Comparative ultrastructure of selected oral streptococci: thin-sectioning and freeze-etching studies

1976 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 475-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanley C. Holt ◽  
E. R. Leadbetter
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Cell Walls ◽  
Cytoplasmic Membrane ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Oral Streptococci ◽  
Outermost Layer ◽  
Thin Sectioning ◽  
Freeze Etching ◽  
Comparative Ultrastructure ◽  
Crystalline Array

The ultrastructure of Streptococcus mutans, serotypes a–e, S. sanguis, S. mitis, and S. salivarius HHT, were examined by the techniques of thin-sectioning and freeze-etching. The cell walls varied in width between 15 and 46 nm and were covered with an electron-dense fibrillar or fuzz layer. The cytoplasmic membrane was in close association with numerous mesosomes which were, in turn, either closely associated or in contact with the bacterial chromosome. In freeze-etch replicas, the outermost layer of the cell wall was fibrous, and the cytoplasmic membrane was covered with particles composed of several subunits. Both particle-clusters and particle-free areas occurred on the surfaces of the cytoplasmic membrane, as well as a crystalline array in the ground plasm of the cell.

Ultrastructure of Staphylococcus epidermidis after freeze-etching and thin sectioning

1973 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 294-295
Author(s):  
James E. Gilchrist ◽  
Irving W. DeVoe
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Outer Layer ◽  
Staphylococcus Epidermidis ◽  
Cell Walls ◽  
Cytoplasmic Membrane ◽  
Middle Layer ◽  
Dense Layer ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Thin Sectioning ◽  
Freeze Etching

A considerable quantity of information is now available on the ultrastructure of Staphylococcus (1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12). Cell walls of these organisms in thin sections have been shown to consist of three layers: a dense outer layer, a rather electron translucent middle layer, and a very dense layer next to the cytoplasmic membrane (2, 7, 11, 12). Bulger and Bulger (2) have pointed out the presence of circumferential substructure in the middle layer of the wall in a strain of Staphylococcus aureus isolated as the causative agent in fatal pneumonia.Numerous mesosomes of both the vesicular and laminar types are evident in thin sections of staphylococci from several studies (1, 4, 7, 11). Moreover, single vesicular structures that appear to be invaginations of the trilaminar cytoplasmic membrane have been pointed out by Suganuma (11) and Beaton (1).

Ultrastructure of the cell envelope and septation process in Caryophanon latum as revealed by thin section and freeze-etching techniques

1974 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 1435-1442 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. C. Trentini ◽  
H. E. Gilleland Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Cytoplasmic Membrane ◽  
External Surface ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Optimal Conditions ◽  
Structural Detail ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
External Wall ◽  
Thin Sectioning ◽  
Freeze Etching ◽  
Peptidoglycan Layer

With optimal conditions of thin-sectioning and freeze-etching, the cell wall of Caryophanon latum was composed of a thick peptidoglycan layer plus two external wall layers. The freeze-etched appearance of the external surface of the outer layer was smooth and lacked structural detail. The numerous cross septa within a trichome were formed by the symmetrical and concurrent ingrowth of the cytoplasmic membrane and the peptidoglycan layer. The site of septum initiation was identifiable by a dart-shaped ingrowth of the peptidoglycan layer rather than by the presence of a mesosome. However, small simple mesosomes were occasionally seen associated with the developing septum. The peptidoglycan in the septum had thickened to at least double the thickness of the wall peptidoglycan layer by the time of septum completion. The external wall layers did not participate in septum formation but did participate in trichome separation. The separation of the septal peptidoglycan was completed during the early ingrowth of the external wall layers. A unique cross-sectional view of a developing septum closing like an iris diaphragm as seen in a freeze-etched preparation was observed.

The effects of phospholipid depletion on the cleavage pattern of the cell walls of frozen Gram-negative bacteria

1973 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 1056-1057 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Forge ◽  
J. W. Costerton
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Cell Walls ◽  
Cytoplasmic Membrane ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteria ◽  
Cleavage Pattern ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Whole Cells ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Double Track ◽  
Chloroform Methanol

Extraction of whole cells of the marine pseudomonad (B-16) with chloroform–methanol causes the disappearance of the cleavage planes, and the cross-sectioned profile of both the cytoplasmic membrane and the double-track layer of the cell wall.

Surface charge and morphogenesis of regular arrays of macromolecules on bacterial cell walls

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 346-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. B. Sleytr ◽  
G. P. Friers
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Surface Charge ◽  
Bacterial Cell ◽  
Cell Walls ◽  
Surface Layers ◽  
Regular Surface ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Freeze Etching ◽  
Regular Arrays ◽  
Peptidoglycan Layer

Regular arrays of macromolecules can be demonstrated on the surface of a wide range of bacteria by negative staining and freeze-etching techniques. The isolated subunits of the regular surface layers (S-layers) examined in this study have shown to consist of protein or glycoprotein and to possess the ability to assemble spontaneously under certain conditions to form regular arrays with the same dimensions as those seen on intact bacteria. In appropriate conditions the isolated subunits reattach to the cell wall from which they have been removed. Analysis of the orientation of the reconstituted S-layers have shown that the pattern of the regular arrays seem to be determined only by the directional bonds between the subunits and not by any order in the underlying (peptidoglycan) layer.

scholarly journals Cytological Aspects of the Mycobiont–Phycobiont Relationship in Lichens

1984 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosmarie Honegger
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Cell Walls ◽  
Wall Layer ◽  
Distinct Pattern ◽  
Homogeneous Material ◽  
Wall Surface ◽  
Surface Layers ◽  
Thin Sectioning ◽  
Cytological Features ◽  
Mother Cell Wall

AbstractCytological aspects of the mycobiont-phycobiont contact were investigated in the lichen species Peltigera aphthosa, Cladonia macrophylla, Cladonia caespiticia and Parmelia tiliacea by means of freeze-etch and thin sectioning techniques, and by replication of isolated fragments of myco- and phycobiont cell walls.In the symbiotic state of the mycobionts investigated a thin outermost wall layer with a distinct pattern was observed mainly in the hyphae contacting phycobiont cells and in the upper medullary layer. No comparable structures were noted on the hyphal surface of the cultured mycobionts of the Cladonia and Parmelia species investigated. A distinct rodlet layer was found on the hyphal surface of the mycobiont of Peltigera aphthosa, while mycobionts of Cladonia macrophylla, C. caespiticia and Parmelia tiliacea had a mosaic of small, irregular ridges, each corresponding in its size to a bundle of rodlets on the outermost wall layer. Comparable surface layers have been described in aerial hyphae of a great number of non-lichenized fungi.The rodlet layer of the mycobiont wall surface of Peltigera aphthosa adheres tightly to the outermost layer of the sporopollenin-containing cell wall of the Coccomyxa phycobiont. Mature trebouxioid phycobiont cells of the Cladonia and Parmelia species investigated in the symbiotic state had an outermost wall layer which was structurally indistinguishable from the tessellated surface layer of the mycobiont cells. A rodlet pattern was detected in the outermost wall layer of Trebouxia autospores still surrounded by the cellulosic mother cell wall. In mature Trebouxia cells the bundles of rodlets became increasingly covered by a homogeneous material, and thus attained the same tessellated pattern which was observed on the mycobiont wall surface. No comparable structures were found on the wall surface after culturing the Trebouxia phycobionts axenically in liquid media. Confluence of the tessellated surface layers of fungal and algal origin was noted at the contact sites of growing hyphal tips and young Trebouxia cells.The possible correlations between these cytological features and published immunological data on the cell surface of cultured and symbiotic lichen myco- and phycobionts are discussed.

scholarly journals STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF MESOSOMES (CHONDRIOIDS) OF BACILLUS SUBTILIS AFTER FREEZE-ETCHING

1968 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Nanninga
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Outer Surface ◽  
Osmium Tetroxide ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Bacterial Membranes ◽  
Inner Surface ◽  
Freeze Etching

Freeze-etched cells of Bacillus subtilis have been studied with the electron microscope. The outer surface of the plasma membrane, i.e. the side facing the cell wall, is covered with numerous granules and short strands, each measuring approximately 50 A in diameter. These strands are occasionally seen to enter the cell wall. The inner surface of the plasma membrane, i.e. the side facing the cytoplasm, appears to be sparsely dotted with small particles measuring about 50 A. The envelope of mesosomes differs from the plasma membrane. Blunt protrusions arise from its outer surface; the inner surface appears smooth. Stalked particles, as described by other investigators after negative staining with phosphotungstic acid, were not observed on any membrane surface in our material. Preparations were also made of specimens prefixed in osmium tetroxide prior to freeze-etching. Under these conditions the bacterial membranes appeared to be surprisingly well preserved. In contrast to directly frozen, unfixed cells, some osmium tetroxide-fixed preparations showed a differentiation in cytoplasm and nucleoplasm, which made it possible to observe the close association of the mesosome with the latter.

scholarly journals THE NATURE OF THE COLICIN K RECEPTOR OF ESCHERICHIA COLI CULLEN

1971 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
pp. 534-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Ulrich Weltzien ◽  
Margeris A. Jesaitis
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Biological Activity ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Cell Walls ◽  
Cytoplasmic Membrane ◽  
Proteolytic Enzymes ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Chemical Reagents ◽  
Specific Receptors

Cell walls of E. coli strains B and Cullen contain specific receptors for colicin K and for the T2, T6, and C16 phages. The receptors for the bacteriocin and the T6 virus are located in the outer layers of the cell wall of these microorganisms and are absent in their cytoplasmic membrane. The receptors for colicin K, phage T2, and the T6 and C16 viruses differ in their stability toward enzymes and chemical reagents. Their specificity must therefore be determined by different chemical groupings. The colicin K receptor is inactivated by certain proteolytic enzymes and by reagents which combine with tryptophan. It is concluded therefore that proteins or peptides containing this amino acid are essential for biological activity of the receptor.

scholarly journals STUDIES ON GONOCOCCUS INFECTION

1972 ◽  
Vol 136 (5) ◽  
pp. 1258-1271 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Swanson
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Negative Staining ◽  
Thin Sectioning ◽  
Anatomical Relationship ◽  
Freeze Etching

Gonococci have been studied by electron microscopy after freeze-cleavage, freeze-etching and the findings correlated with those obtainable through thin sectioning and negative staining. The outer membrane of the cell wall is composed of round to hexagonal subunits 80 A in diameter. This membrane is also punctuated by 80-A holes visible on the exterior of the organism and extending into the substance or through the outer membrane. Pili coursing over the surface of the organisms appear to maintain a close anatomical relationship with the cell wall. In some instances, the surfaces of the organisms are virtually covered by a layer of pili.

Nitrogen fixation by Rhizobium sp. 32H1. A morphological and ultrastructural comparison of asymbiotic and symbiotic nitrogen-fixing forms

1979 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. N. Van Brussel ◽  
J. W. Costerton ◽  
J.J. Child
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Cytoplasmic Membrane ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteria ◽  
Nitrogen Fixing ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Freeze Etching ◽  
Rhizobium Sp

The induction of nitrogenase (C2H2) activity in asymbiotically cultured Rhizobium sp. 32H1 was found to be associated with morphological changes in the cells which were more pronounced than those seen in bacteroids. Polyphosphate granules were found in both bacteroids and cultured cells, but poly-β-hydroxybutyrate vesicles were almost absent in bacteroids but were present in cultured cells. Freeze-etching techniques revealed no differences between the asymbiotically cultured nitrogen-fixing forms and bacteroids in that both the cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane cleavage planes were normal for gram-negative bacteria.

Wood degradation by Phellinus noxius: ultrastructure and cytochemistry

1995 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Nicole ◽  
H. Chamberland ◽  
D. Rioux ◽  
X. Xixuan ◽  
G. B. Ouellette ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Cell Walls ◽  
Wood Cell Wall ◽  
Close Association ◽  
White Rot ◽  
White Rot Fungus ◽  
Wood Degradation ◽  
Cellular Mechanisms ◽  
Cytochemical Investigation ◽  
Phellinus Noxius

An ultrastructural and cytochemical investigation of the development of Phellinus noxius, a white-rot fungus, in wood chips of Betula papyrifera was done to gain insight into the cellular mechanisms of wood cell wall degradation. Extracellular sheaths and microhyphae were seen to be involved in wood colonization. Close association was observed between these fungal structures and wood cell walls at both early and advanced stages of wood alteration. Fungal sheaths were often seen deep inside host cell walls, sometimes enclosing residual wood fragments. Investigations using gold probes indicated the occurrence of β-1,3-glucans within the fungal sheaths, while β-1,4-glucans were detected only within the fungal septa. The positive reaction with the PATAg test revealed that polysaccharides such as β-1,6-glucans were important components of the sheath. Chitin, pectin, β-glucosides, galactosamine, mannose, sialic acid, fucose, and fimbrial proteins were not found to be present in the sheath. Our data suggest that extracellular sheaths and microphyphae produced by P. noxius during wood cell wall colonization play an important role in wood degradation.Key words: cellulose, Phellinus, sheath, wood degradation.

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