E. coli filament buckling modulates Min patterning and cell division.

ABSTRACT: Bacteria often encounter physico-chemical stresses that disrupt division, leading to filamentation, where cells elongate without dividing. Although this adaptive response improves survival, it also exposes filaments to significant mechanical strain, raising questions about the mechanochemical feedback in bacterial systems. In this study, we investigate how mechanical strain modifies the geometry of bacterial filaments and influences the Min oscillatory system, a reaction-diffusion network central to division in Escherichia coli. Through a multidisciplinary approach combining quantitative fluorescence microscopy, biophysical modeling, microfluidics, and patterned growth substrates, we demonstrate that Escherichia coli filaments undergo a growth-induced buckling instability. This phenomenon

SUBMITTER: Nadal M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12417549 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature