Mechanical control of bacterial cell shape.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Jiang H
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3136767 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Mechanical control of bacterial cell shape.
Jiang Hongyuan H Si Fangwei F Margolin William W Sun Sean X SX
Biophysical journal 20110701 2
In bacteria, cytoskeletal filament bundles such as MreB control the cell morphology and determine whether the cell takes on a spherical or a rod-like shape. Here we use a theoretical model to describe the interplay of cell wall growth, mechanics, and cytoskeletal filaments in shaping the bacterial cell. We predict that growing cells without MreB exhibit an instability that favors rounded cells. MreB can mechanically reinforce the cell wall and prevent the onset of instability. We propose that th ...[more]
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