Effects of deuterium oxide on bacterial flagellar motility

✍ Scribed by Zipf, Mary E. ;Doetsch, Raymond N.

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1973
• Weight: 532 KB
• Volume: 92
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-9276
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00409285

✦ Synopsis

Low concentrations of 2H20 had either no observable influence, or a slightly stimulatory effect, on the translational movement of flagellated bacteria. High 2H20 levels had marked, but transient, effects, expressed as a retardation of movement, especially on peritriehous forms. Polarly flagellated bacteria rapidly recovered from eH20 effects, whereas peritrichous organisms possessed only a limited recovery capacity.

:Plagellar regeneration and resumption of normal motion were retarded in a 1.5~ (w/v) Trypticase Soy-2H20 medium, and again this was more evident in peritrichous bacteria. The overall length of flagella regenerated in the presence of 2H20 differed noticeably from those regenerated in its absence. There was no flagellar regeneration in 99.8 ~ ell20.

The morphological appearance of 2I-IeO-treated bacteria suggests that deuterium oxide acts as if it is a mild plasmolytic agent whose effects are readily reversible in most cases.