cell packets of Micrococcus lysodeikticus (luteus) mutant strain MT grown in medium supplemented with trypsin consisted of a tetrad as the unit structure. An interstice was observed between the unit-tetrads, and a three dimensional structure of cell packets was maintained by the cell wall-bridge along the rim of the cell packets which linked each unit-tetrad. This unique structure of strain MT cell packets seemed to occur when the cell separation was suppressed locally, i.e., when the cross wall inside the initial site of cell separation was cut off, while the wall outside the initial site of separation was not cut off but remained as a joint of the daughter cells.The mechanism of cell wall-bridge formation is discussed in connection with cell separation.Bacteria in general multiply via the three overlapping stages of cell surface extension, cell division, and cell separation. The suppression of only the last stage brought about by various external factors results in long cell chaining in bacteria which have only one plane of cell division (4-6, 20, 22-24) and in cell packeting in bacteria with three planes of division perpendicular to one another (15 , 17, 27). Electron microscopic studies have revealed that individual cells in the long chains are connected by cross walls (6,20). In cell packets, however, the connecting point of individual cells has not been well defined, except that anaerobic sarcinae are known to have a strong tendency to form cell packets (Bergey's Manual, 8th ed.) in which connecting materials of individual cells are cross walls or cellulose (2).We found that Micrococcus lysodeikticus (luteus) mutant strain MT occurring in tetrads formed cell packets when grown in medium with proteolytic enzymes added (17). This paper reveals that the cell wall-bridge is a material maintaining a regular arrangement of the above mentioned cell packets and discusses how this wall-bridge is formed.

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“…Culture conditions. B. licheniformis 6346 MH-1 and MH-5 were grown in Spizizen minimal medium supplemented with D-glucose (0.5%) and L-histidine hydrochloride (0.01%) (14).…”

Section: Unpublished Data)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bacillus licheniformis 6346 MH-5 is a derivative of B. licheniformis 6346 MH-1 that lacks phosphoglucomutase and is deficient in active autolysin (14). Both phenotypic changes are thought to be the result of a single genetic lesion (15).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Teichoic acids and lipids associated with the membrane of a Bacillus licheniformis mutant and the membrane lipids of the parental strain

Button¹,

Hemmings²

1976

J Bacteriol

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Bacillus licheniformis 6346 MH-1 and a phosphoglucomutase-deficient poorly lytic mutant, B. licheniformis 6346 MH-5, both contain cardiolipin, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, and phosphatidyl glycerol but are devoid of phosphoglycolipids. Gentiobiosyl diglyceride is present in the parent organism but glycolipids are absent from the mutant. Lipoteichoic acid was extracted from the whole cells of MH-5 with hot aqueous phenol and contained fatty acids, glucosamine, and 1,3-polyglycerol phosphate. The fatty acids were predominantly of the branched-chain type and were esterified to hydroxyl groups of a terminal glycerol residue. The polyglycerol phosphate chains contained, on average, 32 to 40 glycerol residues, some of which were substituted at the secondary hydroxyl group with alpha-N-acylglucosaminyl residues. Phenol extraction of the supernatant fluid that remained when walls were removed from preparations of disrupted cells of MH-5 yielded membrane teichoic acid, which consisted of substituted polyglycerol phosphate but was devoid of fatty acids.

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Effect of Phosphate Limitation on the Morphology and Wall Composition of Bacillus licheniformis and Its Phosphoglucomutase-Deficient Mutants

Cited by 79 publications

References 33 publications

Structural arrangement of polymers within the wall of Streptococcus faecalis

Structural arrangement of polymers within the wall of Streptococcus faecalis

Cell Wall‐Bridge Maintaining Three Dimensional Structure of Cell Packets Formed by the Localized Suppression of Cell Separation of a Micrococcus lysodeikticus (luteus) Mutant1

Teichoic acids and lipids associated with the membrane of a Bacillus licheniformis mutant and the membrane lipids of the parental strain

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