Abstract
Seven strains of budding, non-prosthecate bacteria belonging to the Planctomyces/Pasteuria group and a Prosthecomicrobium sp. were examined for muramic and diaminopimelic acids. These typical components of Gram-negative murein were found only in Prosthecomicrobium strain IFAM 1314, but they could not be detected in seven budding bacteria. Electron micrographs of ultrathin cell wall sections of strains IFAM 1313 and 1317 showed a membrane with bilayer structure outside the cytoplasmic membrane. 10% sodium dodecylsulfate treatment (30 min, 100°C) allowed the isolation of highly stable cell sacculi which, upon chemical analysis, proved to be mainly proteinaceous. The budding bacteria also showed considerable resistance against penicillin G, ampicillin, cephalotin and D-cycloserin. Our data indicate that these bacteria lack an ordinary Gram-negative type of murein and, instead, carry a stable protein envelope.
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König, E., Schlesner, H. & Hirsch, P. Cell wall studies on budding bacteria of the Planctomyces/Pasteuria group and on a Prosthecomicrobium sp.. Arch. Microbiol. 138, 200–205 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00402120
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00402120