Polymorphism in a flagellar-shape mutant of Salmonella typhimurium.

Abstract

A flagellar-shape mutant, designated ‘polymorphous’, was isolated from a normal flagella strain of Salmonella typhimurium. The mutant produces normal flagella in phase 1 and polymorphous flagella in phase 2. The polymorphous flagella are either straight or possess one of the four distinct wave-forms, namely M, S, N or C, when observed with an electron microscope after negative staining with phosphotungstic acid or uranyl acetate. Conversions between the four wave-forms were found to be brought about mainly by a change in the degree of twisting of longitudinal strands around the axis of a flagella filament, without marked change in the relative lengths of the outermost and innermost strands. The major fraction of the polymorphous mutant flagella showed the N-form under any conditions of specimen preparation. The remaining four forms appeared as minor fractions in various proportions. Specimens fixed with formalin showed less pronounced polymorphism than unfixed ones. Negative staining with uranyl acetate was more effective than with phosphotungstic acid for observing polymorphism. Even though more than one form appeared among the polymorphous flagella, each individual flagellum comprised a single form except for a rare coexistence of S and N. The same form of flagella tended to coexist in a bacterium in a heteromorphously flagellated cell population. It was concluded that the conformation and arrangement of the flagellin molecules responsible for wave-form result from strong mutual interactions between the neighbouring molecules along the flagellar filaments and also, to a lesser extent, between the neighbouring filaments in a flagellar bundle, as well as being influenced by the physico-chemical environment.