Pirellulosomes: a new type of membrane-bounded cell compartment in planctomycete bacteria of the genus Pirellula

• Published in: Microbiology (Society for General Microbiology) Vol. 143; no. 3; pp. 739 - 748
• Main Authors: Lindsay, Margaret R, Webb, Richard I, Fuerst, John A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Soc General Microbiol 01.03.1997; Society for General Microbiology
• Subjects: Bacteriology; Biogenesis of cell structures, supramolecular organization; Biological and medical sciences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Microbiology; Cell compartment; Nucleoid; Ultrastructure; Planctomycetales; DNA; Planctomycetaceae; Bacteria; Genome; Electron microscopy; pirellulosomes; bacterial ultrastructure; cryosubstitution; planctomycetes; nucleoids
• ISSN: 1350-0872; 1465-2080
• DOI: 10.1099/00221287-143-3-739

1 Department of Microbiology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia 2 Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia ABSTRACT A distinct type of cellular organization was found in two species of the planctomycete genus Pirellula, Pirellula marina and Pirellula staleyi . Both species possess two distinct regions within the cell which are separated by a single membrane. The major region of the cell, the pirellulosome, contains the fibrillar condensed nucleoid. The other area, the polar cap region, forms a continuous layer surrounding the entire pirellulosome and displays a cap of asymmetrically distributed material at one cell pole. Immuno- and cytochemical-labelling of P. marina demonstrated that DNA is located exclusively within the pirellulosome; cell RNA is concentrated in the pirellulosome, with some RNA also located in the polar cap region. * Author for correspondence: John A. Fuerst. Tel: +61 7 3365 4643. Fax: +61 7 3365 4620. e-mail: fuerst@biosci.uq.edu.au Keywords: bacterial ultrastructure, pirellulosomes, planctomycetes, cryosubstitution, nucleoids