Bacillus subtilis cell diameter is determined by the opposing actions of two distinct cell wall synthetic systems.

ABSTRACT: Rod-shaped bacteria grow by adding material into their cell wall via the action of two spatially distinct enzymatic systems: the Rod complex moves around the cell circumference, whereas class A penicillin-binding proteins (aPBPs) do not. To understand how the combined action of these two systems defines bacterial dimensions, we examined how each affects the growth and width of Bacillus subtilis as well as the mechanical anisotropy and orientation of material within their sacculi. Rod width is not determined by MreB, rather it depends on the balance between the systems: the Rod complex reduces diameter, whereas aPBPs increase it. Increased Rod-complex activity correlates with an increased density of directional MreB filaments and a greater fraction of directional PBP2a enzymes. This increas

SUBMITTER: Dion MF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6656618 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature