Electron microscopy of the cell wall of Rickettsia prowazeki.
Purified Rickettsia prowazeki were found to undergo morphological changes resembling plasmolysis when stained with uranyl acetate, resulting in rod-like forms. Sequential electron micrographs of disintegrating organisms provide evidence for the cell wall origin of these rod-like forms. The substructure of the cell wall was discerned by using negative-contrast electron microscopy. The wall was found to be composed of repetitive subunits with a periodicity of 13 nm and was surrounded by a thin membrane.
D000085:Acetates; D002462:Cell Membrane; D002473:Cell Wall; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D003593:Cytoplasm; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008858:Microscopy, Phase-Contrast; D009995:Osmosis; D010772:Phosphotungstic Acid; D012283:Rickettsia prowazekii / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014501:Uranium
D000085:Acetates; D010772:Phosphotungstic Acid; D014501:Uranium