Spheroplast

[1][2] Antibiotics that inhibit biochemical pathways directly upstream of peptidoglycan synthesis induce spheroplasts too (e.g. fosmidomycin, phosphoenolpyruvate).

[1] Specially prepared giant spheroplasts of Gram-negative bacteria can be used to study the function of bacterial ion channels through a technique called patch clamp, which was originally designed for characterizing the behavior of neurons and other excitable cells.

[10] After a period of time, the cell walls of the filaments are digested, and the bacteria collapse into very large spheres surrounded by just their cytoplasmic and outer membranes.

The technique of patch clamping giant E. coli spheroplasts has been used to study the native mechanosensitive channels (MscL, MscS, and MscM) of E.

Spheroplasts with recombinant DNA are introduced into the media containing animal cells and are fused by polyethylene glycol (PEG).

[17] Upon conducting experiments following a modified Hanahan protocol using calcium chloride in E. coli, it was determined that spheroplasts may be able to transform at 4.9x10−4.

Gram-negative bacteria attempting to grow and divide in the presence of peptidoglycan synthesis-inhibiting antibiotics (e.g. penicillin) fail to do so, and instead end up forming spheroplasts. [ 1 ] [ 2 ]
An E.coli spheroplast patched with a glass pipette.