Morphology and anionic polymer content in the cell wall of a glycerol-requiring mutant of Bacillus subtilis

A glycerol-requiring mutant of Bacillus subtilis formed irregular spheres and showed disturbed septum formation, when subjected to growth limitation by the supply of glycerol. Under phosphate limitation the cells were also round and developed asymmetric septa. In magnesium-limited cultures the cells contained a thickened wall, as compared with that of the parent strain grown under the same conditions. Chemical analysis revealed the presence of teichoic acid as the major anionic polymer in the wall of the glycerol-, as well as the magnesium-limited cells of the glycerol-requiring B. subtilis mutant. Under phosphate limitation teichuronic acid was the only anionic polymer present in the wall. Thus, in this respect, there were no apparent differences between mutant organisms and the parent strain when grown under magnesium and phosphate limitation, respectively and the observed morphological deviations could not be correlated with an altered anionic polymer content of the wall.