Electron Microscopy of Ultra-Thin Sections of Bacteria I

Abstract

In the course of cytological studies of a few selected species of bacteria by the techniques of ultra-thin sectioning and electron microscopy, some new and si8nificant information has been obtained concerning cellular division in Bacillus cereus.

Changes induced in the ultrastmcture of the cytoplasmic and intracytoplasmic membranes of several Gram‐positivebacteria by variations in OsO4 fixation

“…In these conditions no cytoplasmic or mesosomal membranes were usually detected ( Fig. 4) as in the first report on the ultrastructure of B. cereus (Chapman & Hillier, 1953).…”

CHARACTERISTIC CELL WALL STRUCTURE OF A FUSOBACTERIUM

“…The first layer in a three layered structure was distinctively wavy with marked infoldings, and the inner edge of the second layer showed a distinct dense line waving lightly without paralleling to the first layer. Although the photographs of the cell wall taken from ultrathin sections of Escherichia coli by Ryter et al (13) and Kellenberger et al (6), and of Bacillus cereus by Chapman and Hillier (14), resembled those of the present authors, they were different in view of, the shallowness of the waves of the first layer and the lack of the dense line in the inner edge of the second layer. In Fusobacterium, Miyazaki(5) described the double nature of the cell wall.…”

FINE STRUCTURE OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS*

“…The cytoplasmic membrane may undergo centripetal growth to form a membrane septum as described by Chapman (1959) in an unidentified bacterium or the cell septum may be formed by the cell wall with a closely apposed cytoplasmic membrane as in E. coli (Conti & Getter, 1962). The cell wall septation described by Chapman (1953) in B . cereus or the septation by cell wall materia1 in Sarcina lutea (Chapman, 1960) may perhaps belong to the second method of cell division, though this may not have been recognized because of the difficulty of observation of the plasma membrane under usual preparative conditions.…”

“…X 80,000. Chapman (1953), mitochondria-like or mitochondria1 structures by Shinohara et al (1957Shinohara et al ( & 1958, lamellar structure by Takeya et al (1959) and Koike and Takeya (1961), unidentified structure by Tokuyasu and Yamada (1959), the cytoplasmic membrane system or component by Glauert andHopwood (1959 &, mesosomes by Fitz-James (1960), equivalents of mitochondria by Zapf (1959), organized mitochondria by Griesbrecht (1960), small pockets of membranous material by Glauert et al (1961), membranous structures or organelle by Van Iterson (1961, intracytoplasmic membranous organelle by Fukushi et al (1962), intracytoplasmic membrane system by Imaeda and Ogura (1963), and membrane system or endomembranes by Edwards and Gordon (1962). These terms reflect some of the morphological characteristics or functions which have been attributed to these membranous structures.…”

“…Actinomyces (Edwards & Gordon, 1962). Bacillus (Chapman, 1953;Tokuyasu & Yamada, 1959;Fitz-James, 1960;Van Iterson, 1961;Glauert et al, 1961;Vanderwinkel & Murray, 1962;Robinow, 1962). Lactobacillus (Glauert, 1962).…”