title: Ultrastructure of the acidophilic aerobic photosynthetic bacterium Acidiphilium rubrum.
abstract: The ultrastructure of cells of Acidiphilium rubrum, which is an acidophilic aerobic photosynthetic bacterium containing zinc-complexed bacteriochlorophyll a, was studied by electron microscopy with the rapid substitution technique. Thin-section electron microscopy indicated that any type of internal photosynthetic membranes was not present in this organism despite a relatively high content of the photopigment. The majority of cells had poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate granules and electron-dense spherical bodies identified as being polyphosphate granules. When the organism was grown chemotrophically with 0.1% FeSO(4), it produced another group of electron-dense granules that were associated with the inner part of the cytoplasmic membrane. An energy-dispersive X-ray analysis showed that these membrane-bound, electron-dense granules contained iron.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecological Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi 441-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuzawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanbe
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hiraishi
mesh_terms: D016947:Acetobacteraceae / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006885:Hydroxybutyrates / Q000032:analysis; D007501:Iron / Q000032:analysis; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011122:Polyphosphates / Q000032:analysis; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission
chemical_list: D006885:Hydroxybutyrates; D011122:Polyphosphates; D007501:Iron