FORMATION AND MULTIPLICATION OF SPHEROPLASTS OF ESCHERICHIA COLI IN THE PRESENCE OF LITHIUM CHLORIDE

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Abstract
E. coli, when grown on enriched nutrient agar containing 2.5% LiCl, produces protoplast-like cells (spheroplasts) which may multiply further by binary fission. This growth results in the formation of L-type colonies composed of spherical bodies and granular forms. The percentage of cells able to form L-type colonies on LiCl agar depends upon the strain, varying from 0.01% to as high as 80%. Spheroplasts when transferred to LiCl-free medium exhibit a high osmotic stability, and on nutrient agar revert to normal bacilli, forming colonies with an efficiency approaching 100%. The spheroplasts differ strikingly from the normal bacillary forms in their morphology, rate of multiplication, and sensitivity to streptomycin, while preserving unchanged many other properties characteristic of bacillary forms.