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Der physikalische Status der Deoxyribonucleinsäure im Bakteriennucleoid

2. Mitteilung über Nucleoide

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Abstract

Subject of this paper is the physical and organization state of DNA within the nucleoid and its preservation during various treatments necessary for preparation of ultrathin sections of bacteria.

Viscosimetric measurements show that the conformation of native DNA is not changed by treatment with osmium tetroxide or osmiumdichromate fixatives at pH 6 or 7. Neither has temporary complex formation with uranyl ions any effect. Storage at 22 C for 24 hours at pH 5.4 of the complex causes a 20% drop of viscosity, at pH 3.35 this drop is more pronounced. Denaturation of DNA by acid or heat seems to be slightly accelerated by the presence of uranyl ions.

The conditions for denaturation and depolymerization of intracellular DNA were studied by electron microscopy of ultrathin sections of bacteria. The DNA resists denaturation unless its polynucleotide chains have been degraded to a certain extent. After artificial reduction of average chain length to a value which is in the range of nucleoid length, the conditions for denaturation of DNA within the nucloid are the same as for denaturation of thymus DNA in vitro. The morphological criterion of denaturation was a change in the arrangement of DNA fibres from an orderly pattern to a chaotic state.

Uranyl ions do not cause visible denaturation of intracellular DNA in the absence of other deleterious influences, nor do they depolymerize intracellular DNA to such an extent that other agents may be able to cause rapid denaturation. Therefore uranyl treatment does not affect the physical and organizational state of intracellular DNA of bacteria.

Contrary to uranyl ions cupric ions cause gross disorganization of nucleoid material.

The results give strong support to the view that the bacterial nucleoid contains essentially one DNA molecule with helical conformation and almost uninterrupted polynucleotide chains.

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Author notes

  1. G. W. Fuhs

    Present address: Divn. of Laboratories and Research, New York State Dept. of Health, New Scotland Ave., 12201, Albany 1, N.Y., USA

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  1. Institut für Medizinische Parasitologie der Universität Bonn, Deutschland

    G. W. Fuhs

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Fuhs, G.W. Der physikalische Status der Deoxyribonucleinsäure im Bakteriennucleoid. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 31, 25–44 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02045874

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