Whole cells versus supernatants? - (May/05/2007 )

Just a stupid question (because I am supposed to know this:P) but whole cells (the pellets) of a bacterial culture contain the membranes of a bacteria and supernatants contain only periplasm + cytoplasm + whatever is secreted in the media (menaing oputside the cell) or is it just the periplasm? THANKS!!!

i'm not sure, but i think it depends on your centrifugation...i mean centrifugation will determine which "particles" will precipitate as pellet and which ones will stay suspended in the supernatant