Summary
The characteristic arrangement of the cells of Lampropedia hyalina in rectangular sheets makes this bacterium an attractive model for studying clonal morphogenesis. In micro-slide cultures, clones develop from a single cell by growing and dividing along two parallel sets of growth axes, synchronized alternately by 90 degrees. The formation of the intracytoplasmic granules, chemically identified as poly-β-hydroxybutyric acid, also follows this pattern. One predominant granule occurs in each cell under “standard” cultural conditions (1.0% Difco yeast extract, 30°C), and formation of new polymer granules precedes division of the cell. The variation of environmental factors-such as pH in the presence of phosphate, nutrient concentration, and temperature-disturbs greatly the regular pattern of morphogenesis and cytogenesis in Lampropedia. This disarray includes an increase in the number of granules per cell; excessive amounts of polymer; distention and lysis of cells; disorderly arrangement of cells.
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Dedicated with affection and appreciation to Professor Dr. Richard Kuhn on his sixty-fifth birthday.
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Kuhn, D.A., Starr, M.P. Clonal morphogenesis of Lampropedia hyalina. Archiv. Mikrobiol. 52, 360–375 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00419275
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00419275