Origins of Escherichia coli growth rate and cell shape changes at high external osmolality.

ABSTRACT: In Escherichia coli, a sudden increase in external concentration causes a pressure drop across the cell envelope, followed by an active recovery. After recovery, and if the external osmolality remains high, cells have been shown to grow more slowly, smaller, and at reduced turgor pressure. Despite the fact that the active recovery is a key stress response, the nature of these changes and how they relate to each other is not understood. Here, we use fluorescence imaging of single cells during hyperosmotic shocks, combined with custom made microfluidic devices, to show that cells fully recover their volume to the initial, preshock value and continue to grow at a slower rate immediately after the recovery. We show that the cell envelope material properties do not change after hyperosmotic sho

SUBMITTER: Pilizota T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4213672 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature