[Preparation of protoplast-like structures of Pseudomonas putida and their reversion to bacterial forms]

A technique is proposed for the preparation of Pseudomonas putida protoplast-like structures by treating the cells with lysozyme in a hypertonic medium containing mono-and divalent cations. Pretreatment of the cells at the logarithmic growth phase with sucrose (0.5 M) for 90 min at the pH 7.9 to 8.0 is a prerequisite for the formation of 'protoplasts'. Under these conditions, the yield of 'protoplasts' reached 99.9% of the total cell number. The protoplast-like structures are capable of reversing into the original bacterial forms in a minimal hypertonic medium containing amino acids which are components of the cell wall. The level of reversion reaches 10% for certain strains.