Isolation and Purification of the Intracytoplasmic Membranes of Rhodospirillum Rubrum.

Holt, Stanley C. (University of California, Davis), and Allen G. Marr. Isolation and purification of the intracytoplasmic membranes of Rhodospirillum rubrum. J. Bacteriol. 89:1413-1420. 1965.-When Rhodospirillum rubrum was disrupted in a French pressure cell, two colored bands were observed after density-gradient centrifugation: an upper band containing chromatophores and a lower band containing cell envelopes. A similar analysis of the pigmented components after disruption by osmotic shock revealed the presence of a third band intermediate between the upper and lower bands. Brief sonic treatment of the contents of this intermediate band produced typical chromatophores. The results establish that chromatophores are produced by fragmentation of the intracytoplasmic membrane.