Communications Biology (Mar 2021)

A flat embedding method for transmission electron microscopy reveals an unknown mechanism of tetracycline

  • Michaela Wenzel,
  • Marien P. Dekker,
  • Biwen Wang,
  • Maroeska J. Burggraaf,
  • Wilbert Bitter,
  • Jan R. T. van Weering,
  • Leendert W. Hamoen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-01809-8
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 4, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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Wenzel et al. developed a flat embedding method for TEM, which increases the fraction of appropriately orientated cells per image, making it easier to quantify cell morphology. They find that tetracycline-treated B. subtilis shows membrane lesions and that tetracycline action is via direct perturbation of bacterial cell membrane in addition to its known ribosome inhibition activity.