Bacterial lysis of Clostridium species. VI. Sucrose-induced autolysis and development of protoplast-like cells of Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum

A growing culture of Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum partially lost its turbidity in the presence of 0.3 to 0.6 m sucrose without any extraneous supplements for cell wall degradation. The maximum effect was shown at 0.35 m of sucrose and the culture lost 40 to 50% of initial turbidity. The rate of lysis depended on the age of culture. The most rapid lysis occurred in the organisms of early exponential growing cultures, but no lysis was observed on those of late exponential and stationary phase cultures. The optimal pH was 5.5 to 6.0, and the optimal temperature 30 to 35°C. The sucrose-induced lysis was inhibited by bivalent cations (such as Ca2+, Mg2+), heavy metal cations (such as Cu2+, Pb2+), enzymic inhibitors (such as PCMB) and fixative agents (such as formalin, glutaraldehyde), while organisms whose growth had been inhibited by antibiotics (such as chloramphenicol, tetracycline) were also resistant to sucrose-induced lysis. The sucrose-induced lysis was accompanied by striking morphological co...