Chase D G, Erlandsen S L
J Bacteriol. 1976 Jul;127(1):572-83. doi: 10.1128/jb.127.1.572-583.1976.
Light and electron microscope observations showed that the filamentous, segmented bacterium commonly found attached to the ileal epithelium of rats and mice undergoes a complex life cycle. Filaments comprising up to 90 segments were attached to the microvillous border of absorptive epithelial cells by a specialized terminal holdfast segment. Starting at the free end of the filament and progressing toward the attached end, undifferentiated segments were converted into reproductive or mother segments. Within each mother cell two new holdfast segments developed. As the holdfasts matured, their mother cells degenerated and released them into the intervillar space where they attached, grew, and divided to produce new segmented filaments. Alternately, in some filaments, newly formed but not yet released holdfasts were converted into endospores, which were released in the same manner as holdfasts, presumably to spread the bacterial colony to other members of the rodent population.
光学显微镜和电子显微镜观察显示，通常附着在大鼠和小鼠回肠上皮的丝状、分段细菌经历复杂的生命周期。由多达90个节段组成的细丝通过特殊的末端固着节段附着在吸收性上皮细胞的微绒毛边界上。从细丝的自由端开始并向附着端推进，未分化的节段转变为生殖节段或母节段。在每个母细胞内，形成了两个新的固着节段。随着固着节段成熟，它们的母细胞退化并将它们释放到绒毛间隙中，在那里它们附着、生长并分裂以产生新的分段细丝。另外，在一些细丝中，新形成但尚未释放的固着节段转变为内生孢子，其以与固着节段相同的方式释放，推测是为了将细菌菌落传播到啮齿动物群体的其他成员。
