Bacterial mesosomes

Many heterotrophic bacteria possess intracellular membranes known as mesosomes. In bacilli, mesosomes take the form of tubules, vesicles or sheets of membrane housed within a pocket of the cytoplasmic membrane. Morphological differences exist between the tubules and the cytoplasmic membrane, but the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science progress (1916) 1972-01, Vol.60 (240), p.527-546
Main Author: Burdett, I. D. J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacillus - cytology
Bacteria - cytology
Cell growth
Cell Membrane - physiology
Cell membranes
Cell separation
Cell Wall - metabolism
Cell walls
Daughter cells
DNA
DNA Replication
DNA, Bacterial - biosynthesis
Enzymes
Microscopy, Electron
P branes
Protoplasts
Septum
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Summary:Many heterotrophic bacteria possess intracellular membranes known as mesosomes. In bacilli, mesosomes take the form of tubules, vesicles or sheets of membrane housed within a pocket of the cytoplasmic membrane. Morphological differences exist between the tubules and the cytoplasmic membrane, but the composition of the two fractions is similar. Two decades of research have failed to clarify the exact role of mesosomes and it is possible that they have no specific task but merely amplify some function of the membrane. Mesosomes might also provide a mechanism for accommodating enzymes or precursors synthesized in relation to some temporal event of the cell cycle. Recent work has provided further evidence for the involvement of mesosomes in the initiation of septum formation and perhaps DNA replication. Further proof of these roles awaits the identification of a specific marker enzyme for mesosomes and an understanding of the factors regulating the location of mesosomes.
ISSN:0036-8504
2047-7163