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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Three-dimensional Imaging of Bacterial Cells for Accurate Cellular Representations and Precise Protein Localization

Three-dimensional Imaging of Bacterial Cells for Accurate Cellular Representations and Precise Protein Localization

Published on: October 29, 2019

Cell shape determination in Escherichia coli.

Mary J Osborn¹, Lawrence Rothfield

¹Department of Molecular, Microbial and Structural Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06032, United States. osborn@nso2.uchc.edu

Current Opinion in Microbiology

|November 6, 2007

Summary

Bacterial cell shape is determined by peptidoglycan. Actin homologues MreB and Mbl form helical structures essential for rod shape by guiding murein synthesis.

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Published on: November 24, 2017

Area of Science:

Microbial cell biology
Bacterial morphogenesis
Cytoskeletal dynamics

Background:

Bacterial cell shape is dictated by the peptidoglycan (murein) sacculus.
The mechanisms underlying murein sacculus shape determination are increasingly understood.
MreB and Mbl, actin homologues, form pole-to-pole helical structures in rod-shaped bacteria.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the role of MreB/Mbl in bacterial cell shape determination.
To investigate the assembly and regulation of the murein morphogenetic machinery.
To understand the switch between lateral wall synthesis and septum formation.

Main Methods:

Investigating cytoskeletal actin homologues (MreB/Mbl).
Analyzing the murein synthesis pathway and associated proteins.
Studying the regulation of cell division and peptidoglycan synthesis.

Main Results:

MreB (Gram-negative) and Mbl (Gram-positive) are crucial for maintaining rod shape.
These proteins are essential for murein synthesis along the lateral cell wall.
The broader morphogenetic system includes MreB/Mbl, MreC, MreD, and PBP2.

Conclusions:

MreB/Mbl are key components of the bacterial cytoskeleton, essential for cell shape.
Further research is needed to clarify MreB's role in complex assembly and regulatory mechanisms.
Understanding these processes is vital for microbial cell biology and potential therapeutic targets.