Characterization of translucent segments observed in an smbA mutant of Escherichia coli |
| |
Authors: | Kunitoshi Yamanaka Teru Ogura Kazuyoshi Murata Toshinobu Suzaki Hironori Niki Sota Hiraga |
| |
Institution: | Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Kumamoto 862, Japan; Laboratories of Cell Biology, Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 730, Japan |
| |
Abstract: | Abstract The smbA gene of Escherichia coli is essential for cell proliferation. The smbA2 mutant shows cold-sensitive colony formation at 22°C. A novel morphological phenotype, formation of a translucent segment at midcell or at a cell pole, was observed by phase-contrastt microscopy at a high frequency in the smbA2 mutant cells incubated in L medium lacking NaCl at 22°C, but not observed in L medium containing 1% NaCl or 20% sucrose at the same temperature. No translucent segment was observed in the wild-type cells in any of the media used. Electron microscopic observation revealed that the translucent segments resulted from the enlargement of a periplasmic space by separation of the inner membrane from the peptidoglycan layer and the outer membrane. |
| |
Keywords: | Escherichia coli smbA Plasmolysis Translucent segment |
|
|