• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.228-235
• /
• 1986

The aims of the present studies were to develop conditions for the spheroplast formation of Zymomonas mobilis and regeneration of the spheroplasts to normal cells in synthetic media. Z. mobilis cells harvested from exponential growth phase were treated with lysozyme, mutanolysin, and glycine in various conditions. It was found that spheroplasts were formed only with the treatment of glycine but not with the enzymes treatments. It was therefore considered that the tetrapeptide strand of peptide strand of peptidoglycan might play more important roles than the glycan strand in maintaining the vital mechanical function of Z. mobilis. It was found also that removal of outher membrane was the major problem in protoplast formation of Z.mobilis. As results, It was observed that over 85% of cells were readly converted to spheroplasts with sole glycine treatment for 4 hr and 7-10% of the spheroplasts were regenerated to normal cells in synthetic media.