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Abstract:
The growth pattern of the murein-sacculus which determines the shape of the Escherichia coli cell was studied by the use of high-resolution autoradiography with the electron microscope. The murein was pulse labelled with 3H-labelled diaminopimelic acid as a specific murein precursor and sacculi were prepared immediately. The radioactivity of the nascent murein appeared on the auto- radiographs at a well-defined growth zone in the central area of the sacculus. This was true regardless of the size of the cells. Pulse chase experimenta show rapid mixing of labelled murein with pre-existing murein and its even distribution over the whole surface of the sacculus.