Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1958 Nov 25;4(6):671-8.
doi: 10.1083/jcb.4.6.671.

Electron microscope study of DNA-containing plasms. II. Vegetative and mature phage DNA as compared with normal bacterial nucleoids in different physiological states

E KELLENBERGER, A RYTER, J SECHAUD

Electron microscope study of DNA-containing plasms. II. Vegetative and mature phage DNA as compared with normal bacterial nucleoids in different physiological states

E KELLENBERGER et al. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. .

Abstract

The nucleoids of Escherichia coli, independently of the physiological state of the bacteria, are shown to be preserved as a fine-stranded fibrillar nucleoplasm by an OsO(4) fixation under defined conditions: acetate-veronal buffer pH 6, presence of Ca(++) and amino acids, stabilization with uranyl-acetate before dehydration. The same fixation procedure applied to the DNA of vegetative phage reveals a pool of homogeneous fibrillar structure very similar to the nucleoplasm. The "versene test," which produces a coarse coagulation of these plasms, emphasizes the similar behaviour of the pool and the nucleoids. The heads of mature phage are preserved in their true polyhedral shape by the standard fixation procedure, although they may be badly distorted when fixed under different conditions. Lanthanum nitrate and uranyl-acetate are shown to increase markedly the contrast of both phage and cytoplasm. The consequences of the fibrillar structure of the genetic material are discussed in relation to the probable division process.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Science. 1958 Apr 11;127(3302):814-5 - PubMed
    1. Biochem J. 1953 Feb;53(3):493-8 - PubMed
    1. Bacteriol Rev. 1956 Dec;20(4):207-42 - PubMed
    1. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1955 Mar;16(3):330-8 - PubMed
    1. Virology. 1957 Apr;3(2):256-74 - PubMed