Open AccessStructural aspects of poly‐β‐hydroxybutyrate granules
Author(s) -
Mayer Frank
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1992.tb05847.x
Subject(s) - depolymerization , inclusion bodies , ultrastructure , electron microscope , macromolecule , inclusion (mineral) , poly 3 hydroxybutyrate , polymerization , biophysics , scanning electron microscope , chemistry , microscopy , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , biology , biochemistry , materials science , polymer chemistry , anatomy , mineralogy , organic chemistry , polymer , composite material , pathology , escherichia coli , medicine , physics , optics , gene , engineering
Conventional electron microscopic preparation and imaging techniques applied to the study of the ultrastructure of poly‐β‐hydroxybutyrate (PHB) (and related compounds) inclusion bodies provided information on cytological aspects such as shape, dimensions, and location of these inclusion bodies within cells harvested from various growth conditions and physiological states. However, the macromolecular organization of the contents of these inclusion bodies and of a faint layer surrounding them could not be unequivocally described by electron microscopy. Results obtained by cryoelectron microscopic sample preparation techniques, though known to be suited to produce reliable structural data, should also be interpreted cautiously. The compounds making up these inclusion bodies tend to be artivicially altered during freezing of the sample. Immunocytochemical approaches may be promising for a detailed description of the location of enzymes involved in polymerization and depolymerization of PHB and related compounds in bacteria.