Ultrastructure of Brucella abortus L-forms induced by penicillin in a liquid and in a semisolid medium

Brucella abortus L-forms were induced by 5.0 or 10.0 mug of penicillin/ml in a broth medium containing 0.3 m sucrose, and in a semisolid medium containing 10% calf serum and 20.0, 40.0, or 60.0 mug of penicillin/ml. After 96 hr of incubation, L-forms of various sizes and shapes were observed. Basic structures of the L-forms were similar whether induced in liquid or semisolid medium. L-forms had two "unit" membranes, each consisting of two outer dense layers separated by a lucent layer. A few large, irregularly shaped organisms in penicillin-treated broth cultures had additional surface material and were referred to as "transitional" forms. In contrast with L-forms, the bacterial cells were fairly uniform in size and shape, were smaller, and had a more complex cell wall structure. Small bodies limited by a "unit" membrane were present within and around numerous L-forms from liquid and semisolid medium cultures. Other internal membranous structures were also seen in some L-forms. Most Brucella L-forms described in this paper reverted to bacteria in the absence of penicillin and were structurally characteristic of unstable L-forms.     

人体病理组织中细菌L型的电镜观察

对9例细菌L型感染的人体病理组织进行透射电镜观察。结果显示:(1)L型可分布于组织间质或进入吞噬细胞、上皮细胞和癌细胞等细胞胞质;(2)L型具有多形态、大小不等、胞壁缺陷、电子密度低等特点,细胞胞质内的细菌L型尚有A、B两种形态区别;(3)L型在组织中形成了不完全箍缩分裂;(4)宿主细胞超微结构仅出现轻微改变。本结果与文献报道基本一致,提出了透射电镜下病理组织中细菌L型的形态特征及分布;并对L型感染与慢性炎症的关系等问题进行了讨论。     

Plasmid curing in Staphylococcus aureus by antibiotics affecting the bacterial cell wall

Abstract Strains of Staphylococcus aureus were converted into L-forms with β-lactam antibiotics, vancomycin and lysostaphin. Reverted bacteria obtained after several transfers in protoplast forms (unstable L-forms) as well as stable L-forms lost their plasmids. Curing was obtained whatever the plasmid size (from 3.4 to 28.2 kb) but complete curing required cell division. Elimination of plasmids in wall-less organisms could be the result of an inhibition of new rounds of plasmid replication following the loss of DNA-envelope interactions.     

Fatty acid composition of membranes of L-forms ofStreptococcus faecalis andProteus mirabilis cultured at different osmolalities

The fatty acid composition of membranes of L-forms ofStreptococcus faecalis andProteus mirabilis cultured at different osmolalities and in different osmotic stabilizers was examined.S. faecalis L-forms cultured with sucrose in the medium showed a decrease in the unsaturated fatty acid C₁₈₁ and an increase in the C₁₈ fatty acid and C₁₉ cyclopropane fatty acid. Fatty acid composition ofS. faecalis L-forms cultured in medium containing 1.8% NaCl was similar to the fatty acid composition of L-forms cultured in brain-heart infusion broth (BHI) without osmotic stabilizer and was between the composition of fatty acids of L-forms in BHI with sucrose and that in BHI without 0.5 M sucrose. InProteus mirabilis L-forms, there were differences between L-forms cultured with and without sucrose, but these differences were not comparable to the changes observed inS. faecalis L-forms.P. mirabilis L-forms cultured with and without NaCl in the medium had similar fatty acid compositions.     

Induction and cultivation of a stable L-form of Bacillus subtilis

The induction of L-forms of Bacillus subtilis from protoplasts is described. The method involved the frequent subculture of the unstable L-form on a growth medium supplemented with lysozyme and horse serum. A stable culture, which did not revert when lysozyme and horse serum were omitted from the medium, was obtained after 13 subcultures. This culture could be grown on solid and in liquid medium by routine microbiological methods. Long-term storage of these cells was achieved by freeze drying and maintenance in glycerol at −70°C. The cultural adaptability of the L-form is described and discussed with respect to methods of cultivation and growth.     

Induction, growth and antibiotic production of Streptomyces viridifaciens L-form bacteria

AIMS: To induce, cultivate and investigate the characteristics of L-form bacteria derived from the filamentous actinomycete Streptomyces viridifaciens. METHODS AND RESULTS: L-forms were induced in a liquid medium supplemented with lysozyme and penicillin. A stable culture which no longer required inducing agents but could still revert, was obtained by the twelfth subculture. The specific growth rate of stable L-forms was faster (0.751) than unstable L-forms (0.361). After the exponential growth phase, the cell diameter continued to increase, as did the percentage of vacuoles. Morphologically, the L-forms appeared as spherical bodies with no signs of differentiation and were sensitive to osmotic stress, indicating removal of the cell wall. The L-forms produced secondary metabolites although much lower levels of antibiotic were assayed in the L-forms compared with the cell walled forms. CONCLUSION: Stable L-form bacteria were induced from S. viridifaciens and their growth characterized. The L-forms produced secondary metabolites. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Stable Streptomyces L-forms were induced and have potential as biocontrol agents.     

Cross-reacting antigens of human thymus myoid cells and stable L-forms of group A streptococci

Indirect immunofluorescence has shown a similarity between the antigen components of group A streptococcus L-forms and human thymus myoid cells. An analogous antigen (or antigens) is present in the cytoplasmic membrane of human myocardial cell fibers. The depletion of antiserum to the streptococcal L-forms both by the culture of L-forms grown in meat or casein media and by the homogenate of the cardiac muscle leads to the inhibition of immunofluorescence. The depletion of serum by the homogenate of other tissues (liver) or by L-form culture does not virtually affect the immunofluorescence intensity. According to the authors' opinion, the similarity of antigens of group A streptococcus L-forms to the antigenic components of organ tissues is likely to be responsible for long-term persistence of the microorganisms under consideration and to favour, in some cases, the occurrence of autoantibodies. The latter circumstance might lead to pathological changes in organs containing cross-reacting antigens.     

Fatty Acid Composition of L-Forms of Streptococcus faecalis Cultured at Different Osmolalities

The fatty acid composition of the membranes of three different penicillin-produced L-forms of Streptococcus faecalis was determined: (i) a stable (nonreverting) L-form (T(53)) cultured in brain heart infusion (BHI) with 0.5 M sucrose; (ii) a stable L-form (T(531)) cultured in BHI without sucrose; and (iii) an unstable L-form (T(9)) cultured in BHI with 0.5 M sucrose and 1,000 U of penicillin per ml. L-forms were obtained by centrifugation and lysed by washing in 1 mM tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane-hydrochloride buffer. The parent S. faecalis was also cultured in BHI and BHI containing 0.5 M sucrose, and washed with buffer. The fatty acid composition of L-forms of S. faecalis cultured in BHI without sucrose (370 mosmol) had higher C(18:1) and lower C(18) than L-forms cultured in the same media with added 0.5 M sucrose (950 mosmol) in both exponential and stationary cultures. In the stationary phase of growth, C(19) was reduced in the L-forms cultured without sucrose. Similar changes were seen in the parent S. faecalis cultured in the two types of media. These changes in membrane fatty acids may relate to osmo-regulation of the L-forms.     

Induction and cultivation of a stable L-form of Bacillus subtilis

The induction of L-forms of Bacillus subtilis from protoplasts is described. The method involved the frequent subculture of the unstable L-form on a growth medium supplemented with lysozyme and horse serum. A stable culture, which did not revert when lysozyme and horse serum were omitted from the medium, was obtained after 13 subcultures. This culture could be grown on solid and in liquid medium by routine microbiological methods. Long-term storage of these cells was achieved by freeze drying and maintenance in glycerol at -70 degrees C. The cultural adaptability of the L-form is described and discussed with respect to methods of cultivation and growth.     

Population of L-forms of Bacillus subtilis studied in Ficoll density gradients]

The distribution of cells in the population of L-forms of Bas. subtilis was analysed by isopicnic centrifugation in density gradient of ficoll. Two main fractions of L-forms different in their density were found. The study of the fractions by various methods indicated that a considerable part of the L-forms population is presented by unviable cells of diverse size with fragments of genome or without DNA.     

Polyacrylamide Gel Identification of Bacterial L-Forms and Mycoplasma Species of Human Origin

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic patterns of acidified phenol extracts prepared from whole cells can be used for the identification of bacterial L-forms and Mycoplasma species of human origin. Ten human Mycoplasma serotypes and eight L-forms belonging to five different genera were studied. The gel patterns were sufficiently distinct and reproducible that it was possible not only to identify L-forms at the genus level (group with streptococci) and different Mycoplasma serotypes but also to differentiate between the two of them. The parentage of L-forms of Streptobacillus moniliformis L1, Listeria monocytogenes, Streptococcus MG, and Staphylococcus aureus Smith strain was established by relating their gel patterns directly to parent bacteria. It was found that an L-form designated S. moniliformis An (ATCC 14220) was actually an L-form of Proteus. In addition, it was shown electrophoretically that no relationship existed between the Streptococcus MG L-form and M. pneumoniae. The applicability of this method as a diagnostic and taxonomic tool for the differentiation of L-forms and mycoplasmas is discussed.     

Induction of Bacillus brevis L-forms

L-forms of Bacillus brevis were induced and maintained in L-phase medium supplemented with inactivated horse serum with a combination of penicillin (80 u/ml) and cephalosporin (5 μg/ml) in liquid medium and penicillin (200 u/ml) in diphasic culture. These L-forms failed to grow on solid media.     

Lipid composition of Staphylococcus aureus and its derived L-forms.

Two strains of Staphylococcus aureus (Newman and Tazaki) and their derived L-forms were cultured in serum-containing broth and the differences in their lipid compositions were analyzed. Cardiolipin accounted for more than 50% of the total phospholipid phosphorus in L-forms, but for less than 25% in parent bacteria. The cardiolipin content of L-forms was very high through all growth phases, although it increased gradually as growth proceeded. Significant amounts of cholesterol and its esters were present in parent strains and L-forms, all of which incorporated serum cholesterol into the cell membrane. On the other hand, they could be detected in the L-forms but not in the parent strains when they were cultured in serum-free broth. To examine the ability of L-forms to synthesize cholesterol, the cholesterol content of L-forms cultured in serum-free broth was compared with that of the medium. The results indicated that staphylococcal L-forms could synthesize cholesterol and its esters. These differences in lipid composition suggested that modification of membrane lipids may occur as an adaptational change in response to the disappearance of the cell wall.     

细菌L型与喉癌关系的研究

用组织切片革兰氏染色、免疫组织化学染色等方法,对８５例喉癌重新切片,进行细菌Ｌ型检查,结果发现有６５例革兰氏染色Ｌ型菌阳性,其阳性率为７６．５％。５３例（６４．７％）Ｌ型抗体免疫组化染色和革兰氏染色Ｌ型菌均阳性,两者总符合率为８３．５％。细菌Ｌ型呈多形性,分布于癌巢、癌间质,常聚集成堆,也可呈散在性分布。５８例（６８．２％）癌细胞胞浆内也见到Ｌ型菌。提示细菌Ｌ型感染与喉癌关系密切。     

Enantioselective binding sites on bovine serum albumin to dansyl amino acids.

The enantioselective binding sites on bovine serum albumin were examined by HPLC using 19 racemic 5-N, N-dimethylamino-1-naphthalenesulfonyl derivatives of alpha-amino acids (dansyl amino acids) as chiral probes. On a bovine serum albumin bonded chiral stationary phase, seven L-forms eluted faster than their D-forms, while ten D-forms eluted before their L-forms. It was speculated that either two classes or two different binding sites exist on bovine serum albumin which can be distinguished by N-dansyl-L-proline and N-dansyl-D-norvaline. This was confirmed by fluorometric experiments where non-fluorescent 1-naphthalenesulfonyl derivatives were synthesized and competitive adsorption experiments were performed.     

Stimulation of WI-38 cell cycle transit: Effect of serum concentration and cell density

Flow microfluorometry has been used to characterize the effects of serum concentration and cell density on the initiation of cell cycle transit of stationary phase (G₀) human diploid fibroblasts (strain WI-38). The concentration of serum used to stimulate these cultures had no effect on the time cells began appearing in S (the DNA synthetic period), nor on the synchrony with which they moved around the cell cycle. However, as the serum concentration increased, the fraction of the stationary phase population released from G₀ increased. Cell density modulated the ability of serum to stimulate cell cycle traverse. For example, at a cell density of 1.81 × 10⁴ cells/cm², 78% of the population was sensitive to serum stimulation; whereas, when the density was increased to 7.25 × 10⁴ cells/cm², only 27% of the population could be stimulated. This effect of cell density on the serum response is not simply the result of changing the ratio of serum concentration to cell density, but appears to reflect a true modulation of the population's sensitivity to serum stimulation. These results are consistent with the interpretation that the primary action of serum is to determine the transition of cells from a non-cycling G₀ state to a cycling state and that cell density determines the proportion of the population capable of undergoing this transition.     

Yersinia pestis L-forms in rodents and ectoparasites

Y. pestis L-forms and bacterial forms persist in the body of great gerbils for 40 days. L-forms are poorly phagocytized and can persist in phagocytes for a long time. In guinea pigs immunized with vaccine EV, Y. pestis antigen could be detected till day 160. An unstable L-form was isolated from Ornithodoros mites 3 years after their experimental infection with Y. pestis. Bacterial forms persist in mites for 1-3 years. For 5 years Y. pestis antigen is regularly detected in a high percentage of mites.     

Mitogenic Effect of Cytoplasmic Membranes and a Cytoplasmic Fraction of Staphylococcus aureus L-Forms on Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes

The cytoplasmic membranes and a cytoplasmic fraction of Staphylococcus aureus L-forms increased the incorporation of [³H] thymidine by human lymphocytes in the presence of fetal bovine serum. Both fractions stimulated cord blood lymphocytes as well as adult peripheral lymphocytes, suggesting the possibility that the observed effect was not due to an antigen-specific reaction, but to an immunologically nonspecific action. The membrane mitogen(s) was resistant to trypsin, although it was partially solubilized by trypsin treatment. The mitogen (s) could not be extracted with a chloroform-methanol mixture (2:1, v/v), although the chloroform-methanol soluble fraction was strongly mitogenic to murine splenocytes. Human serum which was added to the assay system in place of fetal bovine serum definitely suppressed the mitogenic effect of both cytoplasmic membranes and the cytoplasmic fraction, especially the latter.     

Envelope structure in three different L-forms ofProteus mirabilis

One A-type, stable and two different B-type, unstable L-forms were obtained from a strain ofProteus mirabilis and studied by electron microscopy and by chemical analysis for the presence of peptidoglycan. The wall of the parent bacterium is characterized by a profile of three superimposed dense lines and a content of 11.07 nmoles of muramic acid (MUR) and of 7.85 nmoles of diaminopimelic acid (DAP) per mg of dry weight. The stable, A-type L-form has completely lost the cell wall of the bacterium and is enveloped only by the plasma membrane to which very small quantities of peptidoglycan components are associated (MUR: 0.041 nmoles/mg; DAP: 0.075 nmoles/mg). The two B-type, unstable L-forms have the same wall structure in only two dense lines, but they differ in their peptidoglycan content. The first one does not contain more peptidoglycan components than the A-type, L-form (MUR: 0.022 nmoles/mg; DAP: 0.016 nmoles/mg), whereas the peptidoglycan content of the second one (MUR: 2.6 nmoles/mg; DAP: 1.65 nmoles/mg) is about one fifth of the content of muramic acid and diaminopimelic acid of the bacterial cell wall.     

Study of the sensitivity of the L-forms of group A Streptococcus to antibiotics in artificial nutrient media and in human cell cultures

Sensitivity of L-forms of group A streptococci to 5 antibiotics such as erythromycin, lincomycin, tetracycline, gentamicin and chloramphenicol was studied in an artificial nutrient medium and cell cultures i.e. human fibroblast diploid cells and transplantable human heart cells (Girardi). In vitro investigation of the antibiotic effect on the streptococcal L-forms revealed their sensitivity to erythromycin (MIC, 0.4 micrograms/ml), lincomycin (MIC, 0.08 microgram/ml) and tetracycline (MIC, 2 micrograms/ml). The streptococcal L-forms were slightly sensitive to gentamicin (MIC, 6 micrograms/ml) and chloramphenicol (MIC, 30 micrograms/ml). Complete inhibition of the growth of the L-forms in the Girardi cells on the 1st day of the experiment after the antibiotics administration in single doses was induced by lincomycin, 5 micrograms/ml, erythromycin, 10 micrograms/ml, and tetracycline, 100 micrograms/ml. In the diploid cells, the respective figures were 50, 100 and 200 micrograms/ml. Chloramphenicol and gentamicin had an inhibitory effect on the growth of the L-forms but produced no sanative effect.