Abstract
Cultures of the pseudomurein-containing archaebacterium Methanobacterium wolfei regularly lysed a short while after the energy source H2 was exhausted, or when H2 in growing cultures was replaced by N2. During lysis of cells, the DNA was released into the culture medium.
No intact cell wall sacculi of lysed cells could be detected, but a soluble fragment of the pseudomurein was isolated and characterized.
The lysate of Methanobacterium wolfei was used to lyse other species of the genus Methanobacterium. Since no phages were detected, autolytic enzymes probably are responsible for cell lysis.
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König, H., Semmler, R., Lerp, C. et al. Evidence for the occurrence of autolytic enzymes in Methanobacterium wolfei . Arch. Microbiol. 141, 177–180 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00423281
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00423281