The maturation of cell wall structure during germination of Bacillus polymyxa spores

1970 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. 883-887 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. E. Murray ◽  
Myrtle M. Hall ◽  
J. Marak

Sections of germinating spores of Bacillus polymyxa show that the primordial cell wall consists of a single layer. The intermediate layer and an outer rectangular array of macromolecules found on vegetative cells do not appear until the spore coats crack open about 60 min after initiation of germination. The initial areas of the new components appear in patches under the cracks in the coats. Within 10 min the wall is completed and takes on the profile seen in the vegetative cell. Negative staining and freeze-etching techniques show the regular structure to be identical with that previously shown for mature cells, although the subunits are more readily visible in negatively stained preparations.

1967 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 587-591
Author(s):  
J. T. FINCH ◽  
A. KLUG ◽  
M.V. NERMUT

Electron micrographs of negatively stained preparations of cell walls of Bacillus polymyxa have been investigated by optical diffraction and optical filtering techniques. Images of single layers of the cell wall, from which the ‘noise’ has been filtered optically, show hollow, square-shaped morphological units arranged on a square lattice of side 100 Å. Single-layer images showing the same pattern have been filtered from moiré patterns arising from two overlapping single layers. The morphological units are composed of four smaller subunits. The optical diffraction patterns from regions of two overlapping layers show extra reflexions which are attributed to multiple electron scattering.


1970 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. 1365-1365
Author(s):  
R. G. E. Murray ◽  
Myrtle M. Hall ◽  
J. Marak

Author(s):  
Hiroshi Yokoyama ◽  
Isaac D. Wagner ◽  
Juergen Wiegel

An obligately anaerobic, xylanolytic, extremely thermophilic bacterium, strain JW/HY-331T, was isolated from sheep faeces collected from a farm at the University of Georgia, USA. Cells of strain JW/HY-331T stained Gram-positive and were catalase-negative, non-motile rods. Single terminal endospores (0.4–0.6 μm in diameter) swelled the mother cell. Growth ranges were 44–77 °C (optimum 70 °C at pH70 °C 7.2) and pH70 °C 5.9–8.6 (optimum 7.2 at 70 °C). Salt tolerance was 0–2.0 % (w/v) NaCl. No growth was observed at or below 42 °C or at or above 79 °C or at pH70 °C 5.7 and below or 8.9 and above. In the presence of 0.3 % yeast extract and 0.1 % tryptone, strain JW/HY-331T utilized xylose, glucose, galactose, cellobiose, raffinose and xylan as carbon and energy sources, but not dextran, soluble potato starch, CM-cellulose, cellulose powder, casein or Casamino acids. Fermentation products from glucose were lactate, acetate, ethanol, CO2 and H2. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 45.4 mol% (HPLC). Major cellular fatty acids were iso-C17 : 0, iso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0. No respiratory quinones were detected. The cell-wall structure was a single layer (Gram-type positive) of the peptidoglycan type A1γ; the cell-wall sugars were galactose and mannose. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, ‘Catabacter hongkongensis’ HKU16 (85.4 % similarity), Caloramator fervidus ATCC 43204T (84.2 %) and Caloranaerobacter azorensis MV1087T (83.4 %) were the closest relatives, but they were only distantly related to strain JW/HY-331T. On the basis of physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic data, isolate JW/HY-331T (=DSM 21659T =ATCC BAA-1711T) is proposed as the type strain of Caldicoprobacter oshimai gen. nov., sp. nov., placed in Caldicoprobacteraceae fam. nov. within the order Clostridiales of the phylum Firmicutes.


2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (69) ◽  
pp. 640-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yael Abraham ◽  
Carmen Tamburu ◽  
Eugenia Klein ◽  
John W. C. Dunlop ◽  
Peter Fratzl ◽  
...  

The sessile nature of plants demands the development of seed-dispersal mechanisms to establish new growing loci. Dispersal strategies of many species involve drying of the dispersal unit, which induces directed contraction and movement based on changing environmental humidity. The majority of researched hygroscopic dispersal mechanisms are based on a bilayered structure. Here, we investigate the motility of the stork's bill ( Erodium ) seeds that relies on the tightening and loosening of a helical awn to propel itself across the surface into a safe germination place. We show that this movement is based on a specialized single layer consisting of a mechanically uniform tissue. A cell wall structure with cellulose microfibrils arranged in an unusually tilted helix causes each cell to spiral. These cells generate a macroscopic coil by spiralling collectively. A simple model made from a thread embedded in an isotropic foam matrix shows that this cellulose arrangement is indeed sufficient to induce the spiralling of the cells.


Author(s):  
Murray Stewart ◽  
T.J. Beveridge ◽  
D. Sprott

The archaebacterium Methanospirillum hungatii has a sheath as part of its cell wall which is composed mainly of protein. Treatment with dithiothreitol or NaOH released the intact sheaths and electron micrographs of this material negatively stained with uranyl acetate showed flattened hollow tubes, about 0.5 μm diameter and several microns long, in which the patterns from the top and bottom were superimposed. Single layers, derived from broken tubes, were also seen and were more simply analysed. Figure 1 shows the general appearance of a single layer. There was a faint axial periodicity at 28.5 A, which was stronger at irregular multiples of 28.5 A (3 and 4 times were most common), and fine striations were also seen at about 3° to the tube axis. Low angle electron diffraction patterns (not shown) and optical diffraction patterns (Fig. 2) from these layers showed a complex meridian (as a result of the irregular nature of the repeat along the tube axis) which showed a clear maximum at 28.5 A, consistent with the basic subunit spacing.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia L. Rivera ◽  
Akbar Espaillat ◽  
Arjun K. Aditham ◽  
Peyton Shieh ◽  
Chris Muriel-Mundo ◽  
...  

Transpeptidation reinforces the structure of cell wall peptidoglycan, an extracellular heteropolymer that protects bacteria from osmotic lysis. The clinical success of transpeptidase-inhibiting β-lactam antibiotics illustrates the essentiality of these cross-linkages for cell wall integrity, but the presence of multiple, seemingly redundant transpeptidases in many bacterial species makes it challenging to determine cross-link function precisely. Here we present a technique to covalently link peptide strands by chemical rather than enzymatic reaction. We employ bio-compatible click chemistry to induce triazole formation between azido- and alkynyl-D-alanine residues that are metabolically installed in the cell walls of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Synthetic triazole cross-links can be visualized by substituting azido-D-alanine with azidocoumarin-D-alanine, an amino acid derivative that undergoes fluorescent enhancement upon reaction with terminal alkynes. Cell wall stapling protects the model bacterium Escherichia coli from β-lactam treatment. Chemical control of cell wall structure in live bacteria can provide functional insights that are orthogonal to those obtained by genetics.<br>


2021 ◽  
Vol 06 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayekpam Chandralekha Devi ◽  
G. K. Hamsavi ◽  
Simran Sahota ◽  
Rochak Mittal ◽  
Hrishikesh A. Tavanandi ◽  
...  

Abstract: Algae (both micro and macro) have gained huge attention in the recent past for their high commercial value products. They are the source of various biomolecules of commercial applications ranging from nutraceuticals to fuels. Phycobiliproteins are one such high value low volume compounds which are mainly obtained from micro and macro algae. In order to tap the bioresource, a significant amount of work has been carried out for large scale production of algal biomass. However, work on downstream processing aspects of phycobiliproteins (PBPs) from algae is scarce, especially in case of macroalgae. There are several difficulties in cell wall disruption of both micro and macro algae because of their cell wall structure and compositions. At the same time, there are several challenges in the purification of phycobiliproteins. The current review article focuses on the recent developments in downstream processing of phycobiliproteins (mainly phycocyanins and phycoerythrins) from micro and macroalgae. The current status, the recent advancements and potential technologies (that are under development) are summarised in this review article besides providing future directions for the present research area.


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