Glycogen accumulation by pleomorphic cells of Streptococcus sanguis

Cells of $\text{Streptococcus sanguis}$ undergo gross morphological changes when cultured in the presence of oxygen. These cells accumulate large amounts of an intracellular polysaccharide. The chemical nature and location of this polysaccharide were investigated and we showed that it is an intracellular polymer composed primarily of glucose in a linkage of the glycogen-amylopectin type. Glycogen accumulation appeared to coincide temporally with the onset of pleomorphism while its disappearance coincided temporally with cell death.