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Osmotic properties of protoplasts of Bacillus megaterium

1955; Elsevier BV; Volume: 9; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0014-4827(55)90102-6

1090-2422

Claes Weibull,

Bacillus and Francisella bacterial research

The osmotic properties of bacterial protoplasts have been investigated. The protoplasts were obtained by treating Bacillus megaterium cells suspended into polyethylene glycol or sucrose solutions with lysozyme. The concentration of these substances and hence the osmotic pressure of the medium before the removal of the cell wall has little influence on the volume of the formed protoplasts. Changes in the osmotic pressure after the removal of the cell wall, on the contrary, causes plasmolysis of the protoplasts. Determinations of the degree of plasmolysis as a function of the osmotic pressure indicate the presence of a permeability barrier against the external medium. The performed measurements give information on the amounts of osmoticly inert substances and “free space” in the bacterial cell.