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"Flickering" in Protoplasts of Bacillus megaterium

D M Miller

    Science (New York, N.Y.)
    |March 15, 1963
    PubMed

    Insights

    Researchers observed "flickering," a phenomenon previously seen in animal red blood cells, within the protoplasts of Bacillus megaterium. This finding extends the known occurrence of flickering to bacterial cells.

    Area of Science:

    • Microbiology
    • Cell Biology

    Background:

    • Flickering is a dynamic phenomenon observed in the plasma membranes of erythrocytes (red blood cells).
    • This phenomenon involves transient changes in membrane structure and fluidity.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the presence of flickering in bacterial protoplasts.
    • To determine if flickering is exclusive to eukaryotic cell membranes.

    Main Methods:

    • Isolation of protoplasts from Bacillus megaterium.
    • Microscopic observation of protoplast membrane dynamics.

    Main Results:

    • The study successfully observed flickering in Bacillus megaterium protoplasts.
    • This indicates that flickering is not limited to animal erythrocytes.

    Conclusions:

    • Flickering is a conserved membrane phenomenon that occurs in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells.
    • The observation in bacterial protoplasts broadens the understanding of membrane dynamics across different life forms.

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