Mechanical consequences of cell-wall turnover in the elongation of a Gram-positive bacterium.

ABSTRACT: A common feature of walled organisms is their exposure to osmotic forces that challenge the mechanical integrity of cells while driving elongation. Most bacteria rely on their cell wall to bear osmotic stress and determine cell shape. Wall thickness can vary greatly among species, with Gram-positive bacteria having a thicker wall than Gram-negative bacteria. How wall dimensions and mechanical properties are regulated and how they affect growth have not yet been elucidated. To investigate the regulation of wall thickness in the rod-shaped Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis, we analyzed exponentially growing cells in different media. Using transmission electron and epifluorescence microscopy, we found that wall thickness and strain were maintained even between media that yielded a thr

SUBMITTER: Misra G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3672878 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature