Fine structure of selected species of the genus Thiobacillus as revealed by chemical fixation and freeze-etching

Abstract

An electron-microscopic examination of selected species of the genus Thiobacillus was undertaken using the techniques of chemical fixation and freeze-etching. The architecture of the cells was typical of gram-negative bacteria. The multilayered cell envelope was revealed as a complex of smooth, rough, and particle-studded membranes. The particles which covered the outer plasma membrane (convex surface) appeared to contain a differentiated region which might permit a channeling between the exterior and interior of the cell. Inclusion bodies, including paracrystalline arrays, carboxysomes, and granules were present.