Magnesium rescues the morphology of Bacillus subtilis mreB mutants through its inhibitory effect on peptidoglycan hydrolases.

ABSTRACT: Cell wall homeostasis in bacteria is tightly regulated by balanced synthesis and degradation of peptidoglycan (PG), allowing cells to expand their sacculus during growth while maintaining physical integrity. In rod-shaped bacteria, actin-like MreB proteins are key players of the PG elongation machinery known as the Rod complex. In the Gram-positive model bacterium Bacillus subtilis depletion of the essential MreB leads to loss of rod shape and cell lysis. However, millimolar concentrations of magnesium in the growth medium rescue the viability and morphological defects of mreB mutants by an unknown mechanism. Here, we used a combination of cytological, biochemical and biophysical approaches to investigate the cell surface properties of mreB null mutant cells and the interactions of Mg

SUBMITTER: Tesson B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8782873 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature