This communication is concerned with the formation of spheroidal bodies from Bacillus megaterium strain KM, by the action of potassium tellurite in a hypertonic sucrose medium. Cells grown in sucrose-casein hydrolyzate broth (Lederberg and St. Clair, J. Bacteriol., 75, 143, 1958) were inoculated into fresh broth and aerated at 37 C for 3 to 4 hr. Potassium tellurite (final concentration 0.05 pe...

In Bacillus subtilis the reduction of potassium tellurite and of tetranitro-blue tetrazolium (TNBT) give comparable results: reduced products appear deposited in particular membranous organelles. For this reason these specialized organelles are considered to be chondrioids (1-3). In the Gram-negative Proteus vulgaris similar membranous structures were never observed by us (4, 5). Therefore it i...

The respiratory chain of Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes KF707 in membranes isolated from cells grown in the presence or absence of the toxic oxyanion tellurite (TeO3(2-)) was examined. Aerobic growth in the absence of tellurite shows an NADH-dependent respiration which is 80% catalysed by the cytochrome (cyt) bc1-containing pathway leading to two terminal membrane-bound cyt c oxidases inhibited ...

During an attempt to test current, and develop new, histochemical methods applicable to electron microscopy, early success was obtained with a method for demonstrating the activity of dehydrogenase systems. This method depends on the fact that potassium tellurite (K2TeOa) is reduced (hydrogenated) by living tissues to a product of high electron-scattering power. More specifically, this reagent ...

In the present study a histochemical method demonstrating the activity of dehydrogenase systems was developed for electron microscopy, utilizing potassium tellurite as the hydrogen or electron acceptor. This reagent was used intravitally (intravenously, intraperitoneally, or intraluminally in hollow organs) or supravitally on small blocks of tissue for the demonstration of endogenous dehydrogen...

Two members of the genus Thermus were examined for their resistance to toxic inorganic compounds. They both proved to be fairly resistant to tellurite and selenite and to many other heavy metal salts. Cell extracts of Thermus thermophilus HB8 and of T. flavus AT-62 catalyze the reduction of K(2)TeO(3) in a reaction which is dependent on NADH oxidation.