Kinematographische Studien an Proteus

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Abstract
Multiplication and colony formation, active locomotion (swarming and swimming), and changes induced by penicillin, including the L-phase, were demonstrated with the help of cinematography. The evaluation of the films had the following results: If the volumes of rods and filaments and the surfaces of their projected pictures are plotted against time, 2 parallel curves are obtained. The growth curves of a non-motile OX19 strain were straight lines, whereas those of a motile Proteus mirabilis strain repeatedly yielded slightly bent curves. With swarming P. mirabilis strains phases of inhibited and of active binary fission follow one another. Both phases show approximately the same rate of increase in volume of the cells. It seems that with swarming Proteus the two phenomena are independent of each other. The generation time of a strain proved to be of statistical value only. The actual time between 2 binary fissions varies considerably. Figures for the mean length and width of rods and filaments and the velocity of cells or groups of cells are given. With increasing density of the population swimming rods and filaments show an increasingly parallel coordination in their movements. Under the influence of penicillin individual rods may release more than 1 large body. The interval may be as long as 52 min. The growth curves of spheroplasts (large bodies) consist of 2 straight lines with an obtuse angle at the 80th to 100th min. Possible explanations of this phenomenon are discussed. Time lapse cinematography revealed that spheroplasts sometimes show "contraction movements". At the same time the number and the volume of vacuoles increases and decreases again. The exact correlation of both events revealed that the excretion of the contents of the vacuoles cannot be the cause of the discrease in volume of the spheroplasts during "contraction". Thus, a genuine contraction of the spheroplasts seems to be the most probable explanation of this phenomenon. When penicillin induced spheroplasts are submitted to the action of penicillinase, normal rods reappear after varying times. The projected surfaces and, most probably, the volumes of the newly formed rods show a straight curve if plotted against time, whereas the curve of the number of the elements is S-shaped.

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