Open AccessLocalized Intracellular Polyphosphate Formation by Desulfovibrio gigas
Author(s) -
Howard Jones,
L. A. Chambers
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
journal of general microbiology/journal of general microbiology
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2059-9323
pISSN - 0022-1287
DOI - 10.1099/00221287-89-1-67
Subject(s) - polyphosphate , magnesium , sulfur , phosphorus , chemistry , desulfovibrio , bacteria , transmission electron microscopy , inorganic chemistry , nuclear chemistry , mineralogy , phosphate , sulfate , biochemistry , biology , materials science , organic chemistry , nanotechnology , genetics
The dissimilatory sulphate-reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio gigas, frequently sub-cultured, often contained spherical granules which stained metachromatically with some basic dyes. The granules were examined in situ by transmission electron microscopy of whole organisms and thin sections. The granules were isolated from broken bacteria as a water-insoluble, non-crystalline, white material containing magnesium, phosphorus and organic carbon, but devoid of sulphur and nitrogen. The molar ratio of phosphorus to magnesium (1 to 17) was close to the proportions in magnesium tripolyphosphate. Infrared absorption spectra for the white material and magnesium tripolyphosphate were similar.