Summary
The cytoplasmic components of Myxococcus xanthus were found to be helical strands of considerable length when examined in thin sections of cells. Similar structures were obtained in a population of isolated particles from fractionated cells. The width of the strands was estimated to be approximately 250 A, a single thread was about 50 A in width. It was suggested that the helices were fibrillar. The width of single fibrils was close to the resolving power of the instrument, about 10 A. No single ribosomes were found in thin sections of cells but most of the isolated particles were round, 100–250 A in diameter. The cytoplasmic strands were built of subunits of the size known for ribosomes which could be identified as such upon fragmentation of the strands. Crystal-like structures were found in this Gram-negative organism which, in some cases, comprised a large portion of the cell. The question was raised whether this type of fabric represents the true physical organization of the cytoplasm.
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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. W. Schwartz on his 70th birthday.
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Voelz, H. The physical organization of the cytoplasm in Myxococcus xanthus and the fine structure of its components. Archiv. Mikrobiol. 57, 181–195 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00408700
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00408700