Wirth, Reinhard and Ugele, Matthias and Wanner, Gerhard (2016) Motility and Ultrastructure of Spirochaeta thermophila. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, 7: 1609. ISSN 1664-302X,
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
We analyze here for the first time the swimming behavior of a thermophilic, strictly anaerobic Spirochete, namely Spirochaeta thermophila using high temperature light microscopy. Our data show that S. thermophila very rapidly can change its morphology during swimming, resulting in cells appearing nearly linear, in cells possessing three different spiral forms, and in cells being linear at one end and spiral at the other end. In addition cells can rapidly bend by up to 180 degrees, with their ends coming into close contact. We combine electron with light microscopy to explain these various cell morphologies. Swimming speeds for cells with the various morphologies did not differ significantly: the average speed was 33 (+/- 8) mu m/s, with minimal and maximal speeds of 19 and 59 mu m/s, respectively. Addition of gelling agents like polyvinylpyrrolidone or methyl cellulose to the growth medium resulted in lower and not higher swimming speeds, arguing against the idea that the highly unusual cell body plan of S. thermophila enables cells to swim more efficiently in gel-like habitats.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | BORRELIA-BURGDORFERI; PERIPLASMIC FLAGELLA; TREPONEMA-DENTICOLA; ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY; TEMPERATURE; CHEMOTAXIS; MORPHOLOGY; ARCHAEA; BIOLOGY; PHYLUM; Spirochaeta thermophila; cell body plan; changing cell morphology; motility; high temperature light microscopy; electron microscopy |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 570 Life sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Biochemie, Genetik und Mikrobiologie > Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie > Prof. Dr. Reinhard Wirth |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 24 Apr 2019 09:48 |
| Last Modified: | 24 Apr 2019 09:48 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/4096 |
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