title: Influence of nutrition on the morphology of a strain of Bifidobacterium bifidum.
abstract: A mucoid variant of Bifidobacterium bifidum was converted from its normal curved rod or bifid form to a highly branched form when grown in a chemically defined minimal medium. Branching could be prevented by the addition of a mixture of dl-alanine, dl-aspartic acid, l(+)-glutamic acid, and dl-serine, but not when any one of these four amino acids was omitted. Although sodium chloride induced pleomorphism, calcium ions were ineffective in suppressing the appearance of these pleomorphic forms. None of the cell wall precursors tested, viz., N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, alpha-epsilon-diaminopimelic acid, and muramic acid, inhibited branching.
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000494:pharmacology; D000409:Alanine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D001216:Asparagine / Q000494:pharmacology; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D003470:Culture Media; D003545:Cysteine / Q000494:pharmacology; D005971:Glutamates / Q000494:pharmacology; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D009154:Mutation; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D012694:Serine / Q000494:pharmacology; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D000596:Amino Acids; D003470:Culture Media; D005971:Glutamates; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D012694:Serine; D001216:Asparagine; D014364:Tryptophan; D003545:Cysteine; D000409:Alanine